The Morro Bay High School Mock Trial team after winning the San Luis Obispo County competition.
By Graham Kennedy (MBHS ‘28)
The Morro Bay High School Mock Trial team was crowned county champions following a competition earlier this month.
The team defeated Templeton in the finals after beating San Luis Obispo High School in the semifinals. They will now represent the county at the state championship in Los Angeles from March 13-16.
This year’s case, People v. Gold, centers on a politically motivated kidnapping and a battle over short-term rentals in a small, mountain town.
Coaches and students have worked together since September, competing against schools in the Bay Area and Santa Barbara. The team is composed of 25 students, with a large contingent of seniors and freshmen.
“This is probably the best team that Morro Bay and even SLO County, as a whole, has ever seen,” said club president Mazzlyn Paulson. “Getting to work with so many wonderful people over the course of the past school year has been outstanding. Getting to see new and returning members grow and develop their parts has been fascinating to watch. Winning county for the third year in a row really came down to our outstanding performances together and individually, which could not have happened without the immense amount of scrimmages, practices, and most importantly, our magnificent coaches.”
The team is coached by attorneys Christine Dietrick, Dan Clement, Hon. Mike Barton, Mckenzie Taffe, Curtis Bradley, and MBHS teacher Josh Waldman. Coach Gary Ottoson, who coached the team for many years, sadly passed away in December of 2024.
In addition to bringing home the First-Place trophy, the team took home a number of awards based on performance. Senior Mazzlyn Paulson won the courtroom artist award, junior Maggie Appel won the award for best defense attorney, senior Orion Rea won the best defense witness award, and senior and international exchange student Cecilia Petacci won the award for best pre-trial attorney.
Readers can support Morro Bay High School’s mock trial team by contributing to their fundraising page at tinyurl.com/MBHSmock.
