Nease NJROTC victorious at Mandarin Drill Championship

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Nease Navy JROTC’s varsity drill team marched to victory at the Mandarin Hight School sanctioned academic, athletic and drill championship on Feb. 20 in Jacksonville. It marked the eighth consecutive year the team took home top honors at Mandarin.

Nease beat out 10 other NJROTC units from northern Florida and Georgia. 

Nease next competes Sunday, March 7, at the northern Florida and state of Georgia Academic, Athletic and Drill Championship in Lee County, Georgia, where they seek to successfully defend their title as six-time defending area 12 champions.

In addition to claiming the overall trophy, Nease picked up nine of 11 first-place trophies for overall drill, unarmed exhibition, armed exhibition, color guard, overall athletics, pushups, sit-ups, academics and personnel inspection.

“We’ve got to double down on our effort if we hope to win the state championship,” said Cadet Juan Castillo, commander of personnel inspection. “I expect the next two weeks of practice to be intense and focused.”

Several cadets took home individual medals for exceptional performance.

Emmelie Neff, Isabelle Rivera, Danielle Camacho and Kaitlyn Boggs finished first, second, fourth and fifth in female sit-ups.

Amber Vidler, Rivera, Sarah Fry, Lauren Villareal, Boggs and Hailey Pitches swept all medals in female pushups.

Caden Byas, Nicholas Gallego, Braden Holmes and Brodie Mongon finished first, second, fourth and fifth in male sit-ups, while Daniel Mahoney, Nate Fagen and Mongon placed second, fourth and fifth in male pushups.

In academics, Ben Prohofsky and Anthony Servello tied for first, and Juan Castillo and Khush Gandhi finished fourth and fifth.

“I believe our best is yet to come,” said color guard commander Isabella Rivera. “Individually and collectively we all can improve and get better before the state championship.”      

Other top schools in the competition were Fleming Island (second), Ridgeview (third), Valdosta (fourth) and Coffee County (fifth).