Going past the length of a semester-long class, Manhattan High debate students continue into the beginning of the second semester, competing at the last two competitions in Kansas.

This past weekend freshmen novice competitors Jered Zhang and Akash Aryal went 2-3 wins to losses at the novice state competition.

“This was the first time this team had gone out together,” coach Ben Sutherland said. “It was very exciting to see their enthusiasm for the competition and the learning.”

Having to establish a case and argument successfully can be difficult, especially with a new partner.

“I thought we weren’t going to do too well because we do different cases, so we have to kind of understand each other’s cases,” Aryal said.

Though despite complications, the two worked to gain insight and knowledge to do better in future years.

“They watched a really outstanding Varsity round at the Debate Coaches Invitational tournament, the state tournament for the most elite Varsity teams in the state, in preparation for future years,” Sutherland said. “Both of these kids have a lot of potential for future debate competitions.”