Saturday’s Northwest Class A divisional speech and debate tournament might look a little different from past divisional meets.

“It’s going to be a drama meet,” said Pat McLaughlin, head coach of the Whitefish speech squad and this year’s divisional tournament host.

Whitefish doesn’t have a drama team. Neither does Columbia Falls. But the three other schools that make up the Northwest Division — Libby, Polson and Ronan — all compete fiercely in drama.

The five Class A teams will square off Saturday at Whitefish High School. The tournament will be smaller than many the teams have attended throughout the season.

It’s smaller, too, than past divisional tournaments when Bigfork — now a Class B school — was part of the action.

That means fewer competitors, McLaughlin said.

Most events have only six competitors entered, so in those events, every student is guaranteed a trip to the state tournament in Corvallis Jan. 29 and 30. The only question is how high they will be seeded.

Most of those students have been competing against the same people all season, which should make for few surprises Saturday, she added.

“Because the kids have seen each other’s pieces, they know them all by heart now,” she said.

That doesn’t mean there already is a clear winner in each event — or even a clear tournament winner, although Columbia Falls has yet to lose a meet to another Class A school this season.

Its only losses as a team this year have been to Loyola Sacred Heart High School, the Class B team that hasn’t lost a state title in 26 years.

Columbia Falls, which has won the Class A state title for the last four years, hasn’t lost to a Class A team since Nov. 8, 2008, when the team came up short by three points to Whitefish at a tournament in Polson.

Whitefish was tough to beat throughout the 2008-09 season, and Columbia Falls head coach Michael Christensen expects Whitefish to be his team’s stiffest competition on Saturday.

“I’m confident that our kids are going to do well, but I am not going in — and I don’t think any of our kids are going in — thinking we’re [automatically] going to win,” he said. “We never do in Whitefish. ...

“They have brilliant kids in debate and some really outstanding speakers in speech.”

Christensen said he wouldn’t be surprised if Whitefish dominates the debate events, but he was hopeful Columbia Falls would win more speech points.

For most of the season Columbia Falls competed without a Policy Debate team, but Ariel Ramstad and Marissa Getts have stepped up in that event at recent tournaments in Columbia Falls and Bigfork. Their toughest competition this weekend will come from Whitefish’s Jack Hyer and reigning state champion policy debater Joe Mazur.

Whitefish has struggled all season to field a full speech and debate squad. Many teammates participate in activities that sometimes interfere with speech events or have had to miss tournaments to take SAT or ACT exams.

“It would be really nice if everybody could show up,” McLaughlin said. “I’m hoping our health stays strong; [the meet] is coming on the heels of semester exams.”

Whitefish will have 16 competitors at divisionals.

“It’s not the size of the team that I had hoped for, but it’s a good team,” McLaughlin said. “They work hard. They support each other.

“They have quality. We may not always have quantity, but we have quality.”

Round one in all events will begin at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. Because Extemporaneous Speakers must have 30 minutes to prepare speeches, the first speaker will draw his or her topic at 8 a.m.

If all rounds run smoothly, the awards ceremony will be held between 5 and 5:30 p.m. All events will be held at Whitefish High School.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com