UPDATE: The annual Miller vs. Schwartz trial took place on Tues. Feb. 21 at the Montgomery County Circuit Courthouse. Miller’s team prevailed by three points, giving Miller’s Mock Trial team a record of 2-2 for this season. They may be selected for the playoffs through a lottery system, though not all teams with a 2-2 record will be able to make it to the playoff trials. The drawing will occur next week. -Ali Jawetz, Editor-in-Chief of The Pitch Online*
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Ohio State and Michigan. Edward and Jacob. Cowboys and Redskins. All of these pale in comparison to WJ Mock Trial’s rivalry: Miller v. Schwartz.
Well, maybe not. According to senior Max Lerner, captain of Miller’s team, “It’s not Red Sox-Yankees. A lot of people on Miller’s team are friends with people on Schwartz’s team, so [the rivalry] could never really be serious.”
Mock Trial as a whole, on the other hand, is taken very seriously.
National Mock Trial competitions began around the country in 1983. Students are given a case and are both prosecution (or plaintiff, if it’s a civil case) and defense. Like the Debate team, this competition requires an enormous amount of preparation, though many of the decisions made during the trial are made on the spot, like those of a real lawyer.
“[Mock Trial] helps students learn how to think on their feet,” said coach and history teacher Nathan Schwartz. “It’s hard.”
Most schools in the county have only one Mock Trial team.
“[WJ and] Stone Ridge [School of the Sacred Heart] are the only schools in the area with two teams at one school,” said Schwartz.
WJ’s Mock Trial teams have fared well in competition during the years that Miller and Schwartz coached, with Miller’s team reaching the county semi-finals and Schwartz’s team reaching quarterfinals in recent years. Last year, Miller’s team reached the quarterfinals, but Schwartz’s team did not make the playoffs.
“[Students] from Mr. Miller’s team will talk about how we’ve beaten Schwartz for, at least, two years in a row in the annual Miller-Schwartz trial and consistently have a better record,” said Lerner. “People from Mr. Schwartz’s team say… other things.”
The two teams started when Schwartz came to WJ five years ago. At his previous high school, he had coached Mock Trial, and Miller was the only coach of the WJ team. Schwartz and Miller both decided that having two teams would be fun, and would allow more people to participate.
“Everyone tries out, and Mr. Miller and Mr. Schwartz pick who is going to be on each team,” said Lerner, who has been a part of Miller’s team since his freshman year in 2008.
As for Miller and Schwartz being rivals themselves, “I love Mr. Miller,” said Schwartz. “I give him a hug every day.”
*Ali Jawetz, who wrote the update to this article, is a member of Schwartz’ Mock Trial team