The Marion High School JROTC Raider team battled it out Saturday, Oct. 12, against a field of 14 teams from across the Midwest who met to compete at Hobart High School. Once again, the Giants faced off against their rival, the Hobart Brickies. But at the end of the day, the Giants fell just short and captured second place overall.
“It truly is an epic battle whenever these two teams meet,” said retired Col. Gary Blagburn, coach of the MHS Raider team and Senior Army Instructor for the MHS JROTC program. “The outcome is never assured, and the competition is always intense and seems to come down to one event to determine the champion.”
This year’s competition provided the same nail-biting outcome.
The Giants took first place in two of the five events: the physical team test and the litter carry. The Giants finished second in the 5K run, less than a minute behind Hobart. So it all came down to the one-rope bridge event, in which the Brickies edged the Giants by only a tenth of a second.
“We tried our best,” said Commander Kyler Pettus, an MHS senior. “We’ll see them again in two weeks, and that is when it really matters.”
The Hobart match was the final competition before the Raider National Championship to be held at Fort Knox, Ky., on Oct. 24 through 27.
“Hobart has defeated us three times this season,” Blagburn said. “But the Army Raider National Championship is where it will really matter. The Raiders seem to be just about at their peak, so the competition is going to be intense.”
Attending the national competition is a costly adventure with transportation, lodging and meals. The MHS JROTC Department is accepting donations to help these cadets continue to excel. Donations can be mailed to the School at 750 W. 26th St, Marion, IN 46953 or made online.
“Our community has been so generous in the past,” Blagburn said. “We are truly grateful for any support.”