Last year, the Ludington Oriole's Boy's basketball team finished as class B state runner-up, and properly received widespread coverage and honors for the achievement.  Yet, a county school quietly had been a 2014-2016 state runner-up in another, more diverse, competition, and unlike the Oriole's (who had a relatively flat year on the court this year), they have kept at the top of their game and were the best in the state this year.

                                                               The 2018 State Champs 

If you don't know what competition and school I'm talking about, you're likely not alone.  It's the Mason County Central Forensics Team.  Forensics allows students to practice different forms of public speaking and improve their research skills, their writing skills, and their approach to teamwork while competing with other school teams.  

                                                       The 2017 Mason County Central Forensics Team

Led by flamboyant and talkative native MCC graduate and Coach Tom Richert, this year's State Class C/D Forensics Team champions have immersed themselves in competing at the highest level over the last several years.  It was amazingly prescient in their comprehensive appraisal of last season's 4th place state finish that they concluded:  "Looking forward, the potential in both current and future members gives hope that next season might end with earning a state championship title."

Yet that prediction was not that wistful, as the team's history illustrates a pattern of repeated successes.  In 2014, the MCC Forensics team finished second in Class B, which was basically unheralded by area print media, even again when it was later noted in the MCP after the 2015 season found them runner-up again.  The snubs continued in 2016, where the MCP alone reported another runner-up finish.

Finally, somebody at the local newspaper started hearing the talking in the hall, and headlined last year that the MCC Forensics team finished fourth in state, a misleading headline, since they had actually been the best finisher of Class B, C, and D schools.  The title of best in the whole state still eluded Coach Richert and the Spartans, however, until this year, when reclassifications of the forensics competition worked in their favor and they became state champions.  

A celebratory assembly was held Monday at Mason County Central High School to congratulate the forensics team on its state championship win — only the second in the school’s history, according to principal Jeff Tuka, after the 1986 boys track team.


“It’s been quite a weekend for us,” forensics coach Tom Richert told the student body, as he stood beside the MIFA state championship plate with team’s finalists and semi-finalists.  “For 28 years (we’ve) been trying to win the big trophy,” Richert said. “We finally have it, and that’s all thanks to this team here.”

We look forward to seeing whether they can defend that title next year.  Better yet, we look forward to these young men and women using their state-best forensics skills in standing up for themselves, their fellow citizens, their property, and their rights in the future, when those are challenged by local authorities, some who may have the same skills.

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Congratulations

Number one forensics team

Hall of Fame awaits.

Maybe the MCC class did a forceful presentation in forensics but someone failed big time not getting the information to the media.   Can't fall the new for not reporting what is not known.

CoLDNews only reports bad news about MCC above the fold.  Good MCC news goes on page 3-4 if at all.

Amazing achievement. I hope most of the students will turn out to be conservatives because we're sure going to need some very persuasive individuals in the future to keep this Country from drifting to the left and sinking into the abyss of  Marxism. The staff deserves a very big thank you. These kids are the future.

Somebody who exceeds at forensics should be able to argue both sides of an issue that comes before them.  If they do that often enough, they should gravitate eventually to the more sensible argument, whether it be the conservative or liberal position on that topic.  I can see these people being more libertarian in philosophy than regular society since I think fiscal conservatism and social liberalism positions will win in most forensic debates.

Congratulations to Tom Richert for being voted as the Forensics Coach of the Year by his peers.

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