Hersey debaters dominate IHSA Finals
John Hersey High School's senior debaters saved their best performance for the last tournament of the year as they swept the top three places at the Illinois High School Association Finals at the University of Illinois-Springfield on March 21-22.
Winning the top three places by one school is unprecedented in IHSA history. The closest similar performance came in 2003, when Wheeling High School won both first and second place.
Senior Ben Goldberg carried home the first place trophy, capping off a successful four-year career that also saw him finish on a second- and third-place team in the Illinois Congressional Debate Association Championships. Ben thanked his friends, teammates, and rivals for making the last four years the best years of his life.
Hersey senior Dan Niersbach took home the runner-up trophy. Dan's achievement was all the more remarkable since he did not start debating until his junior year.
"Dan's progress in debate has been unbelievable," said head coach Jack Stanislaw. "I have never seen anyone take to debate so naturally."
Finishing third in the balloting is team co-captain and senior Melanie Cohodes.
"I couldn't imagine a better end to the year," she said. "The day will be perfect after I stop crying."
In addition to the top three finalists, Hersey also swept the All State competition. Co-captain Michael Miller was named All-State team captain by amassing the highest point total in the preliminary rounds. He scored a near perfect 5.85 out of six speech average. Senior Michael Feltes placed second in All-State points, and Goldberg was third.
One possible reason for the team's success was the addition of Angela Weiner to the coaching staff. With her speech background, Weiner was assigned to improve the delivery and style of the students' speeches.
"Their speeches in the final were the finest example of intellectual discourse that I have ever witnessed," she said.
Unfortunately, only one name could go into the record books.
"I am happy for Ben's triumph, but it took everyone on the team to research, discuss, and practice together to make Ben's success possible," said coach Stanislaw. "In our last two postseason contests, we prepared for victory, but we finished second. In this one, we were ready for victory, and victory was ready for us."
Although the IHSA contest ends the debate careers of most seniors, Miller qualified and will compete in the National Forensic League's Debate Nationals held in Kansas City in June.
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