Last weekend, Jan. 13 and 14, De Soto High School’s Debate team took fourth place at the State tournament.

The competition was held at Silverlake High School, near Topeka. DHS competed against other 4A schools such as Tonganoxie, Buhler, Fort Scott, El Dorado, Coffeyville, and more.

De Soto’s team consisted of seniors Phillip Kaul and Parker Riley, juniors Sophia Templin, Jacob Jackson-Hays and alternate James Newton, as well as sophomores Rebekah Burgweger and Patrick Cunningham.

This was the first time the team competed with a four-speaker team. Jackson-Hays and Cunningham competed also, as a two-speaker team.

The team’s expectations for their success were high.

“We’ve had a really great season and we expected to do well. However, traveling to a new area is always difficult because we never know what the judging community is going to be like, and we always have to adapt,” Riley said.

The teams faced a tough panel of judges at Silverlake. Many players feel as though the judging was unfair and negatively effected their score.

“Overall I am proud with how the team did at state,” Riley said.

With two teams placing in the top 20 last year, the De Soto Debate team continues to blaze a trail of success.