Glenwood High School’s mock trial team places third at state competition

GSHS Team 1, from left, Hayden Clausen, Mason McCarty, Claire Gillen, Angel Hernandez, Ella Fosnaught, Eva Simpson, Claire Quintenz, Rose Corcoran and Amanda Madden.

The Glenwood Springs High School Mock Trial team carried on its tradition of success, with the school’s top team earning third place at the Colorado High School Mock Trial Championship Tournament March 4-5 at the Jefferson County Courthouse.

The GSHS team came in as one of the top contenders, having won the regional tournament earlier this winter and going undefeated before state.

Unlike sports and other extracurricular activities, the state Mock Trial Tournament is not divided into classifications, so every high school in the state competes against each other, coach Zac Parsons explained.

In the first round, Glenwood beat the team from Chatfield Senior High School, and in the second round they earned a victory over Ridgeview. In round three, Glenwood faced off against Mullen, last year’s state champion. After emerging victorious, Glenwood was one of the last remaining undefeated teams competing for the title.

“As the rounds became more difficult, we learned to rely more on one another to catch objections, turn to certain rules of evidence, and to provide the occasional supportive sticky note,” said Angel Hernandez, the team’s only senior. “We gave our best.”

Glenwood faced eventual state champion Faith Christian in round four, coming up just short of advancing to finals after three hours of courtroom arguments on a 2-1 decision by the judges in favor of Faith.

Glenwood Springs also earned a number of individual awards. Eva Simpson, second, and Mason McCarty, ninth, in the Individual Witness category; and Claire Quintenz and Hernandez finished 10th and 11th, respectively, in the Individual Attorney category.

“We had a young team this year that really stepped up,” said Parsons, who co-coaches with Isabel Carlson. “Everyone is really proud of what this group accomplished. It was a remarkable season.”

The team finished 11-1 for the season, winning 29 out of 32 possible ballots. In addition to winning the regional tournament, which Glenwood Springs hosted Feb. 11-12 at the Garfield County Courthouse, the team also won the Boulder Battle Champions earlier in the season.

The team is comprised of seven sophomores, one junior and one senior. Other team members include Hayden Clausen, Rose Corcoran, Ella Fosnaught, Claire Gillen and Amanda Madden.

“It’s an amazing achievement for us to be an extremely young team of mostly sophomores and for us to be competitive against the top teams in the state,” Simpson said. “I am exceptionally excited for the future of this team and everything that we will accomplish.”

The regional tournament brought together six teams from across the Western Slope, including one other Garfield County team from Rifle High School, which placed second.

Glenwood Springs’ Team 1 emerged victorious, earning the right to represent the region at the state tournament. The Demons also took home the Judge’s Cup and Professionalism Award.

Glenwood Teams 2 and 3 also had a strong showing at the regional tournament with freshmen Sophie Erdman and Zoe Robinson earning Best Witness awards. Team 2 students were: Lilli Baca, Vincent Faas, North Geiger, Brandon Loya, Eli Meyer, and Jack Otto. And Team 3 students were: Sophie Erdman, Patrick Ferris, Addison Godes, Katie Junker, Kaylee Munoz, Zoe Robinson, and Sydney Romeyn.

The team relies on community donations to attend tournaments. More information about the GSHS mock trial program can be found at: gshsmocktrial.com.