The Beaver Area Mock Trial team, after three practice trials, have finally competed in the annual Pitt tournament this year.

The tournament is hosted at the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning in Oakland and includes teams from all around the state.

Our own mock trial students have been practicing tirelessly since the release of the Pennsylvania 2024 state case, and it has shown, as coach Mr. Greg Inge has been pushing his students to be the best that they can be in Mock Trial.

The Pitt tournament took place January 4 and 5, and our team was split into two evenly-matched teams in order for every member to play a part on their team. Team one was captained by senior Liam Denny, and the second team was captained by sophomore Adriana Lambert.

The teams both performed very well at the tournament, but unfortunately, have not yet received the official scoring for it.

After the strong showing at the Pitt tournament, the teams soon kicked off county competition with a single A team. They took the side of the defense in the case at the Beaver County Courthouse against Central Valley January 7.

However, after a close match, Beaver Area ultimately lost the case. Junior Sam Good was recognized as best advocate for the Bobcat team by Central Valley, and Lambert was recognized as best witness by Central Valley. (In a nod to good sportsmanship and fair play, mock trial competitors acknowledge standout performers on the opposing team.)

The team took the side of the prosecution (The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) and against New Brighton in the next trial January 9. It was a hard-fought trial as New Brighton is historically the best team in the section, and both teams performed spectacularly.

However, unfortunately, New Brighton prevailed as the defense through the hard-fought battle.

Lambert was recognized as best advocate for the Beaver Area team by New Brighton, and sophomore Cara Schreibeis was recognized as the best Beaver Area witness by New Brighton.

The team has two further trials at the courthouse: one against Blackhawk January 21 and the other against Lincoln Park January 30.