Bigfork’s Speech, Debate and Drama team are three meets into the season, and proving that they will be in the hunt for some hardware at the state meet.

The Vikings and Valkyries stayed close to home last weekend competing in Kalispell. The team took 15th overall, ahead of 10 other teams and were only one of two class B teams at the meet. Bigfork came in half a point behind Stevensville.

While Bigfork took on many larger schools in Kalispell, the previous week’s meet in Corvallis allowed them to glimpse much of the competition they will face at state.

In Corvallis, Bigfork placed second to Loyola in speech, and second to Sweetgrass County in drama. Bigfork’s drama team came up a point behind Sweetgrass, which came out of the woodwork to take down the defending class B champions, Lincoln County.

“Overall I was super proud of how well our kids did against spectacular competition in most events,” coach Charlie Appleby said. “Considering the competition and that this was only our second meet of the year, while other schools have been to three or four, I think they held up remarkably well.”

Speech and debate will have a break over Thanksgiving week, before they travel to Polson on Saturday, Dec. 5.

Kalispell, Nov. 20-21

Damon Maitland and KC Isaman, duo interpretation of literature, 8th overall

Top 16 finishers

Melody McHaley, Original Oratory

Grace Olechowski, Original Oratory

Riley Hoveland, Memorized Public Address

Reuben Hubbard, Impromptu

Cole Hider, novice Lincoln-Douglas debate

Corvallis Nov. 13-14

Speech

Grace Olechowski 5th in original oratory

Riley Hoveland 6th in impromptu

Melody McHaley 7th in Original oratory

Aubrey Dixon semifinalist Dramatic Interpretation

Kaylynn Isaman semifinalist expository speaking

Riley Hoveland semifinalist Memorized public address

Reuben Hubbard semifinalist in impromptu

Drama

Kimberlee McDonald 2nd in pantomime

K.C. Isaman and Damon Maitland 2nd in Humorous duo

Ben Johnson and Madigan Kinslow 6th in serious duo

Carissa Melton and Kim O’Farrell semifinalists in Humorous duo

Caleb Way semifinalist in humorous solo