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For the sixth straight year, Luverne High School is sending a mock trial team to the state tournament.
Luverne students earned the return trip Friday, when the defense team took on the plaintiffs from Lakeview High School at the Murray County Courthouse in Slayton.
The 235-224 win takes LHS to the March 5-6 state tournament in St. Paul. The Region 4 champions will compete against 15 other teams from across Minnesota in the state tournament.
Three court officials oversaw Friday’s state-qualifying mock trial event.
Presiding judge was Fifth Judicial District Judge Gordon Moore, who would cast the final vote in the case of a tie.
“It was very, very impressive,” said Moore, Worthington, a former mock trial adviser.
“I told my court reporters ‘These kids are really putting the judge to work today.’”
Judging the trial were Eric Oldenkamp from Marshall and Oliver Ashworth from Worthington.
They unanimously scored Luverne the winner of Friday’s contest.
“All of you looked very good, very smart,” Ashworth said. “Everyone is very articulate and polite and presented well. The only advice I think I could give is to sometimes slow down (when you talk) and take a moment and think.”
Oldenkamp agreed with Ashworth adding, “It was great to hear objections come up and then for pretty much all objections there was a response and an explanation as to why that question was being asked in the first place,” he said.
The mock trial season consists of four regular season rounds with the fifth round reserved for the two teams with the best records. The Round 5 winner moved on to state competition.
Lakeview entered Round 5 undefeated.
Luverne was 3-1, having lost to Lakeview in Round 2.
Friday’s rematch had teams switching sides and Luverne’s defense competing.
Luverne’s defense team consists of attorneys Sophia Lanoue and Alexa Chesley, both seniors, and junior John Miller. Defense witnesses are senior Jordan Winter, junior Seno Chanthalangsy and sophomore Luke Thorson.
Timekeeper was freshman Ross Bergman and the bailiff was freshman Parker Carbonneau. Both are also alternate witness and attorney respectively.
The defense team had two regular season wins prior to Friday’s contest.
They won against Springfield 220-211 on Jan. 9 and against Hills-Beaver Creek 223-175 on Jan. 24.
Luverne’s prosecution team is made up of attorneys Gunnar Oldre, a senior, and juniors Kaitlyn Anderson and Lauren Ver Steeg. Witnesses are sophomore Chance Tunnissen and juniors Solveig Tofteland and Xavier Carbonneau.
Lawyer alternate is sophomore Griffen Jarchow. Freshman Ella Lanoue is an alternate witness.
The prosecution team competed in two meets this year.
They lost 210-214 against Lakeview’s defense team Jan. 28. The meet was moved from Jan. 17 due to a blizzard.
They won the Feb. 7 meet 216-208 against Springfield.
This year’s mock trial case, State of Minnesota versus Sam Soto, focuses on the opioid epidemic and the state’s third-degree murder statute, which has been used to prosecute those who unlawfully provide drugs to others when death results from the use of the drug.
Soto hosted a party in which Brandon Weber died from a drug overdose.
H-BC ends with a 1-2 mock trial season
Hills-Beaver Creek High School ended the mock trial season with one win and two losses under first-year adviser Megan Klumper.
The 16-member team lost against Lakeview High School 236-225 on Jan. 6 and to Luverne High School 223-175 on Jan. 24.
The team had a bye in the second round.
Their win, 230-226 came against Lakeview’s second team Feb. 4.
H-BC team members include seniors Bryn Mongeau, juniors Jacob Sheppard, Shayla Rainford, Allie LaRock, Abby Knobloch, Lauren Tatge, Hannah Fick, Mikael Mess, Erica Dysthe, Thomas Dysthe, sophomore Taylor Durst, freshmen Lexi Drake, Leif Tollefson, Carter Abels, Jenifer Martinyuk and Britton Mckenzie.