CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. — Last week, students on the mock trial team at Abington Heights were preparing for the state championship to defend their title. The students spent long days preparing their case, knowing they would have a target on their backs.
"All the hard work we've put into this, I'm glad it's paid off. And it's reassuring that if you put in that work, you can get the success," said senior Dane Huggler.
After four days of competition, Abington Heights was in the finals against St. Joseph's Preparatory from the Philadelphia area. After both sides presented their case, it was time for the judge to declare the winner.
For the second year in a row, the Abington Heights mock trial team was crowned state champions.
"It was a relief because I know everyone's worked so hard, and we were all so nervous about the whole thing. But just knowing that we won it was a pretty satisfying feeling," said sophomore Noor Rutty.
Students work on the same case all season, giving them the opportunity to fine-tune their presentation for the finals.
"There were like little moments throughout the trial where our attorneys just got this one point across in the cross-examination and got the other side's witnesses to admit," said senior Reenad Kahn.
There were only a handful of seniors on this year's team, and those seniors thought it would be hard to repeat as champions.
"Our goal was just to win district, so I feel like it caught a lot of us by surprise, being able to make this far and bring home the title yet again," Huggler added. "it was such a great experience."
The team will soon prepare for the national competition on May 5.
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