Danville High School won both the speech and debate state tournaments hosted by the Kentucky High School Speech League at the University of Kentucky March 22-24. With these wins, DHS completed a sweep of the four state titles forensics teams in Kentucky can win, a feat matched only by the 2008 Danville team in the history of the contests.
The Speaking Ads won the Speech tournament with a 39-point placing ahead of Boone County, 283 to 244 in combined scores. Rowan County, LaRue County, Lexington Dunbar, Kentucky Country Day, Harrison County, Central Hardin, Knott County Central, and North Oldham were the rest of the top ten in the school placings.
In the Debate tournament, Danville won for the first time with three of the top six placings in Congressional Debate and additional honors in Public Forum. Larry J. Ryle High and Lexington Henry Clay placed behind the Admirals to take second and third in school placings overall.
DHS took home state champion honors in four events. Dylan Crow and Nate Johnson took home the state title in Improvisational Duo while the Duo Interpretation team of Sarabeth Marlowe and John Thompson also won first. Also winning state titles were Johnson in Congressional Debate and first- year senior Waylon Duff in Storytelling.
Additional state finalists: Marc Manheim, sixth in Broadcasting; Joe Weston, fourth in Congressional Debate plus fifth in Extemporaneous Speaking and fourth in Impromptu Speaking; Jono Beto, sixth in Congressional Debate; Madeline Salinas, fourth in Declamation; Sarabeth Marlowe and Drew Lane, second and fourth respectively in Dramatic Interpretation; Isabelle Ballard and Dylan Crow, fifth in Duo Interpretation; Drew Lane, fourth in Humorous Interpretation; John Thompson and Wright Williams, second in Improvisational Duo; Andrew McKinney, second in Oratory; Nate Johnson, third in Oratory; Isabelle Ballard, fifth in Prose; Laurel Payne, fifth in Storytelling.
Also honored with placings past the preliminary rounds into the top eighteen in their events were Mary-Scott Bugg and Andrew McKinney in Congressional Debate; Sue Cook and Emma Jackson in Declamation; Kolton Winfield in Dramatic Interpretation; Jack Graham and Tyler Whitehouse in Duo Interpretation; Jono Beto in Extemporaneous Speaking; Jack Graham in Humorous Interpretation; Jono Beto and Nate Johnson in Impromptu Speaking; Madeline Salinas in Oratory; the teams of Jono Beto/Nate Johnson and Andrew McKinney/Phoebe Ross in Public Forum Debate; and Wright Williams in Storytelling.
The Ads will conclude their regular season with a Spotlight performance Tuesday night at 7 PM in Gravely Hall. Several of the state winners will perform. DHS will resume competition in late May and mid-June with entries who earned spots in the two national tournaments earlier this month.
The Speaking Ads are coached by Head Coach Steve Meadows and Assistants Christel Belcher, Beth Marlowe, Logan Scisco, and Terri Branson plus recent graduates Maggie Tirey, McKay Nelson, Jared Rehberg, Ali Gautier, Olivia Allen, and Jamie Mohan plus honorary coach James Murphy.
