Mock Trial lost to California High by 3 points in the quarter finals of the county competition on February 21.

According to senior Olivia Price, the score was 1011 to 1008. “We were seeded 8th and we went against the 1st seed,” said Price. “We were kind of nervous going in. We didn’t know what to expect, but considering they were the first seed, we’re really happy with the outcome. [The judge’s] score sheet decided the tiebreaker. Because he gave Cal High two extra points than us, Cal High won.”

Despite the loss, Mock Trial advanced further than they ever have in recent years. “As far as I know, it’s the first time that we’ve made it past preliminary rounds in at least 3 or more years,” said teacher adviser Diane Bessette.

“My freshman year we didn’t make it. My sophomore year we didn’t make it to the quarter finals by like .002 or something. Then last year we were in the quarter finals versus Acalanes, but we lost,” said Price. “And so this year was actually really good because we made it to the quarter finals and we only lost by a slim margin.”

Bessette added, “I think it really says a lot about how experienced our team is; we have a lot of really strong seniors who had been on the team 2, 3, in one case 4 years, and also just the hard work of the team, not just seniors, but everybody on the team just put in a lot of effort. We got really really close.”

Price is 1 of 5 graduating “lawyers” from Mock Trial, leaving only 1 returning lawyer for next year. “It’ll be really difficult, but I think that the people that are staying are really good,” said Price.

Junior Leah Bahramipour, the lone returning lawyer, added, “It’s actually really nerve wracking considering that all of our top lawyers are leaving, so it’s going to be a fresh start and I’m not really trained in that position myself because this is my first year as a lawyer. I guess I’m going to have to teach all – or at least try to guide – a lot of the lawyers for next year. But it should be good.”

“We have some strong current juniors and sophomores that we anticipate will take on those leadership roles,” said Bessette. “When I think about the seniors and the leaders… it has been fun as an adviser to see them improve on their skills and be willing to take on challenges.”

Bessette hopes next year’s Mock Trial comes “together as a team.”

“I guess mock trial has taught me a lot about the aspects of being a team and in general, lawyer and witnesses. It’s really important that we work together to make our general presentation the best, and everybody is counting on everyone to do well and go on to the next round,” Bahramipour said.