By FCHS journalism students
The Fluvanna County High School Forensics team won the Virginia High School League (VHSL) Class 3 State Championship at Clover Hill High School on March 26. Under the direction of Coach Craig Edgerton, this was the Flucos’ fourth state win since 2016.
According to Edgerton, after losing seven seniors last year and not competing in-person for two years, this was the youngest Forensics team ever to compete at the state level. Runner-up Lafayette High School had 18 students competing in nine out of 10 categories. In comparison, Fluvanna only had 13 students competing in eight categories, so Fluvanna was not favored to win. Ultimately, the difference between Fluvanna and Lafayette came down to a single point. “It was one of the closest (and nail-biting) competitions ever,” said Edgerton. Senior Riley Yowell agreed, describing the atmosphere as “really tense and really on-edge. When everyone is there for the big win, it creates this air of intensity that is really hard to describe.”
Regardless of the anxious environment, the Flucos still enjoyed their time at the competition. “Seeing all the people at States who are all there to have fun and compete was just cool to see,” said junior Ryan Taylor. Junior Paola Gomez agreed. “My favorite part was seeing all the different competitors and their pieces. I loved seeing the diversity and love for forensics,” she said.
For some students, this state win also marks the end of a high school speech career. Senior Ellie White, who took home first place in her category, said “This competition was different. I walked in knowing that this competition would be my last. But it wasn’t until my final round that it finally hit me. I found myself extremely emotional because speech has been a part of my life for so long. Even though I was sad that my speech career was over, I still felt grateful that I was able to compete beside all of my teammates one last time.”
The following Flucos placed at States in their category:
1st – Senior Ellie White, Poetry;
1st – Senior Riley Yowell, Extemp;
1st – Junior Paolo Gomez, Serious Duo;
1st – Freshman Townes Mullinex, Serious Duo;
3rd – Freshman Jackson Farley, Humorous Interp;
2nd – Freshman Allison Monfalcone, Storytelling;
3rd – FreshmanTomas Cruz, Serious Duo;
3rd – Freshman Bridgette Kirchner, Serious Duo;;
4th – Junior Ella Kearney, Original Oratory
4th – Freshman Lauren Schmidt, Humorous Interp;
5th – Junior Ryan Taylor, Humorous Duo;
5th – Junior Ben Bossong, Humorous Duo;
5th – Sophomore Abby White, Prose.
