Baker High School Mock Trial Team Wins District, Heads to Portland

Kris Pepera’s Baker High School mock trial squad captured the district championship at La Grande on Feb. 28, 2026, and secured a berth in the Oregon state mock trial competition March 14–15 at the Multnomah County Courthouse in Portland. The victory marks the third straight year Baker has advanced to the state tournament.

The roster listed from the district round names 16 students: Zayne Hills, Jake Christensen, Drew Benjamin, Dixon Dommeyer, Theo Pepera, Harris Gaslin, Lane Collier, Taylor Lee, Ian Brougham, Kara Regan, Grace Radabah, Liz Timm, Grace Tracy, Sage Cuzick, Brooklyn Baxter and Ellie Murphy. Kris Pepera, identified as the team’s coach and a social science teacher at Baker High School, leads the program; Baker County District Attorney Greg Baxter serves as an assistant coach.

Local legal mentors also aided preparation, with a Baker City defense attorney credited in coverage under two spellings — Will Thomson in one account and Will Thompson in another — a discrepancy the program has not publicly reconciled. The district competition at La Grande paired Baker against La Grande High School after Pendleton withdrew from the district field.

Preparation for the competition has been intensive: earlier-season practice schedules showed students meeting most days after winter break and running full-case rehearsals. The mock trial case materials include a summary and six witness statements - three prosecution witnesses and three defense witnesses - and teams prepare both prosecution and defense presentations that include opening statements, closing arguments, direct examinations and cross-examinations. Coach Pepera has said simply, "The kids have to know the case really well."

Judging panels at regional and district rounds include local attorneys and evaluate teams on multiple presentation elements, including the overall quality of presentation and specific details such as making eye contact with witnesses. Those evaluation criteria shaped the Baker students’ rehearsals, including two roughly four-hour run-throughs held at the Baker County Courthouse in prior preparation cycles.

Baker’s district win continues a recent string of regional successes: the Bulldogs won a regional event at La Grande on Feb. 24, 2024, which advanced 11 students to the state event March 16–17, 2024 at the Hatfield Courthouse in Portland, and the program likewise recorded a regional victory in late February 2025. A Baker High School social post reproduced in coverage last year said, "These students have worked incredibly hard for many months and are grateful for their coaches!"

With travel plans set for Portland, the Baker High delegation will take its multi-year experience to the Multnomah County Courthouse March 14–15, where students will compete against other qualified Oregon teams for state honors. The program’s sustained advancement underscores the school’s investment in courtroom skills and local attorney engagement as students prepare for the next round.