The Forensics team competed at Great Bend on Saturday, Feb. 24  to attempt to qualify for state competition. In most categories the top two performances qualify for state, but if a large enough number are competing sometimes the top three qualify.

The results are as follows:

Junior Brittani Park placed first in Extemporaneous.

Sophomore Levi Hickert placed fourth in Extemporaneous.

Sophomore Joanna Carillo placed seventh in Extemporaneous.

Senior Amiyah Gonzalez placed third in Informative.

Freshman Sierra Smith placed fourth in Informative.

Sophomore Yesenia Maldonado placed seventh in Informative.

Senior Korbyn Olson and junior Calvin Duden placed first in Duet Acting.

Senior Tana Herreman placed first in Poetry.

Senior Tana Herreman placed first in Humor Solo.

Senior Amiyah Gonzalez placed fourth in Dramatic Solo.

Sophomore Joanna Carillo placed fifth in Oration.

The team overall received fourth place honorable mention for sweepstakes. The team scored 119 and was only six points behind third place and seven behind second.

Senior Amiyah Gonzalez has participated in Forensics all four years of high school and said she takes part in it for the social aspect.

“I am very fond of the team,” Gonzalez said. “Some of my fondest memories are from Forensics, everyone is so passionate about it.”

Junior Calvin Duden participated in Forensics at his former high school in Beloit before joining the Hays team.

“My freshman year I didn’t really know what Forensics was, it wasn’t a class it was an extracurricular,” Duden said. “I was doing musical at the time and someone said I should try it so i decided to do it. Best decision of my life.”

Duden’s Beloit High School only had three people on the team.

“The number of people that participate in Forensics is a huge difference between the two teams,” Duden said. “The people here are more devoted than those from Beloit.”

Duden qualified for state at the Great Bend meet, placing first in Duet Acting with Korbyn Olson.

“I was surprised because it was our first time performing the piece,” Duden said. “Normally the first time performing a piece you don’t get gold. You sometimes make finals, but I definitely didn’t think we did as good as we did.”

18drooney@usd489.com