Redlands wins record 16th County Mock Trial championship

Redlands High School extended its record for San Bernardino County Mock Trial championships to 16 on Jan. 18 as it defeated Rancho Cucamonga in the 38th annual competition.       

The victory marked Redlands’ fifth title in the past seven years as it advances to the state competition in March in Los Angeles.       

For Rancho Cucamonga of the Chaffey Joint Union High School District, it was the team’s first time reaching the finals in the competition.       

Presiding Superior Court Judge Michael Sachs congratulated both teams for their knowledge and determination during the two rounds of the finals held at the Foothill Law and Justice Center. County Superintendent Ted Alejandre also congratulated both teams for their spirited competition.          

Approximately 450 students representing 32 high school teams have participated in the Mock Trial competition this year. This year’s case was the People v. Matsumoto, a murder case. The county Mock Trials competition is co-sponsored by the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools and the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office.          

Under the direction of coach Donna St. George, team members for Redlands include: Julia Baroi, Santino Calvanico, Vidushi Dwivedi, Hailey Farrokhi, Isabella Farrokhi, Lauren Garcia, Ashlynn Lenertz, Alison Marshall, Emma Moralez, Luca Moralez, Anagha Nambisan, Ria Perencksik, Jude Rafter, Matthew Risley, Shaida Shahmohammady, Jackson Shamp and Neha Vijay.          

For Rancho Cucamonga and coach Arik Boles, team members are: Sebastian Bendezu, Anelly Brown, Brendan Carbone, Brian Donaldson, Riley Espaerza, Alexis Gamboa, Dylan Gono, Zane Gonzalez, Laila Khalilieh, Soffee Khalilieh, Uesli Kuli, Eisen Loc, Jett Otska, Karam Oumran, Lauren Roushin, Devon White and Ophelia White.