H-ton Legal Warriors Reach Suffolk Final Four
It’s hard for even the best lawyers to win every time they step into a courtroom, but Huntington High School’s trial team has been perfect so far this season.
Huntington edged a very tough Half Hollow Hills East team last week, 54-48 to advance to the Suffolk Final Four round. The team will face defending county champion Ward Melville on Wednesday, April 6 at 3:30 p.m. at the Alfonse M. D’Amato United States Courthouse in Central Islip. US District Court Judge Joseph F. Bianco will be presiding.
Legal advisors John LoTurco and Xavier Palacios and faculty advisor Suzie Biagi are pleased with the performance of the Huntington courtroom warriors. The group has devoted an enormous amount of time to perfecting their talents in preparation for each competition. The season began with 26 high school teams vying against one another and is now down to four elite squads.
The other semi-final contest pits 14-time county champ and former state champion Bay Shore against East Islip, which toppled six-time state champion William Floyd last week.
“The team is very excited to be going to the Final Four at the federal courthouse,” Mr. LoTurco said. “This has been a remarkable season considering we only had three members from last year’s team returning. Most successful mock trial teams have established programs that emphasize early participation from freshman year forward to gain vast experience for their students. Ward Melville’s team is comprised of middle school and high school students for that purpose.”
Huntington’s team features all seniors except for junior Melissa Lopez and sophomore Max Robins. “We certainly hope to attract underclassmen in the future in order to build a highly regarded mock trial program such as William Floyd and Bay Shore,” Mr. LoTurco said. “Many of their students have gone on to become lawyers, prosecutors and judges and mock trial coaches.”
Huntington has been simply amazing since the team was founded last year by Justin LoTurco, who is now a Duke University freshman. The team is 11-1 over the past two years.
“The trial competition against Half Hollow Hills East was probably our best overall presentation from an entire team standpoint,” Mr. LoTurco said. “We changed some roles for this particular competition, which truly strengthened the overall presentation. Our three witnesses were truly superlative. Max Robins’ brilliant eloquence baffled the cross examining adversary.”
Spencer Pashkin’s hilarious, yet highly convincing portrayal of a reformed opiate addict both amused and impressed the court. Mock trial team co-President Janelle Fore’s graceful and masterful performance as the falsely accused defendant successfully rebutted her adversary’s attempts to challenge her story.
The lawyers were equally as impressive as the witnesses. Holly LoTurco’s superb and compelling opening statement established the team's confidence in our ability to secure the victory. Sabrina Palacios’ direct and cross examinations were artfully crafted and performed with professionalism. Mock trial team co-President Cole Blackburn continued to demonstrate his leadership with a comprehensive performance that included a dynamic closing argument to clinch the win.
The match was presided over by Acting Supreme Court Justice/Family Court Judge Caren Loguercio. “Judge Loguercio ruled in our favor to suppress the evidence against the defendant based upon the unlawful, illegal entry of the defendant's building and subsequent unlawful searches of her apartment and property without the benefit of a search warrant or search warrant exception,” Mr. LoTurco said. Once again, Huntington High School Principal Brenden Cusack was in the courtroom for the competition.
In the coming county semifinal round match against Ward Melville, the Huntington trial team will switch roles and represent the People of the State of New York as the prosecution.
“This is a big challenge,” said Mr. Palacios about next week’s Final Four match. “It would be nice to have a crowd.”