Free State wins state debate title

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Free State High School claimed the 6A four-speaker state title over the weekend, besting some of the top debaters in the state for the Firebirds’ first debate state championship since 2019.  

Free State head coach Parker Hopkins is in his first year at the helm of the Free State program and said it was an honor to coach the team to the state title. Free State had placed on the podium for the last three years, but finally reached the top step this season. 

The Free State four-speaker team included seniors Gilly Falin, Cooper Elo, Cooper Hefty, Nathan Peltier and Anwen Williams, as well as junior Breahna Randall. 

“This title represents not just their hard work but also the legacy of excellence in debate at Free State,” he said.

Kansas divides the debate state championship into two categories. In the four-speaker division, schools put together a team of six debaters, with a duo prepared to affirm the resolution, a duo to negate and a duo as alternates. Schools must advance past a regional round robin to advance to state, where seven schools compete in a round robin. 

In the two-speaker division, a pair of debaters go through a round robin, debating on both the affirmative and negative sides before the top 16 teams advance to a bracket.  

Free State has built up a history of state and national success in speech and debate. The school last won a debate state title in 2019, when Max Lillich and Spencer Yost-Wolff won the two-speaker championship. 

John Marshall and Serena Rupp won the 2022 Tournament of Champions, widely considered the most competitive national debate tournament. 

And Free State has won five straight speech championships, a streak they will look to defend in the spring. 

Hopkins, a Free State alum, said the four-speaker team carried momentum into the state championship after an undefeated regional title. 

Heading into the final round, all of the top three schools faced off in a couple of debates, with Free State winning both of its rounds to nab the title. 

“A lot of students struggle to adapt to a new coach,” Hopkins said, “and some choose not to try at all. That is perfectly understandable, and no one can fault anyone, let alone a high school student, for feeling that way. So, for this group of five seniors and one junior to come together, work hard and achieve something great both because of, and in spite of, a new coach and a new environment, is exceptional work.”

Free State also had four teams compete at two-speaker state. Sophomore Carter Fite and junior Lena Hasiuk went 4-2, making the first round of the bracket and finishing tied for ninth overall. The team of sophomore Trin Duffy and junior Sammi Smith, as well as the duo of sophomore Will Walker and sophomore Ewa Adedipe went 3-3. Seniors Logan Dinges and Noah Pultz-Earle finished 2-4.

In the combined class 3A, 2A and 1A division, Bishop Seabury snagged third place in four-speaker debate.

Contributed photo Seabury debaters at regionals. Back row, from left: Eni Wintoki, Landon Farmer, Ben Patterson and Riku Hickman; front row: Mrin Shanks and Heba Aziz

Lawrence High sent two teams to the two-speaker tournament.

Contributed photo Eli Cokelet, Trent Blettner, Adelle Spiess and Sophia Montrose

Senior Trent Blettner and junior Eli Cokelet finished 4-2. Seniors Adelle Spiess and Sophia Montrose went 3-3. 

“Debate has been one of the most stressful and challenging activities I have ever participated in but also one of the most rewarding,” Blettner said.

“State debate was good because we had a lot of good rounds with very smart people which allowed us to have lots of back and forth and engage with each other’s ideas.”

Coaches for Seabury and LHS could not be reached for comment ahead of publication. 

Post updated to add a photo at 9:54 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22

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Cuyler Dunn (he/him), a contributor to The Lawrence Times since April 2022, is a student at the University of Kansas School of Journalism. He is a graduate of Lawrence High School where he was the editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, The Budget, and was named the 2022 Kansas High School Journalist of the Year. Read his complete bio here. Read more of his work for the Times here.

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