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KEARNEY — Kearney High School won the Roger Maxwell Invitational speech and debate tournament Friday and Saturday at Norfolk High School.

Bearcat speakers piled up 730 points in the Friday speech tournament, and KHS debaters added 25 points Saturday to give Kearney 755 points and the overall win in the 10-team field.

Friday marked the third consecutive year in which KHS won the speech portion of the Norfolk tournament. Other top speech teams at Norfolk were Millard North, second with 583 points, and North Platte, third with 326.

Three Bearcat speakers were double champions: Keegan Potthoff in duo interpretation and group drama, Jessa Newby in informative and group drama, and Maggie Konz in oratory and group drama. Potthoff’s partner in the first-place duo was Karlee Currin. Chris Lyons was the final member of the winning group drama “Golf: The Musical” with Newby, Potthoff and Konz.

KHS had four additional champions: Katie Nelson in dramatic interpretation, Hanna Allen in entertainment, Tiffany Valleau in novice interp., and Sullivan Moore in novice public address. For Nelson and Konz, this was the third consecutive year they have won their individual events at the Norfolk Invite, dramatic interpretation and oratory.

Runners-up for KHS at Norfolk were Grace Manley in informative, Potthoff in humorous interpretation, Emily Nelson in novice extemporaneous, Valleau in novice public address, and the group drama “Seuss Odyssey” with Emelie Berke, Kyleigh Skaggs, Ryan Swensen Drew Syring and Nelson.

Additional medalists included the third-place group drama, “Little Shop of Horrors,” with Anna Nelson, Rachel Kermmoade, Wyatt Behn, Manley and Moore. Farah Imtiaz and Anna Nelson finished third in duo; Imtiaz was also sixth in poetry. Kelsey Reiman placed fifth in both extemporaneous and entertainment. Taylor Garrison was fifth in novice public address, and teammate Cassie Kernick was third. Sarah Walsh placed fifth in oratory. Kermmoade also earned sixth in dramatic interpretation.

KHS debaters honored at Norfolk were Megan Hoyt, second speaker award in novice congress house, and Brian Hofer, elected presiding officer in novice house.

The Bearcats speech team will compete at Lincoln East Saturday, while the debate team travels to Millard South.

Mary Alice Konz coaches the speech team. Nancy Pfannenstein is the debate coach.

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