EAGAN, Minn. -- Farmington debaters, William Cannon and Nikola Nounawon-Castro made school history by winning the 125th MSHSL State Debate Tournament held January 16-17, 2026 at Eagan HIgh School
Farmington's road to victory started by being undefeated in preliminary rounds of competition.

They defeated Edina in quarterfinals and Eagan in semifinals which set them up to debate St. Paul Central in the final round.

Farmington debated the affirmative side of the national Policy Debate resolution of increasing exploration and development of the Arctic by advocating for a re-examination of borders . The easily defeated St. Paul Central by winning the round on a 5-2 decision.

This is the second appearance for a Farmington Debate team in the final round of the State tournament, and the first State championship in the history of the school.

Teammates Cheyenne Twite and Rhea Steir also represented Farmington at the state tournament. They had a strong performance including defeating Washburn. Both teams were joined by their alternates, Aimee Assanga and Jonathan Alem.

Farmington Debate will have their next debate tournament this coming Friday and Saturday when they compete for a slot to the National Speech and Debate Tournament in June at the NSDA Qualifier. Please wish them luck as they finish a very successful season!