Columbia Falls High School speech and debate brought home the hardware at the Polson Piratepalooza Speech and Debate tournament Saturday.

The Class A team took the top spot, narrowly defeating second-place finisher Frenchtown, 125 to 122 overall points. Whitefish High School Speech and Debate placed third with 74 points.

Whitefish Head Coach Sara Mueller is optimistic winter break may prove to be a turning point for the team.

“We’ve still got to up our game in several areas and get some consistency in competition, but we’re ready to put in the work for January,” Mueller said. “We have some strong senior leadership that is beginning to pay off. We’re going to need it against teams the size and talent of Columbia Falls and Frenchtown.”

Class AA schools were also invited to compete. Flathead and Glacier brought junior varsity squads to the tournament. Among Class AA schools, Glacier scored 41 overall points for the top spot, followed by Flathead with 38 points and Helena, in third, with 21.

Following are local individual results.

Policy Debate

1. Emma Stephens and Eddie Chisholm, Columbia Falls
2. Lauren Rogers and Kai Lee Cole, Columbia Falls
3. Kynsleigh Gould and Eleanor Hollingsworth, Columbia Falls
4. Niko Hunter and Evan Barberis, Whitefish
5. Gavin Carmichael and Alex Losee, Whitefish

Public Forum Debate

1. Addie Blackaby and Zoe Tremper, Whitefish
2. Timmy Glanville and Jack Boone, Glacier
3. Jayce McDonald and May Rowles, Whitefish
4. Rebecca Vosen and Piper James, Flathead

Lincoln-Douglas Debate

1. Raphe Salmon, Columbia Falls
2. Melody McNally, Columbia Falls
3. Ella Walker, Whitefish

Informative Speaking

1. Ruby Davis, Columbia Falls
2. Angelina Chace, Glacier

Impromptu Speaking

1. Zoey Marzo, Whitefish
2. Zena Bonds, Whitefish

Extemporaneous Speaking

1. Emma Trieweiler, Whitefish
2. Aiden Judge, Columbia Falls
3. Braden Wakefield, Glacier
4. Sydney Garcia, Whitefish

Original Oratory

1. Griffin Conger, Columbia Falls
2. Lily Schroeder, Flathead
3. Zoey Marzo, Whitefish
4. Will Wendle, Flathead

Dramatic Interpretation

1. Griffin Conger, Columbia Falls
2. Zack Tillman, Columbia Falls
3. Ellie Fiala, Glacier
4. Annabeth O’Shea, Glacier
5. Gabby Pickert, Whitefish

Humorous Interpretation

1. Ruby Davis, Columbia Falls
2. Emma Trieweiler, Whitefish

Memorized Public Address

1. Brooklyn Stewart, Flathead
2. Kenna Anderson, Flathead
3. Anya Rountree, Glacier
4. Kylie Jones, Glacier
5. Zack Tillman, Columbia Falls
6. Aiden Judge, Columbia Falls

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 406-758-4431 or [email protected].