A matter of points separated the top three speech and debate heavyweights who punched in their best efforts at the Class AA state tournament Jan. 30-31. 

Defending state champions, Bozeman High School, narrowly won the championship title by a difference of 2.5 points, scoring 160 points overall to runner-up, Flathead High School’s 157.5.  

“I could not be prouder of our students and coaching staff for finishing second at AA state,” FHS head coach Kelli Rosenquist said. 

The tight finish echoed last year’s state tournament, where Bozeman edged Flathead out of the state title by one point. 

“To me, this performance wasn’t about luck. It was the result of grit and resilience built over the entire season," she added. “We placed plenty of challenges this year, including the transition to a new head coach, but our students showed great maturity by focusing on our long-term goals. They practiced hard, and it showed this weekend.” 

In a tournament where every point counts, Flathead squeezed by Glacier High School to its second-place position by one point. Glacier earned 156.5 points to secure third place. The tight race speaks volumes to the quality of competition, according to Glacier head coach Greg Adkins. 

“I couldn’t be prouder of this Glacier team. We’re very young, and this activity has a way of humbling you — but I watched this group mature by leaps and bounds over the course of the season,” he said. 

Yet there is still agony in such a close defeat. 

“I’d be lying if I said this one didn’t hurt. When you’re that close, it stings. But that pain also reminds us how invested we are, and how high the standard is for this team,” Adkins said. 

GLACIER HAD two individual state champions, Sophya Allred in Dramatic Interpretation and Josh Lee in Memorized Public Address, who Adkins noted had perfect scores throughout the tournament. 

Flathead finished with three state champions, including the Public Forum Debate team of Josie Morrison and Padmaja Vatti, Layna Astley in Program Oral Interpretation and Fenton Liebe-Cohen in Impromptu Speaking and Extemporaneous Speaking. 

The state competition marked Rosenquist’s first as head coach, and she thanked students and coaches for extending their grace, trust and leadership. 

“Learning how to be a head coach is challenging in any program, but stepping into Flathead’s program with 120 students and a long tradition of competitive success made it especially intimidating,” she said. 

Rosenquist highlighted the program’s seniors.  

“When there’s a transition to a new head coach, especially in a program with established transitions, students face a choice about how they respond to change,” she said. “Our seniors chose leadership. They stepped up and set the tone for the rest of the team. I am deeply grateful to them and the example they set.” 

Both coaches thanked the wider community for volunteering to judge the state championship, which was held at Glacier High School. 

“I want to sincerely thank the Kalispell community for stepping up and helping host such a tremendous State AA tournament. The support, volunteers, and hospitality made this a first-class event for everyone involved,” Adkins said. 

With the regular season wrapped up, the competition continues for students who qualified to compete at nationals. Fundraising efforts are underway to get students to the National Speech and Debate Association National Tournament scheduled June 15 through 21 in Des Moines, Iowa. 

The following are local individual results. 

Duo Interpretation 

2. Layna Astley and Lincoln McElwain, Flathead 

3. Sophie Johnson and Kaylin Stein, Glacier 

5. Trevor Hammer and Megan Mikelson, Glacier 

7. Bridget Reed and Reid Sanders, Glacier 

Dramatic Interpretation 

1. Sophya Allred, Glacier 

2. Alex Carmalt, Glacier 

3. Megan Mikelson, Glacier 

4. Autumn Bashara, Glacier 

5. Lincoln McElwain, Flathead 

7. Jaydon Pesola, Flathead 

Humorous Interpretation 

3. Trevor Hammer, Glacier 

7. Kaylin Stein, Glacier 

8. Eli Sanderson Strutz, Glacier 

Program Oral Interpretation 

1. Layna Astley, Flathead 

3. Bronson Willcut, Flathead 

4. Jacob Braach, Flathead 

5. Sophie Johnson, Glacier 

7. Daniel Cole, Glacier 

Informative Speaking 

3. Claire Timm, Flathead 

4. Melody Hantz, Flathead 

5. Eli Sanderson Strutz, Glacier 

6. Adie Fedor, Flathead 

Original Oratory 

3. Jacob Braach, Flathead 

4. Kendall Dolan, Glacier 

7. Brett Pilon, Glacier 

Memorized Public Address 

1. Josh Lee, Glacier 

2. Bronson Willcut, Flathead 

3. Myla Lamson, Glacier 

5. Tregan Blades, Glacier 

7. Daniel Cole, Glacier 

Impromptu Speaking 

1. Fenton Liebe-Cohen, Flathead 

5. Jake Milone, Flathead 

7. Autumn Bashara, Glacier

Extemporaneous Speaking 

1. Fenton Liebe-Cohen, Flathead 

2. Josh Lee, Glacier 

6. Jake Milone, Flathead 

7. Dalton Howser, Flathead 

Legislative Debate 

3. Teyvia Davis, Flathead 

4. Miles Flake, Flathead 

5. B. Poitra, Flathead 

6. Vayda Kauffman, Flathead 

Public Forum Debate 

1. Josie Morrison and Padmaja Vatti, Flathead 

5. Keegan West and Sarah Loran, Flathead 

8. Joel Jones and Alexander Miller IV, Flathead 

Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Debate 

4. Noah Elliott, Glacier 

6. August Smith, Glacier 

Varsity Policy Debate 

2. Madhav Gautam and Griffin Ingersoll, Glacier 

5. Elle Sauer and Brooklynn Bowen, Flathead 

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

    Glacier High School speech and debate team members Eli Sanderson Strutz, Isabelle McKoy, Josh Lee and Fenyx Colby accept the third-place team trophy at the Class AA speech and debate state tournament awards ceremony at the high school on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)

    Flathead High School's Fenton Liebe-Cohen receives a state champion medal for one of two individual wins in Impromptu Speaking and Extemporaneous Speaking at the Class AA speech and debate state tournament awards ceremony at Glacier High School on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)

    Glacier High School's Josh Lee receives a state champion medal for his individual first-place finish in Memorized Public Address at the Class AA state speech and debate tournament awards ceremony at the high school on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

  

    Glacier High School's Sophya Allred receives the state champion medal for her first-place finish in Dramatic Interpretation at the Class AA speech and debate tournament awards ceremony at the high school on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider   

    Glacier High School's Josh Lee receives a state champion medal for his individual first-place finish in Memorized Public Address at the Class AA state speech and debate tournament awards ceremony at the high school on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider