“Do you guys want to argue a trial tomorrow?” These were the words of Mock Trial adviser Todd Cammarata, last Tuesday. After believing that they had argued the prosecution case in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Taylor Edsel for the last time in a close loss to Huntingdon on January 17, Cammarata informed them otherwise.

Forest Hills was slated to argue as the defense on Wednesday, but their opposition dropped out. Despite already granting the official win to Forest Hills, the region coordinator contacted Cammarata rather than cancel the trial altogether. While it would not help nor hinder their record, the team unanimously agreed to take another shot at proving Taylor Edsel guilty.

“I really liked getting a second chance for this, especially for the seniors on the team,” said junior attorney Molly Harris. “The opportunity was there and we weren’t throwing away our shot.”

Normally, after spending months of becoming familiar with and developing both sides of the case, the team spend at least a week, often much longer, to prepare for a specific trial.

However, given the circumstances that made this trial a possibility, both attorneys and witnesses had to get the prosecution case ready in 24 hours. This meant reviewing statements and questioning and adapting the case theory, tasks that usually take weeks, overnight.

In the end, however, Tyrone avenged their loss to Huntingdon as the four-member jury ruled unanimously in favor of Tyrone. On three out of the four ballots, Tyrone won in excess of thirty points.

“The team did a great job. I was very pleased that everyone was able to clear their schedule on such short notice. It shows how much dedication there is on this team,” said Cammarata.

Junior witness Grayson Putt and senior attorney Haley Butina received the best witness and advocate wards.

“This is the first time in all four years of being an attorney that I received this award, so it was very exciting for me,” said Butina. “But what was the most exciting was the result of the trial overall; all of the lawyers and witnesses performed at their very best, and I would’ve given everyone a reward if I could!”

Tyrone’s last trial, more likely than not, will be on Wednesday, February 8th, at 6:00 pm against Altoona A in the Blair County Courthouse. Tyrone will test its defense against Altoona’s prosecution, looking to end the season with another win, this time against a local powerhouse.

The trial is open to the public, and if you’ve never seen a mock trial, you may be surprised with how intriguing they can be.