Havre speech competitors just miss state medals

Press release

The Havre High School speech and debate team competed at the Class A state tournament this weekend, and just missed competitors bringing home some medals from the tournament.

"I feel bad for the kids," head coach Tim Leeds said. "They all worked really hard this year and had the talent to earn their way up on stage, but it didn't happen this year.

"I feel really bad for Kaleb Gardner," Leeds added. "He has been a trooper for four years and got really good in Lincoln-Douglas debate - he just missed bringing home a divisional champion medal this year. But he hit some of the toughest Class A competition in the state in Belgrade, lost some key rounds in close competition, and it just wasn't in the cards."

Gardner, who lost the finals round at the eastern Class A divisional tournament on a split decision to earn second place there, went 1-4 at state.

He defeated a Ronan debater, but lost close rounds to debaters from Whitefish, Dawson County High School, Sidney High School and Billings Central High School.

The Blue Ponies who went furthest for Havre High School were first-year policy debate team LillieAnn Mecklenburg and Dartanion Kaftan. Sophomore Mecklenburg, a second-year debater for Havre, who competed in Lincoln Douglas debate last year, and freshman Kaftan went 3-2 in the preliminary rounds.

Mecklenburg and Kaftan lost a close round to a Laurel team, then beat two teams in a row from Frenchtown. They lost to a Whitefish team, then came back to beat a team from Columbia Falls.

They were in the mix to go into single-elimination quarterfinals to compete for the top eight spots in outrounds, but lost a tie-breaking procedure based on speaker points, 248-253. Mecklenburg and Kaftan ended up in ninth at state.

Havre's second-year public forum debate team Joram Randolph and Noah Teasley went 2-3 at state. They defeated teams from Whitefish and Frenchtown but lost close rounds against teams from Belgrade, Columbia Falls and Stevensville.

Havre's two first-year speech competitors, sophomore Elaine Atkinson in humorous oral interpretation of literature and freshman Melanie Veith in informative speaking, received good comments from judges in the five preliminary rounds but did not make the cut to semifinals to compete to get into the top eight at state.

First-year policy debate team Grace Crantz and Tristan Molyneaux, who joined the team mid-season and qualified for state despite only having a few tournaments before divisionals, went 0-5.

"I'm a little disappointed in the results," Leeds said. "We had the talent to get some people up on stage to accept medals, but it didn't happen. They all worked really hard and did well in Belgrade, but you never know what's going to happen at state.

"We have a really young team," Leeds added. "Kaleb is the only upperclassman on the team, and we are going to miss him. He has turned into a real team leader and worked hard - he has earned a top-level rank with the National Speech and Debate Association, special distinction - and I wish we had him coming back.

"But," Leeds said, "we picked up some great talent last year and this year, and if they all come back, and we can pick up some more new competitors net year, we are in a position to build a really strong team."

Havre plans to compete at the National Speech and Debate Association national qualifier tournament Friday and Saturday in Billings to finish out the season.