Speech and debate team compete at state

Three Comanche High School students in the speech and debate department placed at the state competition.

Marlon Banner won third place in the Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking category and fifth place in Lincoln-Douglas Debate.

Alayna Nichols and Casey Leeper placed fifth in the Cross-Examination Debate category.

“This year has been incredibly challenging for the Speech and Debate department,” said Lyndsey Miller, sponsor. “Despite having to navigate virtual tournaments, debate rounds over Zoom, and pre-recorded performances, the CHS Speech and Debate team still has cause to celebrate! This year we qualified several students for the State tournament and even ended with some placings.”

State qualifiers were: Marlon Banner (Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking, Lincoln-Douglas Debate); Cooper Vaughn (Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking); Ethan Morris (Foreign Extemporaneous Speaking, Lincoln-Douglas Debate); Casey Leeper (Cross-Examination Debate); Alayna Nichols (Cross-Examination Debate); Shayson Hodges (Original Oratory); and Michael Clark (Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking, Humorous Interpretation, Lincoln- Douglas Debate)

“These students faced challenges unprecedented in the history of our department and still managed to be among the top students in the state for their respective events,” Miller said. “We could not be prouder of their accomplishments and will to overcome.”