JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NDHSAA) – The 2024 and seventy-first annual NDHSAA-sponsored Class A Speech State Tournament was held at Jamestown High School on April 20. All participants qualified from one of two regional tournaments or at an invitational tournament held during the season. West Fargo Horace captured first place with 186 points. West Fargo Sheyenne took second with 52 points, Bismarck St. Mary’s was third with 46 points, and West Fargo was awarded 4th with 38 points.
The following are the top place winners in each of the 14 categories.
Radio Broadcasting: 1st – Maggie Dick, West Fargo Horace; 2nd – Carter Hass, Valley City; 3rd – Griffin Terras, West Fargo Horace; 4th – Mathew Foolish Bear, Bismarck St. Mary’s; 5th – Corinne Schmidt, West Fargo Horace; 6th – Nicholas Stensland, West Fargo Sheyenne; 7th – Aneesh Vegi, West Fargo; 8th – Lydia Picotte, Fargo Davies; 9th – Leah Dokken, Minot.
Storytelling: 1st – Reese Richard, West Fargo Horace; 2nd – Rebecca Smith, West Fargo Horace; 3rd – Keagan Kratcha, West Fargo Horace; 4th – Maron Kpadeh, West Fargo Horace; 5th – Jama Jama, West Fargo; 6th – Danielle Nusz, Watford City; 7th – Grady Gronos, West Fargo.
Extemporaneous Programmed Reading: 1st – Alora Rude, West Fargo Horace; 2nd – Libby Karmas, Bismarck St. Mary’s; 3rd – Patricia Schmitz, Watford City; 4th – Grace Goettle, Bismarck St. Mary’s; 5th – Jaden Bjur, West Fargo Horace; 6th – Reagan Koppelman, West Fargo Sheyenne; 7th – Laney Tolman, Dickinson; 8th – Madison Hayden, Dickinson.
Humorous Duo: 1st – Isaac Peterchuk/Michael Storsved; Mandan; 2nd – Abby Ryberg/Alyssa Holen; Watford City; 3rd – Savannah Mauch/Trae Reardon; West Fargo Horace; 4th – Ethan Frisch/Griffin Terras; West Fargo Horace; 5th – Flint Dignan/Maron Kpadeh; West Fargo Horace; 6th – Seth Lamont/Drew Burris; Fargo North; 7th – Liam Rude/Lucy Scherbenske; West Fargo Horace; 8th – Enslie Schwan/Karmella Splichal; West Fargo.
Dramatic Interpretation: 1st – Weslene Sweat, West Fargo; 2nd – Nader Said, West Fargo Sheyenne; 3rd – Mercy Johnson, West Fargo Horace; 4th – Elizabeth Cave, Bismarck St. Mary’s; 5th – Danielle Nusz, Watford City; 6th – Katherine Devney, Bismarck St. Mary’s; 7th – Xavier Honer, Fargo Davies; 8th – Sophia Bilowith, Jamestown; 9th – Lydia Hintz, Mandan.
Extemporaneous Speaking: 1st – Veda Voegele, West Fargo Horace; 2nd – Lukas Robinson, Fargo South; 3rd – Levi Gorden, West Fargo Horace; 4th – Jordan Graves, West Fargo Horace; 5th – Carter Hass, Valley City; 6th – Nadir Mohamed, West Fargo Horace; 7th – Jonah Follingstad, West Fargo Sheyenne; 8th – Jakob Kehrwald, Grand Forks.
Poetry: 1st – Sabrin Joseph, West Fargo Sheyenne; 2nd – Reagan Koppelman, West Fargo Sheyenne; 3rd – Neveah Romfo, Jamestown; 4th – Olivia Lauf, Dickinson; 5th – Kadidiatou Sacko, West Fargo; 6th – Rita Goettle, Bismarck St. Mary’s; 7th – Libby Kadrmas, Bismarck St. Mary’s; 8th – Camila Rios Caldera, Fargo North.
Humorous Interpretation: 1st – Leah Hochhalter, Valley City; 2nd – Braden Li, Fargo Davies; 3rd – Trae Reardon, West Fargo Horace; 4th – Reese Richard, West Fargo Horace; 5th – Jada Lange, Mandan; 6th – Julia Vickers, West Fargo; 7th – Rebecca Smith, West Fargo Horace; 8th – Laney Tolman, Dickinson.
Serious Duo: 1st – Haley Mezger/August Phillips; Bismarck Century; 2nd – Drew Burris/Ella Vanlaningham; Fargo North; 3rd – Seth Lamont/Maria Kryjevski; Fargo North; 4th – Leah Hochhalter/Ayden McPartland; Valley City; 5th – Daniel Nyland/Neveah Romfo; Jamestown; 6th – Orion Bennett/Xavier Lundmark; Minot; 7th – Kadidiatou Sacko/Weslene Sweat; West Fargo; 8th – Jaden Bjur/Aiden Doeling; West Fargo Horace.
Speech to Inform: 1st – Madeline Abbott, Shanley; 2nd – Maggie Dick, West Fargo Horace; 3rd – Corinne Schimdt, West Fargo Horace; 4th – Jordan Graves, West Fargo Horace; 5th – Mathew Foolish Bear, Bismarck St. Mary’s; 6th – Nicholas Stensland, West Fargo Sheyenne; 7th – Kendall Hauck, Fargo Davies; 8th – Avni Banerjee, West Fargo Sheyenne; 9th – Quin Kruger, Valley City.
Speech to Persuade: 1st – August Phillips, Bismarck Century; 2nd – Lydia Picotte, Fargo Davies; 3rd – Harnoor Johal, West Fargo; 4th – Nora Aeilts, West Fargo Horace; 5th – Madison Arness, Fargo South; 6th – Hannah Stevermer, West Fargo Horace; 7th – Angel Mochoge, Fargo Davies; 8th – Elena Weng, West Fargo Sheyenne; 9th – Cadence Fetsch, Valley City.
Serious Prose: 1st – Alora Rude, West Fargo Horace; 2nd – Grace Goettle, Bismarck St. Mary’s; 3rd – Angel Mochoge, Fargo Davies; 4th – Muhammed Saeed, West Fargo Sheyenne; 5th – Ayden McPartland, Valley City; 6th – Nader Said, West Fargo Sheyenne; 7th – Xavier Lundmark, Minot; 8th – Capin Wardner, Bismarck Century.
Impromptu: 1st – Lukas Robinson, Fargo South; 2nd – Madeline Abbott, Shanley; 3rd – Nadir Mohamed, West Fargo Horace; 4th – Levi Gorden, West Fargo Horace; 5th – Aiden Shultz, West Fargo; 6th – Matthew Motschenbacher, Jamestown; 7th – Sophia Bilowith, Jamestown; 8th – Amour Mach, West Fargo Horace.
Speech to Entertain: 1st – Kallyn Shirley, Bismarck Century; 2nd – Britta Soderholm, West Fargo Horace; 3rd – Leah Dokken, Minot; 4th – Elena Weng, West Fargo Sheyenne; 5th – Emily Hutchison, West Fargo Horace; 6th – Elizabeth Cave, Bismarck St. Mary’s; 7th – Emma Hoke, Jamestown; 8th – Nikky Le, West Fargo Horace.