The Verdict Is In: Poly High Clenches Win Over Murrieta Valley

Although victory at Wednesday's Mock Trial competition had been the goal, Stephanie Gonzales walked out of Riverside's Hall of Justice with an air of confidence, satisfied with her team's performance.

"We did the best we could," said the Murrieta Valley High School senior, explaining that while they lost to Riverside's Polytechnic High School, it was still her team's "personal best."

This was Murrieta Valley's second straight loss in the last two years to Riverside's Poly High School in the Elite Eight stage of the annual competition. The students who made it to the Elite Eight beat out 15 other county high schools in four rounds of competition that started in early February. With the win, Poly High School earned a trip to the final four, which will find the school competing for the first place trophy against Hemet High School, Corona's Centennial High School and Woodcrest Christian of Riverside.

Woodcrest Christian took first place in the 2010 Riverside County Mock Trial competition, with Temecula Valley High school tying for third place.

But win or lose, there's no doubt that the path to Mock Trial takes some serious dedication, said students, advisers and coaches during the competition. Students who decide to join the team begin practicing in October. Practices can consist of up to four hours of training a week.

Each year, the students are given a fictional case to argue. This year’s case, People v. Woodson, involves allegations of cyberbullying and assault with a deadly weapon. It hinges on the testimony of "Angel Sterling," who claimed he was knocked unconcious by a brick after suffering countless incidents of bullying, both in person and online. The alleged victim claims that the perpetrator was defendant “Jesse Woodson."

Students spent hours memorizing their parts word-for-word, in addition to learning all the legal lingo from their attorney coaches. On top of that, since they're required to act as both the defense and the prosecution, they must learn the case from all angles and then argue it, in front of a real judge, in a real courtroom.

For Jessica Iacobellis, standing in the hallway outside of the courtroom, all that practice meant she couldn't escape the courtroom drama, even with her eyes shut tight.

"You could do it in your sleep, literally, it's sad," said the 17-year-old Murrieta Valley High School senior. "It's all about repitition."

A few minutes later, Jessica, who played the part of the sassy "Madison Jackson," morphed completely into character. Stepping up to the witness stand, decked out in her "bad girl" attire of a leather jacket, T-shirt and jeans, "Madison" was peppered with questions by the attorneys. Jessica, a three-year Mock Trial veteran, answered each question with a scorn on her face and a smart aleck response.

"It's Mad Jack, OK?" she told the prosecuting attorney when asked what her fellow students call her. "Why? Because they think I'm crazy, OK?"

When the prosecution tried to accuse Madison Jackson of creating the impression that she was the one responsible for the attack on the alleged victim, she looked at the judge and asked if the attorney was calling her a liar.

For many of the Mock Trial students, such as Katya Abelsky, being a member of the team is a great addition to their college resume. For the 16-year-old Murrieta Valley High School junior, who dreams of attending Columbia University, Mock Trial is one of her many extracurricular activities. And, like her teammates she spends hours dedicated to honing her expertise.

While playing the part of the school vice principal during the Mock Trial, Katya recited her lines like they were second nature.

Katya took a tough administrative stance, explaining to the judge that she was in charge of all of the discipline at the high school.

"Rules supply structure, " said Katya, playing the part of the vice principal. "And without structure there's anarchy."

The Riverside County semi-finals will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday and the finals will be at 1 p.m. at the Riverside Historic Courthouse. The California State Mock Trial Competition is March 25 through March 27; National Mock Trial is from May 6 through 8 in Phoenix, Ariz.