Coppell High School’s World Schools Debate team left a cowboy-boot sized footprint at the 2025 Tournament of Champions as they advanced into the semifinals round for the second consecutive year.

Coppell secured a third place trophy at the Tournament of Champions (TOC) on April 27 in Lexington Ky.

The team consisted of juniors Safiya Azam, Anjana Boppana, Anya Gupta, Ananya Nair,  senior Justin Murdock and was the only Coppell debate team competing at TOC.

“TOC is the biggest competition for debate,” Boppana said. “In order for us to qualify,  we prepared by making sure we did well during local tournaments.”

Prior to the semifinals, Coppell ranked eighth of the remaining eight teams. Per debate competition processes, Coppell needed to compete against The Westminster Schools who was ranked first in the quarterfinals to advance.

Coppell won.

“We have actually lost against this team a couple of times before TOC, so it was really exciting for us to beat them,” Anya Gupta said. “What helped us secure that win was sticking to the characterization of our argument and calling out our opponents when they lacked analysis for their arguments.”

The semifinals consisted of an impromptu question and one hour for Coppell and Alief Kerr High School to prepare their arguments.

“We wanted to prioritize having cohesive communication for our preparation process,” Gupta said. “But what I think happened in the semifinals was that in our initial brainstorming session, it was hard for us to think of how to group our arguments.”

Even without the advance into finals, Coppell’s unexpected win during quarter finals ignited motivation for the team.

“The biggest thing I took away from this year’s competition is to believe in my teams and my full potential,” Nair said. “That is going to help me in practice because if I can believe I can do more, that can materialize into future tournaments.”

Follow @CHSCampusNews on X.