Crestview High School’s speech and debate team returned from Gainesville with hardware after competing at the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative Statewide Qualifier over the weekend.

• The two-day tournament, held Dec. 6-7 at Santa Fe College, drew middle school and high school competitors from across Florida. Students competed in five preliminary rounds before advancing to elimination rounds.

Six Bulldogs made the trip, touring the University of Florida and Santa Fe College campuses before competing. Three students advanced to the final rounds on Sunday.

Asher Guillory placed third in Varsity Extemporaneous Speaking, while Zachary Sharp and Kameron Williams took first place in Varsity Public Forum Debate. The Public Forum topic for the tournament was whether the United States should prioritize hard power over soft power in foreign affairs.

• The first-place finish in Public Forum was a new debate division for Williams, who has now qualified for state competition in two divisions.

NOTE: Kameron is my nephew and I could not be more proud of him!