From STAFF REPORTS

CORDELE — For the 14th consecutive year, Crisp County’s Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) has captured a region championship in the drill and color guard competition.

The local team defeated nine other area high schools including Dooly, Turner, Wilcox and Worth last Saturday to claim the region title. Crisp cadets won a total of 19 first place trophies and one second place award.

They now advance to state competition which is slated for this Saturday in Augusta.

First place trophies went to the regulation, armed platoon drill team with Thomas Perry as captain; the regulation, unarmed platoon drill team with Syrrell Ruff as captain; the regulation, female armed platoon drill team and the female unarmed platoon drill team, both of which were led by Frederica Jackson as captain.

The regulation armed squad drill team led by Tavrence Williams; the female armed squad drill team led by Vanessa Harvey and the female unarmed squad drill team led by Sharonda McCray also won first place trophies.

Claiming first places were the male/mix color guard with Aaron Jones as captain; the female color guard with Vierra Blunt as captain; the exhibition, male platoon drill team with William King as captain; the exhibition, female platoon drill team with Jackson as captain.

The exhibition, male squad drill team led by King, and the female squad drill team led by McCray also won first place trophies.

Individual first places were presented to Johnny Foreman, exhibition, individual male armed drill; Foreman and Charles Doster, exhibition, dual, armed drill; Jackson, exhibition, individual female armed drill and Crystal Sales and Jackson, exhibition, dual female drill.

Tiffany Baldwin claimed the individual armed knock out drill and the unarmed knock out drill competitions.

Second place went to the regulation, unarmed squad drill team with Brandon Clark as captain.

McCray finished in third place in the individual female armed drill contest and Vanessa Harvey and McCray in the dual female drill.

Brendan Jones and Roman Gomez claimed fourth place in the dual, armed drill competition as did Shannon Youngblood in the individual male armed drill.

Fifth place winners were David Ross and Youngblood in the dual, armed drill competition and Travis Spivey in individual male armed drill.