For the fifth straight year, South Rowan High School Junior ROTC unit took overall first place in a regional drill meet held annually in Sanford.
The South Rowan students competed in three groups ó Raider Team, rifle team and drill team ó in the March meet at Lee County Senior High School.
South Rowan’s team competed first, placing third overall, and Daniel Rimer earned a third-place medallion with one of the highest scores in the kneeling position.Coached by Master Sgt. Tm Morris, rifle team members are Brandon Ashley, Josh Cook, Justin Johnston, Cory Ours, Whitney Singleton, Mitchell Smith, Ann Xayvixiene and Rimer.The Raider Team, whose members are considered the elite of the South Rowan battalion, successfully defended their 2007 title.
The team placed first in physical training (with Blake Overcash earning the highest score), second in land navigation, second in first aid, first in the 5-kilometer run and first in rope bridge.On April 12, the team competed at the Army JROTC Tri-State Championships. Competition included 26 regionally qualified schools who competed in 13 drill events. The South Rowan JROTC Drill Team ended with an overall placing of third in the entire drill meet and placed first overall in exhibition drill, placing in the top 3 of every event. Instructed by Lt. Col. Mark Haffer, team members are Jake and Eli Freeman, John Iannone,
Chris Kiser, Austin Martin, Seth Moore, Philip Tilley and Overcash.
The drill team also retained its dominance at the regional meet, placing first in color guard, second in regulation platoon without arms and exhibition squad without arms, first in regulation squad with arms and exhibition squad with arms and third in platoon regulation.First Sgt. Jeff Clendenin serves as drill team instructor, and its members are Brandon Ashley, Hector Ayala, Randy Basinger, David Boyd, Angel Brady, Leslie Burris, Nicole Casper, Jon Cannon, Zach Collins, Josh Cook, Josh Daniels, Kevin Dise, Chris Euart, Jeffrey and Dalton Eudy, Jasmine Gray, David Hester, Jordan and Kayla Kelly, Madeline Lawyer, Jena Lovejoy, Tiara McKinley, Rachel Orphanoudakis, Cory Ours, Katie Palmer, Rachel Raywood, Daniel Rimer, Gary Roach, Mitchell Smith, Melina Vanderwall and Ann Xayvixiene.
The rifle and drill teams are now focusing on upcoming state championship competition.