LHS forensics closes regular season strong

By Andy Brown
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Updated: April 15, 2016

Members of the Louisburg High School forensics team pose for a picture with their medals and their sweepstakes trophy following their first place win at Fort Scott last Saturday.

The Louisburg High School forensics team finished the regular season like the way it started it – with a win.

Actually, two to be exact.

Louisburg split the team again last week and the Wildcats brought home titles from tournaments in Fort Scott and Fredonia.

On Saturday, the Wildcats took a smaller team to the Fort Scott Tournament due to district band and choir competition, but they came out on top with the sweepstakes crown.

Senior Abigail Bergman and junior Carson Tappan stole the show for the Wildcats as both qualified for state competition in three events. Bergman took first in Prose and Duet and second in Poetry.

Tappan earned top honors in Oration and Improptu and also finished third in Informative. Senior Spencer Rogers was also a double champion as he teamed with Bergman to win the Duet competition and also took first in Humorous Solo Acting.

The Wildcats also had nine other medalists on the day.

Zach Waite (second, Extemporaneous; fourth, Poetry; fifth, Oration), Ashley Allen (sixth, Oration; fifth, Impromptu), Jordan Shaner (fifth, Humorous Solo; sixth, Impromptu), Eddie Murphy (second, Duet with Jacinda Collins; fourth, Serious Solo), Beckett Rasmussen (second, Humorous Solo), Anthony Strickling (third, Serious Solo), Sam Traffis (fifth, Poetry) and Alyssa Franco (sixth, Poetry).

Louisburg also participated in a mid-week tournament in Fredonia and sent 13 to the finals to capture the sweepstakes title.

McKenzie Vanmeerhaeghe led the way as she won gold in Serious Solo Acting and later took second in Duet with partner Vonnah LaHue, who came in fifth in poetry. Dalton Knipp won the Poetry competition and was fourth in Serious Solo Acting, while Waite took first in Extemporaneous Speaking.

Lexi Shaner (second, Oration; second, Extemporaneous Speaking), Jonathan Ventre (second, Serious Solo), Stephanie Rose (third, Poetry), Andrea Leach (fourth, Poetry), Camdyn Clark (fifth, Serious Solo) and Kallee Bartlett (fifth, Prose) also medaled for Louisburg.

The Wildcats will spend the next three weeks of the year competing in postseason action. Louisburg will compete at the national qualifier, where students must finish in the top two of their event to represent Kansas this summer in Utah.

The following weekend Louisburg will be at the Forensics Coaches Invitational (FCI), which is an elite tournament of all classifications where students must double-state qualify in order to compete. The end of April concludes the season with the Class 4A state tournament in Topeka.

So far this season, the Wildcats have earned 10 top-3 sweepstakes awards, including six championships. They have had 195 medalists, 38 state qualifiers and 21 FCI qualifiers.

For those who would like to see these students in action, you have the opportunity to watch the year’s top performers from 7 to 9 p.m., on Wednesday at Louisburg High School for their annual showcase.

Wildcats win title at Topeka Seaman

The LHS forensics team won several medals and first place honors at Topeka Seaman on April 2.

LHS forensics ventured to the Topeka Seaman tournament on April 2 in its first action back from a three-week layoff and didn’t show any rust.

The Wildcats faced off with 10 other programs and edged out Washburn Rural to earn the sweepstakes honor. Rio Sierra and Carson Tappan earned individual titles.

Sierra came in first in Prose and was second in Serious Solo Acting, while Tappan was first in Oration and took fifth in Impromptu and Informative Speaking.

Chloe Philgreen (second, Humorous Solo Acting; fourth, Prose; third Duet with Kyle Green), Emily Ventre (third, Prose), Nathaniel Mason (second, Poetry), Kallee Bartlett (fifth, Poetry; sixth, Duet with Lexie Hubbard), Alex Richardson (fourth, Informative), and Zach Waite (sixth, Oration).

Louisburg also traveled to a tournament in Ottawa and came away with a fourth-place finish. Julia Walker finished first in Serious Solo Acting and teammate McKenzie Vanmeerhaeghe came in second.

Riley George had a good day as she was runner-up in Poetry and Vonnah LaHue came in sixth. Bryce Kuhlman came in fourth in Humorous Solo Acting and joined Billie Casebeer to take sixth in Duet Acting.