The red team (defense) beat Kaleo Home School, 264-254, in round 7, receiving third place in the Gordon D. Schaber Mock Trial & Moot Court Competition on Feb. 29.
Freshman attorney Jack Christian said it felt great to beat Kaleo after losing to them in round 3.
“It is also awesome because we lost to Kaleo the last two years in the consolation round,” Christian said.
Christian said even before the winner was announced, he knew who it was.
“I thought we had won,” Christian said. “I thought we had killed it. We were calm and professional.”
Coach Wayne Strumpfer said the team was at its best.
“It seemed like we felt less tension after losing in the semi-finals, and sometimes that works to our advantage,” Strumpfer said.
Strumpfer praised Christian and captain attorney Emma Belliveau for objections, junior Zane Jakobs for pretrial, and witness Gabi Alvarado.
“The witnesses were very unscripted,” Strumpfer said. “(Alvarado) was very natural.”
Belliveau, who had fainted and hit her head at school on Friday, said since she wasn’t feeling very well, she didn’t perform at the same level she normally does.
“(It) was disappointing, but I was really happy it didn’t affect our scores too much,” Belliveau said.
Belliveau said Kaleo gave responses to objections she and Christian weren’t used to.
“It was interesting having to adjust and respond,” Belliveau said.
Christian said the best part of the season was working with Belliveau.
“She is an amazing attorney and super fun to work with,” he said.
Belliveau said beating Rio Americano High School in round 4 was the high point of the competition.
“That was something our school hasn’t done in so long, and I was really proud of everyone on our team,” she said. “And it was great to win it for our coaches too. I think we all deserved it.”
Although Christian said the worst part of it all was the time put into it, he said it paid off in the end.
Strumpfer was also pleased with the results.
“We did better than last year (4th place),” Strumpfer said. “And beyond any final score, I am very happy with the whole program. Both teams have improved a lot.”
Jakobs said losing to Rio during round 6 was the low point of the season.
However, Belliveau said the saddest part was knocking out the black team.
“I was so impressed with how good they were, and I just felt a lot of pride getting to see how much they had grown into their potential,” Belliveau said.
“Everyone on our team is so valuable, and I think we all get along pretty well. It’s nice to know that you can count on those people, and for me it was nice to be able to kind of mentor some people.”
Strumpfer said the season was successful because of hard-working and engaged students.
“To come in third behind two powerhouse programs like Elk Grove and Rio is nothing to be ashamed about,” he said.
Awards (determined by scoring judges)
Attorneys: Emma Belliveau, Emma Brown, Jack Christian
Bailiff: Natalie Brown
Best Witnesses: Zane Jakobs, Akilan Murugesan, Max Schmitz, Blake Lincoln
Team MVPs: Emma Belliveau, Jaelan Trapp
—By Ulises Barajas
