The Wayne High Mock Trial team of Aidan Bohnert, Jordyn Clinchard, Josie Ley, Sophia Spieker, Nyamalo Kantai, Kennasyn Blecke, Alec Schaffer, Adrienne Anderson and Gavin Anderson participated in the Nebraska State Mock Trial competition Monday and Tuesday (Dec. 9-10).
The State Competition, put on by the Nebraska Bar Association, pitted the 10 best teams from all over the state against each other at the Hruska Federal Courthouse in Omaha.
The competition started Monday morning with orientation and then opening rounds at 9:30 a.m. Wayne found themselves up against Dundy County in the opening round. As the Plaintiff, Wayne began their day presenting their side of the case.
"Wayne's case was extremely strong and they controlled the action throughout the round," said Coach Josh Johnson.
The second round began at 1:30 p.m. and Wayne was on the defendant side of things against Humboldt Table Rock Steinauer (HTRS). The two teams would go back and forth throughout the trial. The two teams put on one of the best trials of the season.
Monday would end with an all team banquet where all teams would be recognized. At that banquet, Wayne found out that Tuesday's match would be against Gibbon with Wayne as the plaintiff.
Wayne would once again come out and look to control the action. The two teams would present their case and leave it all in the courtroom. After the third round, Wayne would have to wait and see if their performances would be enough to get them into the Championship round.
"Wayne did a great job all week but it was not enough to get into the finals," Coach Johnson said.
The Blue Devils would receive Honorable Mention. Final results will be emailed later this week.
The State Competition also had a News Reporter Contest. Aleigha Hale represented Wayne in the competition. The competition involved Aleigha watching the first trial, taking notes, and then writing an article about what was observed. After an afternoon of writing, the article was submitted to be judged. For her efforts, Aleigha received Honorable Mention.
"What a week and season for Wayne Mock Trial. We went down to State and the kids left it all out there in the courtroom. The kids really knocked it out of the park. They adjusted in every trial, learned from prior cases, and the next trial was always their best trial. I am so proud of all their hard work and dedication to the case all season. Thanks to all the seniors for everything and to the underclassmen - on to next year. A million thanks also to Sandy Brown and Judge Bob Ensz for all of their time and dedication to the program," Coach Johnson said.
