Class A and B teams in rebuilding year, with pockets of strength
Class A powerhouse Columbia Falls High School is focused on raising the bar during this year’s speech and debate season, eying a 14th consecutive championship title.
The biggest challenge the team may face this season is the pressure to continue that legacy.
“We are excited about this season and have an enthusiastic team,” Columbia Falls Assistant Coach Barry Conger said. “We had a big group of seniors graduate last year, and so the team is overall, much younger this year. Our returning kids are talented and incredibly hard-working, but we know we will be fighting hard to build a young team quickly this year.”
Despite a young team, the goal remains to maintain the strategy for which Columbia Falls has gained a reputation — strength across both speech and debate events.
“We work very hard to build a well-rounded team that can perform well overall, so we don’t depend on one competitor to carry the team. Every member of our team contributes,” Conger said, adding that the season’s goals are to “build on our legacy.”
The team also will benefit from leadership of veteran competitors. Junior Shayne Williams returns to defend a state title in Policy Debate and sophomore Paige Moriarty in Original Oratory.
“We feel that every member of the team is a potential champion, and we look forward to seeing them shine,” Conger said.
Whitefish High School also has its eyes on the prize following a second-place finish at the 2018 state speech and debate tournament.
Whitefish is developing the talents of a young, but enthusiastic team, according to Head Coach Sara Mueller.
“We are proud to be a team that is filled with talent top to bottom. Our biggest strength is our overall depth,” Mueller said, noting the team excels in interpretive events.
The forces of returning state champions seniors Mary Hooks and Naya Brigette, who will defend titles in Public Forum Debate and Dramatic Interpretation, respectively, will back the team. Mueller said she is also looking forward to seeing the performances of other top seniors, including Lilly Butts, Lincoln-Douglas Debate; Regan Tintzman, Informative Speaking, Abby Lowry, Policy Debate; and Josie Johnson, Impromptu Speaking.
In Class B, Bigfork High School is listening closely to its objective to climb into the No. 1 spot after finishing in second, not far behind Loyola, at the 2018 Class B-C state tournament.
Bigfork Head Coach Charlie Appleby said the team of 25 is rebuilding after 18 seniors graduated; however two state champions are returning — senior Anya Young, who won the Informative Speaking title in 2017 and 2018 and senior Cole Hider, who was first in Lincoln-Douglas Debate.
Appleby is also optimistic the following students will also excel this season: senior Ben Johnson in Dramatic Interpretation, junior Anton Young and senior Evan Benton in Policy Debate and junior Ben Keller in Impromptu, based on past placements.
He said one of the team’s strengths is discovering new talent among competitors, which means the events the team excels at varies from year to year.
“Our coaching staff really does a fine job of finding out what the kids will excel at and letting them find their place in speech, debate or in drama. Some years it’s memorized events, some it’s short prep, we’ve been good at drama and debate,” Appleby said. “This year, I see us as being well-rounded, having some good competition in most of the events across the board.”
Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.