Defending champions place second

Bozeman defeats Flathead in Class AA tournament

Defending state champion Flathead High School came in second to Bozeman High School at the Class AA state speech and debate tournament Jan. 25 and 26 in Missoula.

Flathead, which won the previous five state tournaments, finished with 106.5 points. Bozeman ended the tournament with 171 points.

"This Bozeman team, stack them up against any Flathead High School state champion team, and I don't know if you win," Flathead head coach Kala Lougheed said. "They're every bit as good as any state champion team this year.

"They've been good competitors all year. They've made us better competitors."

Flathead had two individual champions. Katie Hoag took first place in Extemporaneous Speaking. Annika Heinle won in Legislative Debate; she went undefeated in that event this season.

"Obviously, we're thrilled," Lougheed said. "We're so proud of the kids. They should have no regrets. We certainly have no regrets.

"They worked their tail off. … Unfortunately, it's a tough lesson that you do all that and sometimes it's not good enough."

Glacier High School, making its state tournament debut, finished in seventh place with 21 points.

"We're proud of our team. We're on the right track," head coach Greg Adkins said. "It didn't work out the way we'd hoped, but it's a great foundation for the future."

Two Glacier students qualified for finals, each in two events. Matt Schwager finished fifth in Extemporaneous Speaking and Impromptu Speaking. Abby Connolly took fourth place in Original Oratory and sixth in Expository Speaking.

"We had a solid performance," assistant coach Ivanna Fritz said. "We definitely could have done better, but they're a young team. We had some really amazing things happen."

In addition to the two finalists, half the Glacier team made it to the semifinal round, Adkins said.

"We're proud of how the kids handled themselves in the pressure of their very first state tournament," Fritz said. "Not one of these students has ever even attended a state tournament. … They handled themselves with dignity, pride and grace."

Individual results

. Extemporaneous Speaking - 1. Katie Hoag, Flathead; 4. Dan Browne, Flathead; 5. Matt Schwager, Glacier; 8. Maxine Sugarman, Flathead

. Impromptu Speaking - 2. Dan Browne, Flathead; 3. Katie Hoag, Flathead; 5. Matt Schwager, Glacier

. Expository Speaking - 6. Abby Connolly, Glacier

. Legislative Debate - 1. Annika Heinle, Flathead; 7. Alex Andes, Flathead

. Memorized Public Address - 2. Olivia Heinle, Flathead; 3. Larkin Lane, Flathead

. Serious Oral Interpretation - 3. Bethany Denton, Flathead

. Humorous Oral Interpretation - 3. Cody Harrison, Flathead; 5. Justin Mailman, Flathead

. Original Oratory - 4. Abby Connolly, Glacier; 6. McKenzie Javorka, Flathead

. Duo Interpretation - 5. Katy Allen-Schmid and Justin Mailman, Flathead

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.