UPDATED: Mock Trial: Temecula Students Head to Final Round

Editor's Note: This post was changed at 4:40 p.m. Feb. 28 with a corrected list of the final four participants. A previous news release stated Murrieta Valley High School was in the final four, but according to updated information from the Riverside County Office of Education, there was a paperwork error. Therefore, Riverside King High School is among the finalists, not Murrieta Valley.

Two of four high school teams that emerged victorious Wednesday following the Elite 8 round of the county-wide Mock Trial competition hail from southwest Riverside County.

Students from Temecula Valley and Great Oak high schools are now heading to the final day of the 30th annual Riverside County competition Saturday, March 2 at the Riverside Historic Courthouse.

Great Oak will face Riverside Poly, while Temecula Valley will face Riverside King in the semi-final round which begins at 9 a.m.

The final round of competition will begin at 1 p.m., followed by an awards presentation where all four teams will be presented with medals and plaques for placing first, second, or third (two third place teams rather than third and fourth place).

More than 500 students from 26 Riverside County high schools teams have participated in the competition that began Feb. 6 at regional courts in Indio, Temecula and Riverside.

The winning team will go on to represent Riverside County at the California State Mock Trial Competition being held in Riverside from March 22-24.

Mock Trial involves students arguing cases in front of real judges and scored by real attorneys. Since 1983, more than 11,000 students have participated in Mock Trial in Riverside County. This year students argued People vs. Vega. Vega is charged with felony hit-and-run stemming from an accident. The event is sponsored by the Riverside County Office of Education, Riverside County Bar Association, and the Riverside Superior Courts.

—News release submitted by the Riverside County Office of Education