“On the prowl for number 4” is the intimidating slogan the Powell High School Speech and Debate team sports across the back of their team shirts this year, and while this statement seems overconfident on the team’s part, if current trends continue, the team stands clearly on its way to winning the 3A state championship for the fourth consecutive year, hands down.

In their most recent tournament, the Mustang Classic at Natrona Country High School, Powell destroyed the other 9 teams in the 3A competition with a total of 46 points. Cody High School finished in second place, distantly trailing the Panthers with a mere 25 points. Out of all of the teams in attendance at the Mustang Classic at Natrona County high School, Powell emerged ranked 2nd out of 25 teams, which includes all classes of competition. Head coach Jack Brimhall remarked that “as you can see, this was a very large tournament. The only team to outscore Powell was Cheyenne East and they scored 46 of their 67 points in novice CX debate. This is important because their will not be novice CX at state and only two teams (Worland and Cheyenne East) had teams entered in this category.”

The team’s recent victory came as no surprise to Powell, however, because the team has not lost a tournament in over two years. Although many experienced members graduated and moved on in recent years, the team remains a powerhouse of talent, and newcomers join the lineup every year. “It just amazes me at how well our kids are doing considering most of them didn’t compete on the state team last year. It is a completely new team and they are surprising everybody in the state. There are a ton of coaches who continue to ask, ‘Where were these kids last year?’ I believe many of them were overshadowed by the great talent we had last year and are taking advantage of an opportunity to step up,” Brimhall commented of this year’s team. The new team not only welcomes new students, however, but also Miss Karen Roles, who joined the coaching team this year as a debate coach.

The team also looks to the dedicated leadership of their captains, seniors Christina Reid and Ben Norberg, along their roads to victory. Reid, who focuses mainly on the interpretive events, or the speech side of the team, competes in poetry, drama, and the duet events. Reid noted that “the team has really stepped it up this year, and worked hard to help us remain undefeated.” When asked whether or not she believed that a fourth state championship was in their future, Reid stated that, “I think if we work hard we could totally do it.”

Norberg, an avid debater and extemporaneous speaker, makes up one half of the unstoppable duo of Norberg and Moore. Norberg, and his partner, junior Shelby Moore, continue to win nearly all of their tournaments, or at least break into the final round of competition, like the weekend of February 1st and 2nd, where they still managed to take home a 2nd place trophy. Brimhall added that “up until the final round, Ben and Shelby had won eleven debates in a row. This is by far the longest debate win streak PHS has had in a long time... maybe ever.”

Other top finishers for the Panthers at the Casper tournament include juniors Josey Nickles and Glen Prell, who both broke into the semifinal rounds in poetry. In Extemporaneous speaking, sophomore Chris Padilla landed a 3rd place finish while Norberg followed closely in 6th. Nickles earned a third place finish in the drama category, as senior Preston Eckerdt broke into the semifinals in the same category. Eckerdt and sophomore Matthew Condie earned a 5th place finish in their duet competition, while the duos of Prell and junior Chase Werbelow, along with Nickles and senior Tracy Lewis all managed to break into the semifinals in duets. As far as debate goes, junior Briana Johnson placed 3rd in the varsity division of the Lincoln Douglas debate, the only solo debate contest. Freshman Lisa Schiermeister also placed 3rd, but in the novice division of the Lincoln Douglas debate. In the novice public forum debate, the team of sophomore Nick Pierson and freshman Phillip Schmidt received a 3rd place, and along with Norberg and Moore’s 2nd in the Cross Examination debate, sophomores Trista Ostrom and Saige Smith ended in 5th.

Brimhall remarked on the weekend in Casper, saying, “I was pleased with the overall performance of the team, but we have definitely not reached anywhere near our potential. . . (we) still have a long way to go to be at our full strength.” He closed by saying that, “We still have a long way to go, but I am pleased with where we are right now. I am very proud of this team.” Their hometown meet, the Powell High School Invitational is rapidly approaching and will be here February 15th and 16th. Be sure to wish the winning team luck before another victorious weekend.