On the weekend of February 24, the Grand Junction High School Mock Trial Team competed at the regional tournament placing second. Team members Alexia Thompson and Zeron Lawson were also awarded All-Regional Outstanding Attorney Awards. After months of hard work, the team is proud to have qualified for the state tournament.

“It’s a great accomplishment for the team especially because the team has not made it to state since 2004,” Zeron Lawson, junior, said.

Although in past years the GJHS team has been an underdog, hard work has paid off and the team has big hopes for the state tournament.

“I’m overall, really excited,” Alexia Thompson, senior, said. “I think we could place in the top ten easily.”

Mock trial competitions are a long process. The court case that team members deal with is received in November but members meet in October to learn objection numbers and get to know their team. They read their case, met with coaches, Mr. Carris and Tammy Eret, wrote openings, closing arguments, cross examinations, direct examinations and put in many hours familiarizing themselves with the case.

With two senior attorneys, Emily Starritt and Alexia Thompson, team members felt lots of excitement with the success of their senior year. Starritt and Thompson were especially noted for their hard work and continuous effort leading their team to the state qualification.

“It was really crazy,” said Thompson, “I looked at Emily Starritt when we won and it was just a really cool feeling and I about started crying and I think she did too.”

Although some valuable team members will be graduating, the team has many younger members including witnesses, Riley Lovato, Gaige Fink, Kate Hayde, Parker Borsich, and Kyla Heley, along with attorney Zeron Lawson who are looking to continue the success of this year.

“I’m humbled to be a part of this team and to work with people like Emily Starritt and Alexia Thompson along with our very talented group of witnesses,” said Lawson, “I plan on being an attorney again [next year] and I think we’re going to have a target on our back, we weren’t expected to do so great so next year it’s going to be more difficult, but I believe we can do it.”

The hard work of dedicated team members allowed the underdog team to become a state competitor with even more potential in store.