Malvern Boy Helps Mock Trial Team Win Chesco Championship

DEVON, PA -- Devon Prep’s Mock Trial Team won the Chester County Championship yesterday for the second consecutive year defeating Henderson High School in the semi-final round and Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School in the final round at the Chester County Justice Center.

Sixteen teams representing 14 high schools competed in the Chester County Mock Trial competition this year.

Devon Prep will now advance to the regional competition at the Delaware County Courthouse in Media next week.

This year’s team, under the direction of Moderator Mike Collins, includes:

• Freshman Matthew Drauschak of Phoenixville
• Freshman Kyle Kilroy of Phoenixville
• Freshman Matthew Mallon of Aldan
• Sophomore Charles Hallinan of Lansdowne
• Sophomore Akul Naik of Phoenixville
• Junior Brian Long of Wayne
• Junior Riley McCarthy of Malvern
• Junior Bruce McCulloch of Radnor
• Junior Daniel O'Conner of Broomall
• Junior Joseph Petrucci of Wynnewood
• Senior Zachary Delphais of West Chester
• Senior Justin Hennessy of Paoli

Three Devon Prep students were also presented with awards after the competition. Junior Daniel O'Connor and Senior Zachary Delphais received Best Advocate awards and Junior Riley McCarthy and Daniel O'Connor received Best Witness awards.

“I’m really proud of the all the members of this year’s team,” said the Team’s Moderator and Devon Prep Teacher Mr. Michael Collins. “They have put in many hours of hard work to reach this point and have performed very well so far. We really look forward to continuing in the competition next week at regionals.”

More than 300 teams from 269 high schools across Pennsylvania compete in the district and regional levels of the Statewide Mock Trial Competition sponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division. Pennsylvania’s mock trial program, now in its 33nd year, is one of the largest in the nation.

During the competition eight-member student teams are given the opportunity to argue both sides of a hypothetical case in an actual courtroom before a judge.

The students play the roles of lawyers, witnesses, plaintiffs, and defendants, while lawyers and community leaders serve as jurors for the mock trials.

The juries determine the winners in each trial based on the teams’ abilities to prepare their cases, present arguments, and follow court rules. This year’s hypothetical case is a civil case involving a claim against an insurance company.

Only 12 teams will advance to the Statewide Mock Trial Championships in April. The winning team of the state championship will represent Pennsylvania in the national Mock Trial finals.

Image courtesy Devon Prep. From left: Riley McCarthy, Bruce McCulloch, Akul Naik, Matthew Mallon, Justin Hennessy, Charles Hallinan, Daniel O'Conner, Brian Long, Zachary Delphais, Kyle Kilroy, Joseph Petrucci and Matthew Drauschak.