The Nease High School NJROTC won Area 12 Drill Championships for the third consecutive year March 4, besting the top 16 programs in North Florida and the state of Georgia and earning an automatic invitation to April’s Navy National Drill Championships.
Nearly 60 NJROTC programs within Area 12 competed at local drill meets during the fall and winter, with only the top 16 teams advancing to championships.
“This title serves as a reminder that hard work and perseverance pays off,” Naval Science Instructor Gunnery Sergeant Duane Hanson said. “We competed against some incredibly talented schools during the competition.”The drill competition is a compilation of events covering marching drill, academics and athletics. Nease placed first in color guard and armed basic drill, second in personnel inspection, overall drill, overall athletics and pushups and third in unarmed exhibition drill, academics, sit-ups and the 8 x 220 relay.
Several cadets also received individual medals for top performances. Erin Sass placed first overall in pushups and third in sit-ups, while Cali Vaughn and Lilly Short placed first and second in sit-ups, respectively.
“Having won the Area 12 Championships the past two years, we felt a lot of pressure to perform as well this year,” said Cadet Battalion Commander Jacob Hunt. “We’ve got a close-knit group and really wanted another shot for a national title.”
Next up, Nease will attend the Navy Nationals at Naval Air Station Pensacola April 7-8 to compete against the top 25 NJROTC units in the country.
