Sterling debate coach David Wilson knew he had big shoes to fill last school year when he took over for the retired Betsy Dutton, a Kansas Speech Communication Association Hall of Fame member.
 
But grabbing the reins of a well-established program also meant he inherited a group of talented, hard-working competitors. And the results they’ve produced show it.
 
Wilson will have experienced debaters in the Class 3-2-1A Four-Speaker State Debate Championship, which will be contested Friday and Saturday at Winfield High School. A sophomore-dominated group of Black Bears will also compete in the Two-Speaker state championship at Winfield, which is also the host site for Class 4A competitors.
 
Garden City High School will play host to the Class 6A and 5A debate championships this weekend.
 
Winners of the last five Class 2A State Speech & Drama Championships after capturing their first under Wilson last May, Sterling enters the state debate finals as a regional champion after winning last month in Nickerson. The Black Bears were second to Silver Lake in the 3-2-1A Four-Speaker competition last year.
 
“We have a big squad and veteran leadership, and those are great attributes,” said Wilson, who oversees 25 debaters. “I’m lucky to be in that situation. These kids are built with this sense of what excellence is and what excellence requires.”
 
Sterling returns its four-speaker lineup from state a year ago. Seniors Mason Lockhart, Jackson Mendoza and Eli Jackson, and junior Lydia Webb head the group that went 9-5 to finish one spot behind Silver Lake, which posted a 14-0 mark.
 
Lockhart is the reigning 2A forensics champion in extemporaneous speech and Mendoza won the state impromptu title. Webb was a finalist last summer in the Introduction to Public Speaking category at the Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference.
 
“Silver Lake was just unbeatable last year,” Wilson said. “They were just so dominant. We were just thrilled to be in the competition and we are kind of that way again. We focus on controlling our own controllables, and are committed to enjoying each other and enjoying the process.
 
“I think we can be a factor but there’s no guarantees. Everybody is really good.”
 
Silver Lake returns to try to defend its title with a familiar feeling. The Eagles’ four-speaker team went 5-1 at its home regional and finished second on ballots to Bishop Seabury. That outcome matched the 2023 regional, when Seabury edged Silver Lake on ballots before the Eagles went on to win at state.
 
Wichita Collegiate is the reigning 3-2-1A Two-Speaker champion. Not just champion, but co-champions after its quartet of two-speaker teams reached the semifinals last year and chose not to compete against each other, declaring walkover wins that left each with a share of first place.
 
Reigning four-speaker champions in other classes will look to extend lengthy state streaks. In Class 6A, Washburn Rural went unbeaten at the Junction City regional and will bid for its ninth consecutive title. The Junior Blues’ competition could come from Free State, which went 12-0 to win its home regional in December.
 
In Class 5A, Blue Valley Southwest will try to extend its four-speaker streak to 10 after going 6-0 in its home regional. Great Bend also won its home regional, edging second-place Hays, which returns to state for the first time in several years.
 
In the two-speaker division, Blue Valley North (6A) and De Soto (5A) will try to repeat along with Collegiate in 3-2-1A after qualifying entries for state. A new champion will be crowned in 4A after Chanute won state titles each of the past three years.