Perrysburg mock trial teams compete, attempt to advance to regional event

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PERRYSBURG – The Court Law and Government Explorer Post sent four teams to district mock trial
competition on Friday.
Two Perrysburg teams traveled to Findlay and two traveled to Bowling Green to compete against other high
schools from Northwest Ohio.
More than 3,000 high school students entered courtrooms across the state prepared to take part in the
Ohio Center for Law-Related Education’s annual Ohio Mock Trial District Competition. Students assumed
the roles of witnesses and attorneys and argued both sides of an original case based on a constitutional
issue.
In this year’s case, fictitious Philips High School agrees to license naming rights of its field to a
large corporation. Students protest this action both in school and on the field. The school district
responds by installing security cameras and searching the students’ lockers. The students claim the
school district has violated their rights under the First and Fourth amendments.
Mock Trial District Competitions will be hosted in 29 counties and involve more than 1,000 legal
professionals who serve as volunteer judges, competition coordinators and team advisors. Mock Trial is
Ohio’s largest high school academic competition and among the largest high school mock trial programs in
the nation. Presenting a trial before a panel of judges and attorneys is an authentic and unique
experience the participants will carry with them throughout their lives.
Each Mock Trial team consists of five to eleven students who prepare both plaintiff and defense cases and
participate in two trials against opposing teams. District winners will advance to Regional Competition
on Feb. 21. The state competition will take place March 6-8 in Columbus, where the championship round
will be held at the Ohio Statehouse. The state champion will advance to the National High School Mock
Trial Championship May 8-10 in Madison, Wis.
The four Perrysburg teams include:
• Team Sugar Daddies, coached by Kent Riesen, Esq., with Alex Leong, Niara Williams, Michael Gerber,
Clara Thornberry, Emily Cottle, Alex Miller, Irsyad Sjah, Will Robinson and Zack McKenna.
• Team Legal Lightning, coached by Peter R. Casey, III, Esq., with Areeb Ahmed, Alexandra Phlegar, Ben
Hirt, Ryan McConnell, Steven Hugg, Joseph Rakowski, Henry Yang, Michael Kepner and Ceimoani Bumrah.
• Team Freedom Fighters, coached by Dan Weiss, Esq., with Nehal Methi, Alisa Leong, Ali Kopp, Julia
Gonzales, Nate Dobbs, Sam Malhas, Alisha Ohanian, Savannah Stein, William Baldoni Jordan and Nathan
Rowland Miller.
• Team Justice League, coached by Adam Nowland, Esq., who was a member of the first Explorer Post mock
trial team, with Noah Rossler, Ross Grilliot, Kaity Lauman, Meric Pope, Alex Katko, Mahnur Khan,
Savannah Guy, Megan Galle and Amanda Parent.

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