Havre speech wins at Chinook invitational tournament

Press release

Havre High School speech and debate again saw success this weekend, competing in Chinook at its last invitational tournament before heading to Hardin in the upcoming weekend for what is being called a “super-divisional” tournament.

Havre brought home five first-place medals in its dominating win in the Class A team competition, along with numerous other top finishes.

“This was a great weekend for our team,” head coach Tim Leeds said. “Everyone did well, and everyone got great competition in warming up on the way to the divisionals.”

Havre took first in Class A with 61 points, while Class A Central Division rival Browning took second with nine points.

The enormous north-central Montana Class BC tournament also saw eight Class B schools competing including Eastern Division Glasgow joining regular Central Division teams from Fairfield to Cut Bank to Malta, and 10 Class C schools from as far away as Froid-Medicine Lake and Circle coming to Chinook.

Sara Kutz-Yeager, a junior, just joined the team after transferring to Havre High School from Cut Bank this month, and won her first tournament with Havre. Kutz-Yeager won the competition in humorous oral interpretation of literature, with senior Patrick Leeds taking eighth after the finals round in the event. Sophomore Rory Everingham lost a tie-breaking procedure for a chance to make it into finals, ending up in ninth.

Four-year veteran Jacob Bachmeier, a senior, had perfect marks in his first-place finish in Lincoln-Douglas debate, beating competitors from Malta and Chinook and earning a bye in preliminary rounds, then defeating a Cut Bank debater 3-0 in finals. Freshman Kaleb Gardner beat the Malta debater in prelims but lost close rounds to the Chinook and the Cut Bank debaters, ending up in fourth place at Chinook.

Junior Trenton Smith took a tournament off from team policy debate, his regular event, to take first place in extemporaneous speaking at Chinook.

Junior Randi Ruhkamp also continued her strong showing for this year, taking first place in original oratory.

Junior Ethan Smith also took a first for Havre, winning dramatic oral interpretation of literature, closely followed by sophomore Lela Phillips, who took third in the event. Senior Emily Simonson lost another heart-wrenching tie-breaking procedure for Havre, and ended in ninth in dramatic interp.

Trenton Parrotte, who also tried another event and competed in impromptu speaking instead of team debate, took second for the Blue Ponies at his first tournament in that event. Sophomore Johnny Valadez also scored points for Havre in impromptu, ending up in sixth.

Senior Chris Steinmetz and junior Jesse Riska also scored points for Havre, placing in memorized public address at Chinook. Steinmetz took fifth in the event while Riska took sixth.

The team next heads to Hardin for the East super-divisional. With declining school numbers — both Libby and Anaconda have dropped from Class A to Class B — the Montana High School Association approved dropping the four divisional tournaments, one in the northwest, one in the southwest, one in the central and one in the eastern division, to go to two tournament.

Havre speakers will face all the teams from both the Central and Eastern divisions in Hardin, with the top 12 in each event advancing to state.

In the west, the remaining two divisions will compete against each other to advance to state, held this year in Belgrade Jan. 29-30.

“I’m feeling pretty good about Hardin,” coach Leeds said. “Our kids keep improving every week and doing well at the invitationals. This super-divisional is a new ballgame, but I am sure we can do well and I am hoping to advance most, or even all, of our speakers to state.”