The Marion High School JROTC Raider team traveled to Fort Knox, Ky., recently to face the very best teams from across the country in the National Raider Challenge hosted by the U.S. Army Cadet Command. The Giants once again proved they can compete well with the best of the best.
Nearly 300 teams, with more than 5,000 cadets, battled in three separate ability Divisions. The Giants were placed in the toughest and highest level: the Masters Division. Fielding a team in the mixed/co-ed category, the Giants once again were in direct competition with the huge private military academies and JROTC programs with several hundred cadets. The Marion team is no stranger to battling these huge programs as they have faced and defeated many of them over the last several years.
The Giants faced many teams through the regular season who also were present for the Army’s national championship, and had defeated most of them throughout the year, with the exception of one: the Hobart Brickies. The Brickies defeated the Giants in all three previous meetings this season, including the Raider State Championship. The Brickies were ultimately the State Champions, with the Giants finishing as runner up.
But the focus for the Giants remained on the elusive national title.
“We want it, and we have a good shot at winning it this year,” said MHS senior Kyler Pettus, captain of the Giants squad.
As the sun rose over the Kentucky hills, the Giants were poised to start a new event added to the national competition, the battle fit challenge. This event required Raiders to complete as many push-ups and sit-ups as they could, and to run one mile as quickly as they could. The Giants were well-prepared for the new event, and they earned third place overall in the event. Cadet Hickson Love, and MHS sophomore, posted the fastest mile run time of all competing cadets, clocking an amazing 5 minutes and 10 seconds.
The Giants then transferred to another location on the base for the next two events. First up was the cross-country litter rescue, which the Giants had dominated in the previous few years.
The one-mile event features an 8-foot wall, a 60-foot mud pit, and a series of hurdles the cadets must scale while running with 35-pound backpacks and carrying a 75-pound litter. This year’s event also added in two new components: a first aid question test at the end of the rescue run, and a swinging tire event, in which six team members had to transition through the tires without falling or had to begin again.
The Giants finished with a solid time of 17:22 minutes, but it was not the finish they had anticipated.
“I knew it was not our best effort,” said Col. Gary Blagburn, Senior Army Instructor for the MHS JROTC, and the Raider team coach, “but the course has changed and things added, and it cost us a seventh place finish.”
The next event, the physical team test is a half-mile sprint with multiple stations where the cadets have to carry heavy items, crawl under and hurl over obstacles, drag a weighted sled, and flip a huge tie multiple times before reaching the finish line.
The team knew they had to give their maximum effort.
“I knew we had to lay it all on the line, ” said Cadet Nick Purdy III, MHS junior. “We knew we could compete at the highest level on this specific event.”
The Giants responded to the need and ran the event in 8 minutes and 20 seconds, fast enough to pull in a second place finish.
Another running event came up quickly for the Raiders: the grueling 5K, one of the most difficult events. This 5K site featured some of the most difficult terrain Fort Knox could offer, with steep hills, creeks, and wooded trails.
“We knew that we had to do well in this event,” said Cadet Kylar Pettus, MHS senior. “We had a lot of focus on running over the season, and we knew we were well prepared for the challenge.”
The Giants finished the course in a blistering 33:09 minutes, earning them fourth place in the event.
Feeling confident, the Marion squad moved on to the one-rope bridge event, in which the team crosses a 90-foot span over a river.
“I was so focused on getting across the river as fast as I could without slipping and falling,” said Cadet Alexa Ortiz, MHS sophomore. “I just kept thinking about the team and knew we needed a fast time.”
It was a very solid performance, in just 2 minutes and 49 seconds, garnering ninth place in the event.
The gauntlet was the next event for the Giants, featuring a multitude of obstacles, including a 12-foot wall along the one-mile course through very difficult wooded terrain. And at a new event venue, there was much uncertainty as to what to expect.
“We were provided limited details about the actual obstacles and course,” Blagburn said. “When the cadets started, they had to adjust to the obstacles as they approached them, figuring out the best method to accomplish the task.”
Adjusting quickly on the fly, in what turned out to be a very difficult event, the Giants were able to finish in third place with a time of 14 minutes and 49 seconds.
Having finished the events of the day, the Marion group returned to their campsite, hoping they would get the call to compete in the final event – the Ultimate Raider competition. Only the top seven teams are invited to compete, and each of those teams picks their best male and female Raider to compete.
It was almost 10:30 p.m. before the Giants got that call. Cadet Anthony O’Neil, MHS senior, and Cadet Grace Carpenter, MHS junior, were tapped to represent the Giants in the two-phase event.
The first phase started with a half-mile run up to the top of dreaded “Misery Hill.” Once at the top, the competitors had to negotiate 14 various obstacles before reaching phase one finish line. Then, after about a 30-minute rest, the competitors lined up for the final phase: the two-mile run toward the final finish line, with a short swim thrown into the mix.
Giving every ounce of energy left in their bodies, O’Neil and Carpenter crossed the finish line, to the cheers of their waiting teammates.
Once the final results were tabulated for the national championship, the Giants ended with a tie for fourth place overall. And yes, the Giants did ultimately defeat the Brickies at this event, edging them by two points.
The two schools have established a great friendship, but a competitive mindset. The kids cheer for each other while competing, but neither side wants to lose to the other, though they are committed to sportsmanship.
“It was an outstanding finish for the team,” Blagburn said. “I am so proud of their performance all season, and especially here at this event. The Raiders performed with excellence.”