Senior Evan Grisham competed in Austin last week for state Congress competition. Up against an initial 54 competitors in 3A, Evan was one of 18 students to advance to finals and debate at the capitol building.

“I was competing against the best in the state, and getting sixth out of 18 in prelims was a wonderful feeling,” Grisham said. “Getting 17th in finals knowing I was one of the top 20 in 3A made me realize what a great experience I had been allowed.”

Grisham qualified for state in November by placing third at regional competition in College Station. Also placing were state alternate Lilah Adams in fifth and Colby Menefee in sixth.

“At district, the 3A students compete in the same chamber as students from 4A,” coach Melonie Menefee said. “They don’t actually rank against the 3A students, but they all go through the sessions together. It’s a lot like actually debating in a room of Congress.”

Competitors at state were divided into three chambers on Tuesday and debated for a total of seven hours before finalists were announced. Finals where held at the state Capitol where debaters again worked for seven hours split into two sessions.

“Participating was an interesting experience,” Grisham said. “Competing with people from all over the state and learning so much about the laws of our country was a great experience.”