Kalispell’s speech and debate coaches predict a photo finish at this weekend’s Class AA state tournament.

Flathead, Glacier and Bozeman high schools have battled all season for first-place finishes.

Glacier has four tournament wins to its credit. Flathead has two.

Bozeman has yet to come out on top at meets against Kalispell’s schools, but coaches say that doesn’t mean the team isn’t a contender for the state title. At the most recent tournament in Billings, Bozeman chalked up just 2 1/2 fewer points than second-place Flathead.

“I think Bozeman is probably the favorite” at the AA state meet, Glacier head coach Greg Adkins said, explaining that the idea of having a home-court advantage can apply to speech and debate.

Bozeman hosts the AA meet Friday and Saturday.

On paper, Bozeman’s record might not be as impressive as Glacier’s or Flathead’s, Adkins added, “but they’re a good team. They’re a really good team.”

But so are Kalispell’s teams. Glacier finished third at state last year, its second year of operation. Flathead is the defending state champion.

Flathead squeaked past Bozeman in 2009, winning the state title with just 2 1/2 points to spare.

“Hopefully it’s not quite as close as last year,” Flathead head coach Kala Lougheed said.

Many of her team members have had successful seasons. Flathead has taken first in Memorized Public Address at its last four AA tournaments. The team has placed first in Extemporaneous Speaking at four of its six AA meets.

But for most of the season, Lougheed said, Flathead has struggled to perform well at the same time.

“We’ve yet to have a weekend where it all comes together,” she said. “We’ve had victories, but it hasn’t been pretty. If one squad does really well, another has an off week.

“Of course, we’re hoping that we’ve been saving that for state. We’re hoping that this will be the weekend when it all comes together for us.”

Flathead could have a state champion in almost every event, Lougheed said; team members won in 12 different individual events in six tournaments this season.

“Somebody is vying for top slot in every event. It’s a dream scenario,” she said. “It’s a matter of if our kids can get it done and if the judges appreciate what they’re doing.”

But Glacier also has had team members win in 12 different events this year.

“This is the best we’ve ever felt going to state,” Adkins said. “We’re just going to let things happen and try to control ourselves and see where things fall.”

Even with two state appearances under his belt as Glacier’s head coach — and several more as part of Flathead’s speech and debate program before Kalispell’s second high school opened in 2007 — Adkins said this is the state tournament he has waited three years for.

“When we started with this team two years ago, we said, ‘Wait until this group, this class of 2010, is seniors,’” he said. “We felt it was a pretty special group.”

The team has lived up to the hype, he said.

“We’ve had a pretty remarkable season,” Adkins said, pointing out that the team has finished first or second at every tournament this year. “To accomplish what we’ve accomplished is a credit to our kids and a credit to our coaching.”

The key to Glacier’s success has been balance, he added.

“The team now has depth. We had a lot of kids step up that were returners and had a lot of [new] kids step up,” he said.

But not even balance guarantees a state title.

“When the three of us [Bozeman, Flathead and Glacier] go head to head to head, we really cancel each other out,” Adkins said. “Any of the three could win.”

Lougheed agreed.

“I expect it to be like it’s been all year: a tight race for the top three slots,” she said. “It’ll just depend on who comes out with the right mix of points.”

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