From USD 428
The Great Bend High School Panther Debate team continued its strong start to the 2026–27 season with impressive performances at the Hays Arrowhead Invitational and the Hoisington Cardinal Nest Invitational over the past two weeks.
At the Hays Arrowhead Invitational, both Great Bend teams finished with 3 win, 1 loss records. This remarkable showing helped the Panthers earn second place in overall team sweepstakes just behind Salina South High School.
In the Open division, Ethan Harrington and Jaaziel Hernandez earned second place, and Novice debaters Ransom Hardcastle and Evan Mason also finished second place in their division. Kendra Scheideman assisted by serving as a judge in the Novice division.
The Panthers followed that performance with a first-place sweepstakes finish at the annual Cardinal Nest Invitation in Hoisington. Great Bend demonstrated its depth against some of the strongest programs in the region. The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) was particularly well represented at the top of the standings, with Great Bend finishing first, Garden City second and Hays third. The results highlighted the high level of debate competition taking place throughout Central and Western Kansas.
Great Bend swept the top three places in the Open division. Hunter McClanahan and Mark Sperlein went undefeated to capture first place. Parker Coleman and Sebastian Quezada finished second with a 3–1 record, while Kendra Scheideman and Jaaziel Hernandez also finished 3–1 to take third place.
The Panthers also placed two teams in the top six of the Junior Varsity division. Novices Nevaeh Nagel and Fernanda Rincon finished fifth with a 3–1 record, while Evan Mason and Ethan Hammeke finished sixth, also with a 3–1 record.
Panther Debate coach Pamela Williams credited the team's success to the students' preparation, teamwork and willingness to compete against strong regional programs.
“These last two weekends have really shown the depth and strength of this team,” Williams said. “Our students are pushing each other to get better every time we compete. Finishing second at Hays and then winning the sweepstakes at Hoisington against strong WAC competition is a great start to our season.”
The Panthers will continue their busy October schedule this week. Great Bend will compete in a Congressional Debate tournament at Maize on Oct. 8 before traveling to Abilene for a policy debate tournament on Oct. 10.