Dos Pueblos High School’s Mock Trial team experienced an exciting victory at the Empire Philadelphia Constitutional Classic Championship held September 27-30, defeating Lynbrook High School during Monday’s championship round to secure the win.
The tournament included 36 elite mock trial teams from across the U.S., as well as teams from Canada and South Korea, and was structured around four trials plus a championship round. According to its website, the Empire Organization’s Classic Championship rotates annually to popular metropolitan cities, historically located in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, New York, or San Francisco. This year, Philadelphia hosted the event.
Empire released the team’s case information in June, and since, the mock trial students have worked tirelessly to prepare for its simulated case of the State of Empirion v. Michael Klein, according to a press release by Santa Barbara Unified. The team’s case centered on fictional Sheriff Michael Klein, who was accused of coercing an inaccurate witness testimony in a murder case. The mock trial team developed case theories, analyzed both the defense and prosecution, and implemented realistic law practices to win the competition.
The varsity team was led by team captains Sofia Elena Lara, William Parisse and Jonathan Yang. “It was a close round, but the faith we’ve developed in each other the past few months made the difference,” Yang said. “I’m incredibly proud to have captained and won a world championship with some of my best friends.”
The Dos Pueblos Chargers are familiar with mock trial competitions, having won 11 of the last 14 Santa Barbara County championships and Empire’s Premier League Championship in 2023 and World Championship in 2015. Now, it can add Philadelphia’s 2024 Classic Champions to its accolades.
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