In a stunning display of leadership, resilience, and teamwork, Bayside’s mock-trial program overcame a major last-minute crisis to secure a national bid at the state Youth Judicial competition in Montgomery this past weekend. Bayside's mock-trial team will now advance to the national competition in Austin, Texas, this summer.

 

The crisis began at approximately 7:05 p.m. on Friday evening, the night before the competition, when messages and phone calls revealed that a postponed football game would conflict with the event. The sudden shift threw the rosters into chaos, leaving students and coaches uncertain about which attorneys and witnesses would be able to compete, or if Bayside would be forced to forfeit and withdraw entirely.

 

"What happened next was one of the coolest things I have seen in over twenty years of coaching mock-trial," said Bayside's head coach Will Hester. "The students themselves solved the problems. Their performance under pressure embodies the very best of Bayside." 

 

Faced with shock and disbelief, co-sponsor Gayle Henshaw gathered the students in a secluded space to process the news and formulate a strategy. What followed was a masterclass in student leadership. Juniors and seniors immediately took charge, mentoring younger students—particularly the 9^th-grade Premier teams whose participation was in serious jeopardy.

 

Throughout the hotel lobby and hallways, students collaborated seamlessly across different teams. Witnesses rapidly memorized the roles of missing peers, attorneys learned their teammates' opening statements, and upperclassmen ran direct and cross-examination drills with underclassmen. Within a single hour, student captains and leaders independently designed and presented a comprehensive game plan to their coaches. 

 

The students’ self-reliance and preparation paid off spectacularly during the four rounds of trials the next day. The Premier team known as the "Law Dogs"—comprising Alice Nordgren, William Roberts, James Savage, Isabella Ivy, Andrew Ray, David Green, and Eliza Kubina—officially won a highly coveted bid to the national tournament in Austin. Bayside’s second Premier team, consisting of Elizabeth Coumanis, William Derrenbacher, Carlisle Mosteller, Win Hix, Vera Shamburger, Lillibet Taul, and Eli Harcourt, finished as one of the teams in the state. Elizabeth Coumanis and Carlisle Mosteller scored high enough to earn spots on the national team competing in Austin.

 

Bayside's two Major teams both advanced to the Top 10 final matches in a highly competitive field of 28 teams. The team of Evelyn Carpenter, Cruz McMurry, Joey Dorman, Anna Scott Phillips, Braxton Bender, Bax Fargason, Austin Pete Williams, and Sebastian Winstead finished 12^th overall after a narrow fourth-round loss to the state's third-place team.

Showing immense grit, the Major team of Drew Williams, Bennett Lieb, Arya Amin, Grace Counselman, Elizabeth Handwerger, Evelynn Stokes, Hayden Coumanis, and Frank Smith also made it to the Top 10 final matches, edging out to finish 13^th overall. Notably, this team successfully competed with only two attorneys for three out of their four trials.

 

Bayside also brought a record number of student judges and bailiffs who served with distinction. The judicial delegation included judges Lee Ginger, Dori Small, Mary Helen Williams, and Arabella Rowland, accompanied by bailiffs Ava Bindon, Elias Blossom, Kendall Byrd, and Wright Fargason.

 

Several students took home prestigious individual honors and earned individual spots on the national team traveling to Austin this summer:

 

Bayside's mock-trial program prepares students for legal and public-speaking excellence through rigorous analytical preparation, teamwork, and competitive simulations of real courtroom trials.