The first team in Bishop Gorman history made up of all freshman and sophomores won second place in the regional mock trial competition, and will be competing to be State Champions on March 7th and 8th. 

According to Mock Trial Coordinator, Mr. Crisp, the team prepares for competitions by preparing for both the prosecution and the defense of an assigned case and they practice the case all year. They will continue to do the same as they go into the state competition. 

Simar Jolly ‘26 talked about what the team does to prepare for their competitions, calling their preparation “unmatched.” According to Jolly, you either have to be in the Intro to Law or Mock Trial classes, which gives them “plenty of time to devote to our cases.”

Jolly later said, “A lot of preparation is between attorney and witness more than anything. All attorneys on the team have to give either an opening or closing, so all of the attorneys were practicing and memorizing their speeches.” 

She also revealed that she practiced her opening at least around fifty times, just during the week of the regional competition.  

Jolly also believes and hopes that the team could win state. “All of our team is working really hard…[State] will be much harder without a doubt, but I have complete faith in my team that at the very least, we will do the very best we can.”

Loren Brown ‘26 explained some of the feelings she and the team have as they prepare for state. “I think state will be a lot more challenging than regionals was, but I think it will go great based on how our team looks right now. I would say that I am less anxious now because I know what to expect a little more. I think I feel more at ease.” 

Mr. Crisp expressed his pride in “how hard [the team] worked and how coachable they were to perform their best. I’m so proud of all the teams and how they worked.” 

Jolly commented, “I think winning took us all by surprise a little, but it was amazing. I mean, if you saw a video of us being called to the stage, we were squealing.” 

Brown, when reflecting on making it to state, said, “It was amazing to know that our hard work paid off all those months and I am ecstatic to compete with my team at state.”