Hays HS Debate & Forensics

06/11/2026

On the road again! Representing Hays High Debate & Forensics: Sofia, Emily, and Joseph are bound for the NSDA National Tournament in Richmond, VA with Coach English and Claudio! So many of our amazing Hays community have come out to help make this journey possible. In addition to these great business groups who have donated to our cause, we’d like to recognize these individuals who have made donations: Melissa Zolnierz, Amy Bergman, Cynthia Stone, Dana Stanton, Mike Morley, Jonathan English, Joshua Callahan, Deana Rupp, Greg Swob, and a very generous anonymous donor. Thank you all so much!

05/20/2026

DON’T COOK — SUPPORT A GREAT CAUSE!

Join us at Gambino’s Pizza (2102 Vine St.)
Tuesday, May 27 | 4 PM – Close

Every order helps send Hays High Debate & Forensics to Nationals!

Bring friends. Bring family. Show up hungry. Eat in, call in, or deliver. Make a difference!

05/18/2026

Hi, this is Paul English with Hays High School Debate & Forensics. Please help us raise money for our fundraiser to the National Speech & Debate Association’s national tournament by clicking the link below. Thank you! Hays High School Debate & Forensics

05/04/2026

The Hays High Forensics team made the big trip to State competition this weekend and did our school proud. Friday night saw our One-Act perform at the State Festival and did phenomenally, bringing back a I rating for “Cheating Death”! The rest of the crew made their way to Wichita to get ready for competition at the State Championship at Valley Center. Brayden Staley competed in Impromptu and was joined by Evie Dietz who also did International Extemp. Joseph Zolnierz joined in the IX and took his Informative speech to the tournament. Sofia competed in Informative. Emily Nicholas argued in United States Extemp. Elisabeth Bergman took an amazing Program Oral Interpretation to competion. The team worked hard in prelims and it was Sofia San Martin that broke to SemiFinals. She finished in 7th place, missing out breaking to finals by a small increment, but did amazing in her first trip to Forensics State tournament. She will be joined by Joseph Zolnierz and Emily Nicholas for the National tournament next month. All have earned a break… but debate season is just around the corner! 🗯️

04/20/2026

04/20/2026

The 2026 regular season for Hays High Forensics has come to a close. We haven’t updated the last couple of tournaments but have been successful in our efforts to get our team to state and beyond. Just before spring break the team traveled to Nickerson. Sofia San Martin continued to dominate taking 1st in Info 10 and 5th in Extemp. Joseph Zolnierz punched his card to the State Championship taking 1st in Extemp. He also medaled in Info 10 at 5th. Liza Bergman got 5th in POI and Maia Gray got 7th in Prose. After hosting here at the end of the March, we traveled to Hoisington on April 4th, where we continued to find opportunities to make it to the State tournament. Joseph qualified in his Info 10 and medaled again in Extemp. In Original Oration, Maggie Olson and Evie Dietz were able to medal and qualify for State Championships. In a mid-week tournament, Evie was able to add Impromptu and Extemp to her state qualifications and Sofia and Emily Nicholas medaled in Info 10 and Extemp, respectively. On April 11th we journeyed to McPherson and Emily took the lone medal of the day in US Extemp.

This past weekend the team headed to Salina South in two squads. The first group went on April 17th to start the National Speech and Debate Associations West Kansas district qualifying tournament. Sophia brought her Informative speech on the English language. Joseph competed in International Extemporaneous speaking and Emily in United States Extemporaneous speech. This 2 day tournament gave each of these competitors the opportunity to attend the national tournament in Richmond, VA in June by finishing in the two slots for each event. Sophia finished very strongly at 2nd place, earning her spot at the national convention. In all 5 rounds, at least 1 of the judges from each round picked hers as the best speech of the round. This is her 2nd year of qualifying for the national tournament, going last summer with Policy Debate. Joseph and Emily both were in the top 6 of preliminary rounds and finished 5 in a very competitive field. Because of the mechanism for choosing which individuals go from each of the schools, the 2 from both Extemp groups fell to 3rd and 4th. Both of the came within a few points from earning their spot in Extemp at the national tournament! They certainly showed growth and strength in their work and will continue to be a force to reckoned with next year! Our other group came on Saturday for the Salina South invitational and Kristen Lundgerg took the 6th place medal.

02/21/2026

02/21/2026

HAYS HIGH FORENSICS IS ON FIRE. 🔥

Every single Hays High competitor medaled today at the Salina Central Invitational, and FIVE events punched their ticket to the KSHSAA State Championships in May!

Highlights from an absolutely electric day:

• Sofia San Martin QUALIFIED FOR STATE in Extemporaneous Speaking AND Informative 10, bringing home GOLD with 1st place in Info 10.
• In Poetry, Adriana Carrillo earned a 6th place medal, and Kaylee Desair DOMINATED the field with 1st place and a State qualification.
• Brayden Staley is STATE-BOUND with a clutch 6th place finish in Impromptu.
• Duo Interpretation champions Maia Gray and Korbin Miller snagged 1st place and a trip to State with a powerhouse performance.
• In Program Oral Interpretation, Liza Bergman secured a strong 4th place finish.
• In Informative 7, Krister Lundberg brought home 5th with a smart, polished speech.
• In his FIRST-EVER tournament, Taylon Kaiser broke to finals and placed 7th in Humorous Interpretation—an incredible debut.
• Emily Nicholas doubled up in finals, taking 6th in both Extemporaneous Speaking and Original Oration with poised, thoughtful performances.

With this stacked day of finals and medals, Hays High TIED WITH NICKERSON FOR 3RD IN SWEEPSTAKES, bringing home the team’s FIRST TROPHY of the season and setting the tone for a huge spring.

Next up: the squad heads to the NIETOC qualifying tournament at Wichita East next week to test their mettle against some of the toughest competition in the region.

Stay tuned to these Word Warriors — this team is just getting started. 💛🖤🎤

02/21/2026

Hays High Forensics made their first foray into Congressional Debate tonight at Nickerson High School. Veteran policy debaters Sofia San Martin, Kaylee Desair, and Liza Bergman dipped their toe in the novice pool for Congress. It was a rough start, but by the second session, they were aggressively finding ways to make their statements. Sofia medaled with a 5th place finish,  followed by Liza and Kaylee in 6th and 7th. Tomorrow we join the rest of the team at Salina Central for Interp events.

02/17/2026

Giving out a huge round of applause to the Hays High Forensics One Act squad who traveled to Clay Center Community High School to perform Kamron Klitgaard’s “Cheating Death”. This intrepid group of Hays high for indicators had committed to put on a one act to bring to the state festival in May only three weeks ago. That was when we found out that the tournament would be held today. So in three short weeks, these amazing actors put together a thrilling performance. It was a true joy to see them actually get on stage and be able to perform for judges. Hays took third place in the tournament and earned a State Qualification with a I ranking! The cast includes Seniors, Bryler Russell and Willow Nickell, Juniors Kaylee Desair and Darrius Wise, and freshman Maia Gray, Korbin Miller, and Kennedy Smith.  Not able to travel with us today, but a key figure in preparing for these performances was our assistant director, Elizabeth Bergman, who helped make the vision of coach English a reality and helped gather costumes and supplies for the group. This group will continue to practice and prepare for the state festival in May! Next up, the team travels to Nickerson on Friday night for their first Congressional debate, followed by the larger team traveling at Salina Central high school for the tournament on Saturday.