Members of the Mason County Central High School Forensics Team following the Portage Central Best of the West Tournament on March 21, 2026. Back row, from left: Karen McKenney, Jacob Failor, Helena Snell, Riley Moritz, Isabella Snell, Maggie Robel, Trinniti Arnold, Andy DeLeon, Nick McKenney, Katarina Moore, Josh Gordon, Tristan McKenney and Marcelina Shriver. Front row, from left: Darnel Hunter, Richard Bowen and Caleb Failor.
Spartan News is a presentation of Mason County Central School District in partnership with Mason County Press.
SCOTTVILLE — The Mason County Central High School Forensics Team continues to see success during its invitational season as it prepares for upcoming state competitions.
The team recently traveled to Novi High School on March 14 to compete in both the Novice State Finals and the Spring Fling Tournament, hosted by Michigan Speech Coaches Inc. More than 700 students from across the state participated, making it one of the largest forensics tournaments in Michigan in the past 20 years.
In addition to competition, coaches received training in preparation for the Michigan Interscholastic Forensics Association State Finals Tournament, while students gained valuable feedback from a diverse pool of judges.
MCC also competed at Portage Central High School’s Best of the West Tournament, marking its fourth consecutive competition weekend. Despite having only four entries, the team placed third in the small school sweepstakes division for schools with 14 entries or fewer.
Top performers included Caleb Failor, who placed second in Oratory (grades 9-10); Darnel Hunter, who placed second in Poetry; and Richard Bowen, who placed sixth in Oratory. Trinniti Arnold was a semifinalist, placing 10th in Impromptu.
MCC also contributed judges to the tournament, helping provide feedback to competitors and training for new judges.
Following spring break, the team will compete at the MIFA Last Chance Invitational on April 11 at Lansing Eastern High School, followed by the MIFA Individual Events State Finals on April 24 at Eastern Michigan University.
The team is also preparing for the Michigan Speech Coaches Inc. Mackinac Conference in May and is seeking community support to help cover travel expenses. The conference offers additional competition categories for students and professional development opportunities for coaches.
Those interested in supporting the MCC Forensics Team may contact head coach Katarina Moore at kmoore@mccschools.org. Donations may also be sent to Mason County Central High School with “Mackinac 2026” included in the memo line.
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