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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: