Havre speakers take fourth, seventh in online tournament

Press release

Havre High School again fielded a small team for online competition over the weekend, but saw success at the tournament hosted by Custer County District High School in Miles City.

Juniors Dartanion Kaftan and Riley Klein, competing at just their second tournament together, went 3-1 in preliminary rounds and just missed the cut to debate it out for first and second in the finals round.

Kaftan, a third-year Havre competitor, and Klein, competing for the Blue Ponies in his first year, were not able to compete at the last two tournaments. Coming back to competition, the team lost a close first-round match to debaters from Stevensville High School but defeated teams from Frenchtown, East Helena and Columbia Falls to finish in fourth place.

Senior LillieAnn Mecklenburg, a fourth-year Blue Pony debater, continued the strong tradition she has had so far this season. Mecklenburg was the only Lincoln-Douglas debater at the last two tournaments to go 4-0, hosted by Havre and Laurel, in preliminary rounds.

Mecklenburg almost pulled it off again at the Miles City tournament, losing only her second round in a close debate with a competitor from Ronan High School. 

She defeated a debater from Whitefish in the first round and debaters from Frenchtown in the third and fourth rounds to end in seventh place.

Second-year Lincoln-Douglas debater Paige Bertelsen, a sophomore, faced tough competition and received some good comments from judges but went 0-4 at the tournament. Bertelsen debated competitors from Columbia Falls, Laurel and two debaters from Frenchtown.

Havre again competes online this weekend in a Friday-Saturday tournament, hosted this week by Corvallis High School. 

The following weekend is the eastern Class A divisionals followed in the next weekend by Class A state, all of which also will be online.