FSHS forensics squad ends year in 3rd

On Saturday, May 5, the season came to a conclusion for the Fort Scott High School forensics squad.

The Tigers ended the year with an impressive third place state finish to go along with their state runner-up finish in debate. The team started hot and was in a two-way tie for first after round one. However, a down second round cost the team the lead, and even with a great third round, they were not able to recover. The squad sent nine events into the semi-finals and four on into the finals.

Commenting about the turn of events, Coach Brian Weilert said, "The points just keep adding up each round, so one bad score or round can haunt you all day with just the top six making finals. That was the case for a few of our kids.

"Sam Johnson (Extemp speaking) missed semi-finals by one place, and AnnRene Braun (Informative speaking) and Amanda Loveland (Serious Solo) just missed finals by one; both finishing in seventh. In Prose, Kait Wilson and Hannah Herman were close to finals finishing eighth and ninth. Chris Clay and Chis West (Duet) were also in semi-finals before they faltered. Just one less point, here and there, and we are competing for the title," he said.

The four events that made it into finals were accented with a state championship in duet acting, as squad member Nick Wilson won his second duet title in as many years with new partner, Hannah Herman. Along with these two, placing in duet were Lena Sweyko and Levi Weilert (fourth), and Tom Gregory and Brad Parsons (sixth). Levi Weilert also made finals in the Poetry category, where he finished in sixth marking the third state medal in his career. In Lincoln Douglas debate, which is part of the state forensics tournament, the Tigers defended their state title from last year as Jason Phillips took over the reigns. Phillips suffered a loss in the second round but rallied with back-to-back wins to make the semi-finals as the fourth seed. Here, he upset the number one seed from Buhler.

"The kid he beat had won two different national qualifying tournaments this year. It was an impressive win," Weilert said. The win launched Phillips into the finals, where he had to defeat another national qualifying champion who had beaten him earlier in the season. Phillips did just that and earned the 4A champion title. Also competing for the Tigers, contributing to the state placing, were squad members Andrew Benage (Poetry), Carson Felt (Informative), Lena Sweyko (Serious solo), Nick Wilson (Poetry), Julie Jackson (Humorous solo), and Carly Hyer (Humorous solo).

At the same time the state championship was taking place, the state festival was in full swing at Kansas City Community College. Here students perform their selections once and receive a rating, much the same way as state band and choir work. The Tigers had success here as well with 10 competitors receiving a top (I) ratings and 5 receiving (II) ratings. One (I) ratings were earned by: Breianna Jones, Kim Henry, Jake Allen, Sterling Braun, Kira Dugan, McKale Uttinger, Morgan Gillispie, Jacoby Zielinski, James Lipscomb, and Dan O'Rear. Two (II) ratings were earned by: Keifer Cruse, Zak Al Shawish, Chavez Gaynor, Samantha Anderson, and Angel West.

In conclusion, Weilert said, "What a great finish to a great year. I know it is a cliché, but I could not be more proud of my team. They deserved every accolade they received this year."