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It was now an hour-and-a-half into the trial, and Caitlin Conley was delivering her closing argument to Judge Paul Stein in Brockton District Court.

She was off to a slow start, repeating often-mentioned elements of her prosecution case against a 19-year-old man charged with motor vehicular homicide while under the influence.

Then, she came on strong.

Appearing to grow more confident, Conley was clear and on target in the final minutes of her argument to the judge. She asked assertively that if hitting a man with his vehicle and getting arrested could not keep the defendant awake, how could the teenager have managed to responsibly drive a car in the moments leading up to the incident?

You would not have known it, but Conley was a bundle of nerves just before the start of the proceedings last week. After all, the Bishop Feehan High School senior from Mansfield was participating in the "Final 8" round of the Massachusetts Bar Association's mock trial program. The opponent? Feehan's nemesis in the program, Newton North High School.

This is the 22nd year of the Bar Association's mock trial program, which has allowed hundreds of high school students across the state to test their skills as lawyers and witnesses in simulated courtroom competitions.

"It is very nerve-wracking," said Conley, echoing her teammates in interviews during their practice session just two days before the showdown with Newton North. "But I think everyone is nervous."

Team members said they love the thrill of arguing a case in a courtroom setting. In the process, they develop skills in public speaking and thinking on their feet.

In Brockton District Court, however, Feehan came up short again against Newton North, which has had a team since the program's inception.

Judge Stein scored the match 96-93 for Newton North, even though he ruled in favor of the prosecution. (Teams are scored on how well they argue their case, not necessarily on whether they win it.) Stein specifically cited the latter portion of Conley's closing argument in finding for the prosecution.

After the trial, both teams were gracious in victory and defeat.

"This is my 26th trial," said Feehan senior Kristen Picard of Woonsocket, R.I. "It's fun, but it's a relief" that the season was over.

There were 118 high school teams in the mock trial program this year, according to Chantal Souffrant of the Massachusetts Bar Association. The state was divided into 16 regions and one team emerged from each after three weeks of preliminary trials.

Mansfield, Dighton-Rehoboth and Seekonk high schools also participated in the program. Feehan defeated Carver, D-R and Bishop Connolly to reach the final eight. The semifinals of the competition are being held today in Worcester, while the finals are set for March 29 in Faneuil Hall, Boston.

Along with the tension that goes with the mock trial program, there is a considerable investment of time.

Kevin Gray, a Feehan junior from Lincoln, R.I. who delivered the opening statement in Brockton District Court, said his team started practicing in November with three-hour weekly sessions. The pace picked up in December, with practices a couple of times a week.

Once the "trials" started, the team would meet on weekends and nights before the events. That doesn't include the time they took individually to memorize their parts in the trials. During the regular season, teams know ahead of time whether they will be the prosecution or defense. From the Sweet 16 round on, a coin toss decides the sides just before the trial begins.

"So you have to be prepared for both sides," said Gray, who has been on the Feehan team for three years, but has participated in similar programs since the sixth grade. "We memorize everything, so that's tough."

The Feehan students interviewed, Gray included, prefer to prosecute.

"It's more of a challenge. You have the burden of proof," said Gray. "And I like to question."

Gray assumed an austere manner and exuded a sense of professionalism during the trial. Theatrics aren't his style, he said.

"I get mad if I see them," he said. "I start tapping my pencil.

"I like the kind of rapid-fire control over the witness, not letting them talk unless I want them to."

Senior Meredith Howard of Plainville, who's been on the team four years, usually portrays a witness. That, she said, "a little bit more acting. It's memorizing, but you're becoming a character."

In Brockton District Court, she portrayed the police officer assisting in the arrest and booking of the suspect during the final trial.

The students said they liked the case they tried against Newton North because it was relevant, considering the age of the defendant and the charges of driving under the influence.

Not many of the students interviewed said they watch crime shows. And despite the assumption by many that members of mock trial teams are in training to become attorneys, Howard and others said that's not usually the case.

"I want to be a pharmacist," she said.

Gray said while he considered the possibility of a career in law, he's inclined now to pursue something in the medical field.

Senior Amanda Barile of Mansfield, who started with the team in eighth-grade and is the captain, said she would like to go to school for art history.

She and others said being able to speak before large groups and learning to think fast on your feet are skills that can be applied to any profession.

"Oral presentations in class are nothing now because of this," said Barile.

She missed Thursday's event because she was on a college acceptance tour, as was team member Margaret Oti.

Interviewed during practice, Barile said characterized the Newton North squad as "really good" and "intense," adding that the opponents have a specific class for daily practice.

Mock trials can be a trial of nerves as much as anything else, but once the first question is asked, Barile said she gets "into the zone."

Anne and Robert Tarello of Easton, whose daughter Julie, a senior at Feehan, portrayed a lawyer on the prosecution team, said mock trials can be very trying for parents, too.

"I love it, but it is nerve-wracking," Anne admitted during a break in the Brockton proceedings.

She had attended all of the matches. While unsure whether her career will be in the courtroom, the Tarellos said Julie has done a lot of theater and is planning to major in political science.

The couple declared this particular match closer than last year's against Newton North, and complimented faculty moderator Pat O'Boy's leadership of the Feehan team. "She does a wonderful job," Robert Tarello said.

Other team members included Ross Pini, Abby Forget, Emma Oti, Katherine Rinaldi, Joseph Paquette, David Pinsonneault, Scott Caldwell, Lauren Agresti, Kelly Guzek and Mark Legure.

Students spoke highly of attorney coach Francis O'Boy, Pat's husband and a lawyer for 42 years. He approached his wife about six years ago on the idea of creating a mock trial team at Feehan.

"I tell (team members) at the beginning that they will not all be lawyers," O'Boy said.

Instead, the experience provides a way for students to learn how to speak confidently and convincingly, something that will serve them well no matter what their pursuit.

"Today, people have got to be able to stand on their feet and think quick, whether they're a city councilor, a legislator," O'Boy said.

The longtime attorney said he is "in awe of some of these kids," and that he'd like to see other school systems, like Attleboro and North Attleboro, participate in the mock trial program.

Caitlin Conley, who's been on the Feehan team for four years, said Francis O'Boy "makes the situation clear; he cuts away the unimportant stuff" and helps students to focus on the issues of the case.

Conley said she could picture herself arguing the merits of a case in a courtroom at some point in her future.

"I would consider it," she said. "I love the feeling of questioning people and getting down to the nitty-gritty."

SUSAN LaHOUD can be reached at 508-236-0398 or at slahoud@thesunchronicle.com.