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South Dakota is a state that splits its extemporaneous speaking categories and its state tournament also divides schools into two classes by size: Class A and Class AA. At this year’s South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA) State Tournament in Class A Vermillion High School swept both extemporaneous speaking categories. Robert Erikson ended Milbank High School’s two-year winning in International Extemp, defeating Morgan Jones of Milbank. In United States Extemp, Seth Miller gave Vermillion its third championship in the event in the last six years when he won the title over teammate Joe Miller.
In Class AA International Extemp, Shyanne Redlin gave Watertown High School its first extemporaneous speaking champion in the category in nine years by defeating Arizona State University champion Keegan Paugh of RC Stevens High School. In Class AA United States Extemp, Mason Wenzel won the category for the third straight year over Max Boyum of SF O’Gorman High School. An extemper has never won three straight South Dakota state championships in Class AA United States Extemp before and it is the first time since 1997 that an extemper has managed to accomplish that feat in any of the extemp categories offered in the two different classes.
All of the finalists in each of the extemp categories across classes earned an automatic qualification to this year’s Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC). Twenty-two of the twenty-four finalists earned automatic bids at the tournament and they are indicated in italics in the results listing.
Here are the results of the 2014 South Dakota High School Activities Association State Tournament:
Henry W. Grady High School continued its streak of state championships at this year’s Georgia Forensic Coaches Association (GFCA) State Tournament. Ben Simonds-Malamud gave Henry W. Grady its third consecutive extemp state championship, winning the title by two ranks over teammate Max Rabb. Simonds-Malamud’s title win follows Grady alumni Isabelle Taft’s state wins, which took place in 2012 and 2013. Henry W. Grady placed five of the seven extempers in the final round and took the top four spots in the tournament.
Des Moines Roosevelt High School continued its recent domination of the Iowa extemp ranks at this year’s Iowa High School Forensic League (IHSFL) All-Iowa Finals. Lily Nellans of Roosevelt finished up a perfect extemporaneous speaking career at the state tournament, winning her fourth extemp state championship in as many appearances. Nellans won the International Extemp category this year with straight 1’s through the entire tournament and finals, winning by six ranks over Max Fenton of Dowling Catholic High School. Nellans won International Extemp in 2011 and had won the last two state championships in United States Extemp before this season. Her victory is the eighth consecutive International Extemp state championship for Roosevelt.
The New Jersey Forensic League (NJFL) held its state tournament last weekend at the College of New Jersey in Ewing Township, New Jersey. In International Extemp, Vaikunth Balaji of Ridge High School defeated Princeton champion Cristine Oh of Montville Township High School by three ranks. Balaji’s teammate Sejal Waghray finished in third place. Balaji’s victory marks the first time that Ridge has won the International Extemp category since 2010 and Ridge placed three extempers in the final round.
The Ohio High School Speech League’s 2014 State Tournament saw the return of a former champion to the winner’s circle last weekend when Abhishek Bhargava, a former NFL National Tournament semi-finalist in International Extemp and MBA participant, recaptured the state International Extemp championship from Eric Wang of Solon High School. Bhargava took this year’s state title from Wang, the defending champion, by seven ranks in the final round. Bhargava’s victory is the fourth time in six years that a member of the Bhargava family has won the Ohio International Extemp title, as his brother Rohan, a former NFL finalist in International Extemp, won the title in 2009 and 2010.
The Florida Forensic League (FFL) held its 2014 state tournament last weekend at the University School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and two new extemporaneous speaking state champions were crowned. In a battle of Barkley Forum finalists in International Extemp, Cameron James Bonnewell of Lake Highland Preparatory captured his first state title by two ranks over Isabella Paretti of Cypress Bay High School. Paretti won the tournament final round, but her margin of victory there was not enough to overcome Bonnewell’s lead from the previous six rounds of the tournament. Bonnewell’s victory marks the first time since 2011 that Lake Highland Preparatory has won International Extemp at the FFL State Tournament.
Nida Ansari of Riverside High School returned to the winner’s circle at last week’s 2014 South Carolina Forensic Coaches Association (SCFCA) State Tournament when she won her second state championship in extemporaneous speaking. Ansari, who won the 2012 United States Extemp state title (South Carolina discontinued splitting IX and USX last year), won the cumulative tournament by three ranks over teammate Yasmin Meyer. Meyer won the final round, but she only won the final round by one rank, which was not enough to cut into the lead Ansari built throughout the tournament. Harrison Stall of Southside High School, who was the defending champion, finished third. The spring semester has been a good one for Ansari, as she adds this year’s state title to a successful defense of her Laird Lewis Invitational championship and a runner-up finish at the Barkley Forum.
The North Carolina Tarheel Forensic League (TFL) held its 2014 state championship tournament last weekend at Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines, North Carolina. Jacob McHugh of Ardrey Kell edged two-time defending champion Mark Cohen of Durham Academy by one rank in the final round to capture his first state championship. McHugh earned two first place ranks in the fnal round versus one earned by Cohen and his victory ends Durham Academy’s four-year winning streak in extemporaneous speaking at the state tournament. Cohen was aiming to become the first three-time state champion in North Carolina history. Elizabeth Kingaby of Central Cabarrus High School, who took fourth at the Barkley Forum in January, placed third. Despite having their winning streak at the state tournament ended, Durham Academy still placed more elimination round participants (6) than any school and had three finalists.
The 2014 Illinois High School Association’s State Series culminated last weekend in Peoira, Illinois and produced the most unusual finish to a state championship in recent memory. At the end of three rounds of competition, which included eleven judges, Saumya Jain of Neuqua Valley High School, Vinesh Kannan of the Illinois Math and Science Academy, and Parth Patel of Huntley High School ended up with eighteen cumulative ranks. Judges preference was not an effective tiebreaker for the round, as none of the three competitors established dominance, so all three shared this year’s state championship in extemporaneous speaking. In the records Extemp Central possess of state championships this is an unprecedented event.
The Kentucky Educational Speech and Drama Association (KESDA) State Tournament is the first of two state tournaments in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and is hosted annually at the Clarion Hotel in Lexington, Kentucky. This year’s event saw Brian Anderson of LaRue County High School succesfully defend his KESDA state championship. This is the third consecutive state title for Anderson, who won the KESDA and Kentucky High School Speech League (KHSSL) state titles last season. It is the first time that an extemper has successfully defend their KESDA championship since 2008, when Hunter Kendrick of Danville High School accomplished the feat. Anderson defeated Matt Thomas of Rowan County Senior High School in the tournament’s final round. Rowan County had three finalists at this year’s tournament, and four elimination round participants, which was more than any other school.
East Anchorage High School in Anchorage, Alaska played host to the 2014 Alaska School Activities Association/First National Bank State Championship tournament and South Anchorage High School swept both extemporaneous speaking categories. Kari Marie Jahnsen gave South Anchorage its third state championship in International Extemp in four years as she defeated Ina Flood of West Anchorage High School. Skyler Hektner gave South Anchorage its first title in United States Extemp since 2011 when he defeated Sam Erickson of Eagle River High School and Sawyer Birnbaum of West Anchorage High School, who was the defending champion in the category.
Last weekend Montana became the first state of the 2013-2014 season to hold its state championship tournaments. Montana crowns state champions in three classes: A, AA, and BC. Hamilton High School (A), Glacier High School (AA), and Glasgow High School (BC) hosted the tournaments. Shardian Russell of Polson High School won Class A, Siriana Lundgren of Skyview High School won Class AA, and Ian Descamps of Loyola Sacred Heart High School won Class BC. Deschamps victory continues an impressive string of extemp state championships for Loyola Sacred Heart, which has won the Class BC extemp title since 2006. Two Montana schools placed three competitors in their respective class finals rounds as Flathead High School placed three of the top eight extempers in Class AA and Loyola Sacred Heart did the same in Class BC.
Champion: Brett Johnson (Fargo Shanley High School)
International Extemp Class 6A