Nine Ely speakers going to state meet

Ely will once again be well represented at the state high school speech competition.The Timberwolves sent 10 speakers to state a year ago, and this Friday’s State Class A meet will include nine Ely speakers.That was assured after the Wolves turned in a solid second-place showing at the April 2 Section 7A competition at Hermantown.Three Ely seniors won section championships and head the local contingent that will compete in the state event at Centennial High School, located in Circle Pines.Brian Kess topped the field in the Humorous division, Raychal Zupancich was first in Drama and Kai Bowen earned the gold medal in Great Speeches.Kess and Zupancich teamed up a year ago to win the section title in Dramatic Duo last year, and both captured individual championships this time around.Six other Ely speakers were in the top three of their respective categories, good enough to land a spot in the state meet.Joe Manlove placed second in Discussion for the Wolves and won a second straight state appearance in the process, while Sarah Myers was the runner-up in Informative and also a second-time state qualifier.Ely also picked up a state berth and second-place finish in Original Oratory, as Amanda Cowden returns to state for a second straight spring.Ely’s Ashley Harris placed third in Extemporaneous Speaking and won a second consecutive state bid.Also placing third and advancing to state are Anne Kellerman (Prose) and Jesse Schlosser (Drama).Finishing just out of the running for a state bid, but advancing as alternates were:• Jaydin Clouse, sixth place, Creative Expression;• Jake Dahlin, fifth place, Discussion;• Megan Forthman and Julie Anderson, fifth place, Dramatic Duo;• Katie Spangler, sixth place, Great Speeches;• John Crane, fifth place, Humorous;• Caleb Cowden, sixth place, Informative;• Maren Gotchnik, fifth place, Drama;• Mike Jamnick, sixth place, Poetry.The Ely delegation leaves Thursday for the state meet.