By Town Crier Report

From left, Los Altos High School sophomores Brett Perotta, Scott Levin and Kellen McColl brought home the Santa Clara County mathematics championship.

They were close last year, and this year they got it. The Los Altos High School Math Squares captured the Santa Clara County championship in a match against Evergreen Valley High School April 8.

Last year, the Los Altos High team came in second, losing to Homestead High.

The competition was open to all high schools in Santa Clara County, and all teams were composed of freshmen or sophomores or both. Los Altos High team members Scott Levin, Kellen McColl and Brett Perotta are sophomores studying intermediate algebra. The three defeated Milpitas High in the first round and Palo Alto High in the semifinals.

Contest questions were based on math from the high school exit exam (a graduation requisite for all sophomores) presented in the format of the game tic-tac-toe.

Winning each square required answering a math question in no more than 90 seconds. Winning each game involved solving problems rapidly and knowing tic-tac-toe strategy.

Los Altos High math teacher Carol Evans coached the team in math, and Jon Kaplan, a Los Altos High sophomore, coached the team in strategy.

The tournament matches will be rebroadcast on KTEH’s Math Mentor program, Fridays at 4 p.m., through May.