BROWARD (CBS4) – A group of local high school students geared up for some steep competition this weekend in the jeopardy of high school science.

On Saturday, Cypress Bay High School students will participate in a regional competition for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science’s National Science Bowl.

The bowl will have the state’s best and brightest students vying for a spot at nationals.

“To call them academically gifted is really underselling it to be honest,” said A.P. biology teacher and coach, Brandon Boswell.

“It can be pretty intense,” said 15-year-old Sophomore Alison Huang.

As the youngest on the team, Huang said the nerves definitely set in sometimes.

“One single round gets pretty intense. They read a question and you think you know the answer, but then you are too scared to buzz in!” said Huang.

Cypress Bay High will send three teams of five to the regional competition, and students said they are ready.

“When you see the time running out sometimes you have to start interrupting questions so you can get more in time, so it’s all strategy,” said Junior Steve Seagull.

While his students focus on strategy, Boswell said it’s all about pride.

“It does really kind of feed your fire of going forward and working in a job that if you do it for pay you are making a horrible mistake,” said Boswell.” Needless to say, it feeds into that intrinsic desire to educate,” Boswell added.

The national competition is scheduled for the end of April.