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A hometown newspaper with a local office, local owners & lots of local news
Cloquet's mock trial team took part in state competition last week in St. Paul. Team members are, from left to right, Ian Gunelson, Joshua South, Emily Vermeersch, Cade Anderson, Brenna Mattson, Ethan Gunderson, Taylor Wenneson, Benjamin Bauer, AJ Maijala, Jonah Bryant-Nikko, and Madelynn Dosta. Gunelson and Dostal were All-State honorees.
The Cloquet mock trial team finished 14th out of 16 teams competing in the Mock Trial State Tournament in St. Paul last week. Madelynn Dostal was named an All-State attorney and Ian Gunelson was named an All-State witness for their performances.
Coach Corinne Gornick-Heehn said the Cloquet team held its own against teams that were coach by "literally, a team of attorneys."
"I was so proud of my team," Heehn said. "They argued smart and hard ... against teams that went on to take third and fourth."
The team qualified for the state tournament, held at the Ramsey County Courthouse March 5-6, after participating in four meets with other schools, then winning the case at regionals by beating out five other teams in St. Cloud.
The first-year coach credited hard work and dedication for the team's rise to the top of Region 1 and said the team is looking forward to defending its title next year and returning to state competition.
