Havre speech takes first in Chester

Press release

The Havre High School speech and debaters couldn’t quite take any first-place finishes at the Chester-Joplin-Inverness invitational tournament Saturday — although several were right in the mix — but the Blue Ponies still scored enough points to bring home the Class A team trophy.

Havre scored 77 points in the team competition, beating Class A rival the Fergus County High School Eagles from Lewistown.

Lewistown scored 62 points.

“I was hoping our kids could earn some first-place finishes, but this was a young team up against some pretty tough competition,” head coach Tim Leeds said. “I am proud they could earn enough points to bring home a first-place team trophy.”

The Havre team, short a few competitors due to conflicting events, faced students from 13 other schools including Lewistown and host CJI, with students coming from as far away as Lincoln County High School in Eureka.

First-year Havre speaker Angelle Roen, a senior competing in her second tournament, took second place in memorized public address for the Ponies, while fellow-first year Havre competitor Paige Bertelson, a freshman also competing at her second tournament, took second in Lincoln-Douglas debate.

Varsity Havre public forum debate team Joram Randolph and Noah Teasley, both juniors, took second, while their teammates, varsity debaters Sean Borrero and Xavier Ulano, also juniors, took third.

Varsity Havre debate team Lillie Mecklenburg, a junior, and Dartanion Kaftan, a sophomore, took third in policy debate,

Senior Tana Gorecki, competing in her first year in spontaneous oral interpretation of literature, took third.

Sophomore Melanie Veith took third in informative speaking, while first-year competitor Alyssa Smith, a senior at her second tournament, took fifth in that event.

Sophomore Tristan Molyneaux, competing in her first year in humorous oral interpretation of literature, took fifth.

Havre travels next across the Great Divide for the Columbia Falls invitational.

“This will be a real test,” Leeds said. “Havre will face some top-level Class A competition from the west and other Class A schools from east of the divide are headed to C. Falls as well. Plenty of BC teams and some AA squads will be there, too. I am looking forward to our team showing their stuff at that meet.”