The 2005-2006 Jesuit High School Mock Trial Team was special. Together, they overcame the adversity created by Hurricane Katrina, and become the most successful in Jesuit High School's history, and . The team consisted of a veteran Jesuit Blue team, and a hard-working Jesuit White team.
On August 29, 2007, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. When the levees broke, Jesuit High School flooded, experiencing eight feet of standing water. The school was forced to close its doors, and the 2004-2005 returning Mock Trial students and their families were scattered across the United States. In January of 2006, Jesuit High School opened its doors, and the Mock Trial team held its first practice. For many, meeting and discussing the new mock trial problem was the "normal thing" since the storm.
The team clicked. The year started out well with a hybrid (of Jesuit Blue and Jesuit White) team winning the CHS Tournament in New Iberia. Then, just a week before the Region I Tournament, the team was thrown another curve ball. Head Coach Brett Wise , a Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve, learned that he was going to be recalled to active duty before the State Tournament. The Jays went on to win the Region I Tournament, and to earn the right to represent Region I at the State Tournament.
State Tournament:
The Jesuit High School Mock Trial team won its first State Championship this weekend, and Phil Sampognaro (a Jesuit junior) was named the best lawyer at the tournament. It took everything they had. In the semifinals, the Jays hit Baton Rouge Magnet, the team which had beaten Jesuit every year for the last four years in route to their four consecutive State Championship. It was a great round. In front of a courtroom filled with family, friends, and Mock Trial alumni (from the class of 2005), the Jays turned in their best performance of the year and got the win.
The final round was also very good. In the finals, the Jays hit a very talented Airline High School team, whose first witness was able to make herself cry on cue. Fortunately, Phil Sampognaro conducted a masterful cross-examination. Calmly and politely, he revealed her bias, and impeached her three separate times with her own affidavit. Their other witnesses met similar fates.
By winning the State Championship, the Jays earned the right to represent Louisiana at the National Championships in Oklahoma City on mother's day weekend. Over a three-day period, they will face the state champion from at least forty other states. It will be an incredible experience for them.
National Tournament:
The team did an outstanding job at the National Championship Tournament in Oklahoma City. The Jays (3-1) defeated the State Champions from Utah (2-2), Wisconsin (2-2), and Florida (2-2). Their only loss was to South Carolina (3-1), which finished in 7th place. Jesuit's record earned them 11th place in the field of 44 teams (which included South Korea and Guam), and tied Louisiana's best finish ever. Bob Noel, the State Coordinator, found our team at the Awards Banquet, and told them that they had "made Louisiana proud." It was a good night.
The Jays are very excited about next year. Almost everyone will be back. The team that competed at Nationals consisted of three attorneys: Phil Sampognaro (Jr.), George Angelico (Jr.), and Eric Cusimano (Sr.), and three witnesses: Casey McMann (Jr.), Ryan Bautista (Jr.), and Andrew Baer (Jr.). They are a smart and scrappy bunch, and they have their sights set on a National Championship.
Graduation:
At graduation in 2008, the Jesuit High School Mock Trial Team bid farewell to senior Eric Cusimano who became the first 5-year Letterman for the Mock Trial Team. Eric started as an excellent witness and finished as an excellent attorney. He showed the same determination in the courtroom that he showed on the football field, and his hard work paid off. He will be missed.
2005-2006 Team Roster
2005-2006 Jesuit Mock Trial Team Roster
Name
Class
Position
Address
Jesuit Blue Team
Angelico, George
2007
Attorney
Baer, Andrew
2007
Witness
Bautista, Ryan
2007
Witness
Cusimano, Eric
2006
Attorney
McMann, Casey
2007
Witness
Rittiner, Gregory
Witness
Sampognaro, Phil
2007
Attorney
Jesuit White Team
Begue, Andres
Attorney
Flanagan, Jamie
Attorney
Millbank, John
Witness
Worrell, Andrew
Coaches
Head Coach Brett Wise
Attorney-Coach Harold Flanagan
Attorney-Coach Stephen Pesce
Attorney-Coach John Jerry Glas
Attorney-Coach Matthew Mumphrey
Attorney-Coach Joe Giarrusso
Photos
2006 Louisian State Champions (l to r: Coach Glas, Bautista, Angelico, Sampognaro, Cusimano, McMann, Baer)
Senior Eric Cusimano, the first 5-year letterman, hoists the State Championship Trophy
