Manti takes state in speech and debate
Trips down Main Street atop a firetruck aren’t just for state-champion athletes anymore.
The Manti High School forensics (speech and debate) team got a ride of its own after taking state at a 3A tournament on Saturday, March 14, at Ogden High School.
“They did it,” coach Eric Peterson said to the Messenger on Tuesday.
At the tournament, the Templars continued the dominance they had exhibited all season long, beating their closest rival, defending state champion and perennial powerhouse Rowland Hall, by 18 points.
In winning, Manti boasted three state championships, three runners-up and two third-place winners in various competition categories and one awfully happy coach.
“I didn’t think this day would ever come,” coach Eric Peterson said Tuesday. He’s been the coach of the team for 15 years, always with his eye on the elusive state title.
“I’ve thought, ‘How many years do I have left [to coach],’” he said, “ ‘However many, I’ll keep pushing that rock up the mountain.’ …This time, I pushed it over the top.”
He said winning the state championship felt like winning $100 million in the lottery: At first you’re surprised, but then later you almost don’t believe it.
Usually, Peterson says, he spends the tournament observing his students, giving them suggestions on how to improve and encouraging them between the rounds of competition.
This time, he got pulled into helping run the event after the woman labor and had to go to the hospital. That left Peterson unavailable to give the real-time coaching.
“I had to rely on them to follow through on what I had taught them. They came through remarkably. It was the greatest performance of a Manti team I’ve ever seen or heard of,” he said.
To compete at state, students need to qualify at the region tournament. Manti qualified 20 out of a possible 30 students in 10 different events that include speaking, debating and “interpretive” events that are like acting (sort of) but with the script in hand.
After the first day of competition, Manti, Rowland Hall and Juab were in a virtual three-way tie. It was clear the championship would come down to one event: public forum debate.
Rowland Hall is usually the undefeated team in that event. But this year two senior girls from Manti—Lilli Wasden and Cambree Thompson, who have been debate partners for three years—sailed through undefeated, took state in the event, and boosted Manti to the sweepstakes victory.
Wasden’s brother, Alister, took first in national extemporaneous speaking, contributing to the win. Alister Wasden won as a sophomore. “That doesn’t happen very often,” Christensen said.
Following is a complete list of state winners:
• Lille Wasden and Cambree Thompson – first place, public forum debate
• Alistair Wasden – first place, national extemporaneous speaking
• Natalie Dowding – second place, interpretive speaking
• Cambree Thompson – second place, impromptu speaking
• Ash Brooks – second place, informative speaking
• Matthew Lundeberg – third place, interpretive speaking
• Clara Hales – third Place – informative speaking
• Mara Funk – third Place (tie), Lincoln-Douglas debate
• Clara Hales – third Place (tie), Lincoln-Douglas debate
Others on the Manti’s squad at state were Sierra Curtis, Alivia Shumway, Abby Powell, Porter Mikesell, Hyrum Tippetts, Zoey Hailey, Karlee Tanner, Vierra Powell, Tom Brooks, Mara Funk, Josh Lundeberg, Makenzie Rasmussen and Ethan Barlow.