Marion shines at JROTC regional championship
The Marion High School JROTC Drill and Rifle Teams recently traveled to Kentucky to compete in the U.S. Army Cadet Command’s 7th Brigade Championship. There, the Giants faced off against the best teams from the 250 JROTC programs in the five-state footprint of Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana. And in Giant style, they rocked the house.
This was the drill team’s first return to the competition following the COVID years, and they came out strong. The unarmed exhibition drill platoon, led by veteran driller Stephany Miksch, earned a second place finish overall. That is the highest finish ever for a Marion team at the Brigade Championship.
“We were so on it!” exclaimed Miksch, a senior at Marion. “This was my last drill competition, and I was really hoping we could end with a great finish. And the team just came together.”
The Marion drillers also earned a pair of fourth place finishes in the armed color guard and unarmed platoon regulation drill.
“Over the last four to five years our drill team has progressively improved,” said retired Command Sgt. Maj. Jon Smith, the team’s coach. “Our seniors have grown into tremendous leaders, who plan and train each individual team for the competition at hand. They are the ones who deserve the credit. And they are the ones who have built a legacy for the younger cadets to follow.”
The other seniors helping to lead and mold the drill team are Evan Ray and Nakiya Bibbs.
But the drillers were not the only ones to achieve success.
Once again the Giants’ precision air rifle team stepped up to prove they are the best in the Brigade. Led by Haden Montgomery and Alysa Yancey, the team easily defeated all comers to again win the Brigade Championship. This is the fourth time in a row the rifle team has won the 7th Brigade Championship.
Yancey and Montgomery, both seniors, finished first and second overall. They will be traveling to Colorado Springs next month to compete in the Junior Olympics. Donations to help offset the cost of this trip can be mailed to JROTC at Marion High School, or made online at www.mhsalum.com.
