With their highest score of the season, the Marion High School JROTC Air Rifle Marksmanship Team defeated Jeneau District Rifle Team from Alaska in a virtual match, 965.9 to 905.2.
Each team competed on their home range in the match hosted by the Orion Scoring System. The Giants are now 3-0 in the Distinguished Division of the National Sporter Air Rifle League.
MHS was led by Cadet Samantha Torres, a sophomore, with 260.9, a second place overall finish. The Giants’ strong showing in the other three scoring spots helped put them over the top in the match. Cadet Lilly Carter, a sophomore, earned a score of 248.6, a fourth place overall finish. Also scoring for the Giants were sophomores Cadet Damian Evans and Adelia Santiago-Stricler.
The Orion league matches are modeled after Olympic rifle competitions but adapted to high school athletes. Cadets fire precision air rifles from three different positions: kneeling, prone (lying flat on the ground), and standing. Each athlete takes 10 shots in each position, and each shot is worth a maximum of 10 points. The sum of points scored in the 30 shots is the athlete's total. The team score comprises the top four scores.
The Giant’s marksmanship team has a history of excellence in the past few years, earning state championship titles and multiple qualifications to national matches, as well as sending two cadets to compete in the Junior Olympics.
Next up, the Giants will face Union Pines JROTC from Cameron, N.C. The regular season runs for five more weeks (eight total), followed by post-season play.
The National Air Rifle League is sponsored by Scopos of Manassas, Va., the maker of the Orion Scoring System, the Athena Electronic Scoring Target System, and Rezults, the world’s first mobile-friendly result website for shooting.
Marion High School’s JROTC program is open to all Grant County high school students. Students must arrange their own transportation to and from MHS, but there is no cost to the student to enroll in the program. Anyone interested in becoming a cadet in the JROTC program should speak with their school counselor. For more information, you can also contact Lt. Col. David Farlow, JROTC senior Army instructor, at 664-9051, ext. 2455, or [email protected].