Published March 5, 2025
BY LAITH RODRIGUEZ
Carmel High School’s mock trial team succeeded at winning the Monterey County Mock Trial Championship for the 11th year in a row, and the team is headed to Los Angeles to compete for the state title, which Carmel won in 2017.
Through dedication and hard work, they have prepared themselves well against high-skilled teams, hoping that their ability to adapt in the courtroom was honed well enough to not only survive, but succeed. Members of the team, headed by adviser Bill Schrier, have been preparing ever since the Mock Trial Empire World Championships, where they got third place out of 46 teams from across the globe.
The Carmel mock trial team has high hopes after another victory at county this year. (photo by LAITH RODRIGUEZ)
“We’re very strong as a team,” says Schrier. “I don’t remember a team that [is] more cohesive. When it mattered, they came together. Aspiration is one thing, and whether you can accomplish it–these guys really did.”
The team defeated Santa Catalina School in the semi-finals Feb 8. Shortly after, the team headed back into the Monterey County Superior Court after an extended recess, where the tournament final was held against Pacific Grove High School.
“It was a beautiful trial,” senior club president Julia Jackson explains. “It was such an improvement from semi-finals. When we walked out from the final I didn’t even care if we won or not because it was such a good trial.”
While the team had struggled a bit in the semi-finals, they were able to recover and excel in the final against PGHS. The culmination of their work, not only by themselves, but as a collective force, led them to the team’s 11th win in a row, continuing the streak for Carmel.
Schrier completely puts preparation on students, so when it comes to meetings they hold, they are expected to know what they should say while practicing testimonies or opening statements. It is through complete passion and love of trial that the club has reached such high success.
Students on the team earned themselves a massive win over Gonzales High School, winning by 10 points. (photo by LAITH RODRIGUEZ)
An example of this was the decisive win over Gonzales on Feb. 4, winning by nearly 10 points. This was unusual, as there is normally only a 2- to 3-point margin between teams.
“It took us a bit to get our feet on the ground,” says Schrier. “After, we just started putting on these amazing trials at Empire. We did that at county, and we had very strong trials. This team goes beyond what I anticipate, and the trial they put on in the final was just gorgeous.”
While they had a slow start to Empire, with only losing one ballot in their first trial, they were able to become exponentially stronger with the rest, putting on a show of their skills and receiving well-earned respect from spectators.
Mental preparation for competitions like county or state are similar to that of sports. Members start their day knowing to ground themselves so they don’t get distracted. Schrier requires that club members of the team leave their phones in his classroom during trial, allowing students to work on casework on the way to county.
“It helps us get into the mock trial mindset,” Jackson explains. “It tells us that we’re going into a trial now, so we have to turn our mock trial minds on.”
The Outstanding Prosecution Pretrial Motion Attorney award went to senior Brianna Sciuto, alongside Outstanding Defense Attorney awards going to Jackson and senior Scarlett Wennerholm. Junior Julius Dutta received Outstanding Defense Pretrial Motion Attorney, freshman Abby Brown won the Outstanding Bailiff award, and freshman Maya Steinberg took first place in the Courtroom Artist Competition. For the third straight year, senior Avery Palshaw achieved first place for the Courtroom Journalist Competition, followed in second by sophomore Olivia Fort.
The state competition runs March 14-16. Recordings of their trials will be available on Youtube after the competition ends.
