Petal High School JROTC team preparing for national drill championship

PETAL, Miss. (WDAM) - Members of the Petal High School JROTC will be making their way to Florida in May for the national drill championship.

The team recently picked up their fifth straight win at the state drill championship, beating out over 50 schools.

C/CSM Wilson Grayson said the competition was tough but also a lesson in leading and guiding others.

“It’s hard because some people are good. Some people aren’t,” said Grayson. “You have to account for everybody and the average of the group.”

JROTC Instructor Maj. Don DuBose said the team has been working hard for the nationals, where they’ll face more specially trained teams.

“There’s military schools there, academies where that is the number one thing,” said DuBose. “So you’ve got your work cut out for you when you’re going against programs that come from a military institution.”

But that isn’t always easy to do as a cadet and a student.

“I get frustrated at times when they tell me they can’t make practice, but then I have to step back and realize how engaged they are in other programs,” DuBose said.

As he closes out his senior year, C/LTC Jackson Rigney said he wants other students to know about the benefits of JROTC.

“We have more than just drill team. We have a raider team, a PT team,” said Rigney. “We even have an AR rifle marksmanship team. So there’s a way for everyone to get involved here.”

The national drill championship will be held May 4-5, 2024, at the Ocean Center in Daytona, Florida.

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