Sylvania Southview High School took home the trophy March 10 at the Ohio High School Mock Trial State Finals.

In the competition at the Ohio statehouse, the Lucas County school went up against Springfield High School in a simulated trial before a panel of judges, including Ohio Supreme Court Justice Mary DeGenaro.

The 35th annual state final competition started with about 347 teams across Ohio. Ohio Mock Trial is a program of the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education and is Ohio’s largest high school academic competition, with more than 3,500 students participating every year.

“My sisters were on this team two years prior,” said Jay Kearns from Springfield High School. “They brought me into it with open arms. The team, the coaches, it’s in the family and I’ve always been doing it.”

The goals of the program include helping students understand constitutional rights and responsibilities. This year’s case analyzed whether ineffective assistance of counsel affected the outcome of a criminal case.

Sylvania Southview will represent Ohio at the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Reno, NV this May.

A video of the final competition is available online.