Members of the Jenkins County High School JROTC are shown with the trophies won for placing in three events that led to the team's eighth place national placement. From left, are, first row: Tay Taylor, Brittany McKinney, Lashonda Kelsey, Angel Cunningham, Brianna Joiner, Ra'Shon Brady, Morgan Pickett and Chris Simmons; second row: Victoria Phillips, Brad Amerson, Keondra Kelly, Paul Dieteman, Marquis Moody, Chris Hillis, Dante Daniels and Andres Jeronimo; and third row: Remi Gomez, Trenton Polk, Bernard Thompson, Damien Smith, Steven Barber, Fernando Gomez and Jared Hackworth. (Photo contributed) The little school that could almost became the little school that would. Saturday, Nov. 8, the Jenkins County High School Army JROTC Raider Team competed in the second annual JROTC "Raider" National Championships held at the Gerald I. Lawhorn Scouting Base (Thunder River Boy Scout Camp), Molena.

Coming off their fourth place overall finish at the Georgia State Raider Championships on Nov. 1 and second behind three AAAA schools, the War Eagles from Jenkins County, a single A school, managed to tally enough points to finish eighth overall in the National Standings.

This year's event was the second produced by Sports Network International (SNI) from Daytona Beach, Fla. SNI has been conducting Precision Drill and Exhi- bition Drill Team Championships for over 26 years. They are the exclusive agency that hosts and conducts all JROTC military service events. From the All Army National Drill Team Championships, the Air Force National Drill Team Championships and the Navy/Marine Corps National Championships, to annual Youth Football National Championships and the National High School All Services Drill Team Championships, SNI has provided the venue for the best high school teams in America to come together and go one-on-one for the overall bragging rights of National Champion.

The Raider National's had 720 cadets (one team consists of 12 cadets) making up 60 teams from 35 schools traveling from nine states. Georgia had the majority of teams with 17; Alabama 1, Delaware 1, Florida 2, Michigan 1, Missouri 1, New York 2, Tennessee 8, Virginia 1 and Wisconsin 1. There are three National Championship categories, Male, Male-Mixed (team must have no less than 4 female members) and Female. All three categories participate in the same events but only against teams in their specific category.

Jenkins County placed third on the Army Physical Fitness Test, fourth on the Cross Country Rescue and fifth on the one-rope bridge event competing in the Male-Mixed category. Their fall from third place overall, one point from second, was the result of one five minute penalty on the "gauntlet" event (one half mile up a mountain and back down to the start point while carrying 35 pound backpacks). This alone moved the War Eagles from a fourth place finish in that event to 19th directly impacting their overall placement from third in the Nation to eighth overall. Still, for a school of 422 students that has only been organized as an Army JROTC unit since Aug. 1, 2007, not a small accomplishment.

The War Eagles have competed in two State Raider Championships, two National Raider Championships, one State Drill Team Championship, one All Army Drill Team National Championship and one National Drill Team Championship.

The "Little School That Could" still intends to be the "Little School That Would". If you would like to see what events Raiders compete in, or what National Drill Competition looks like visit the Sports Network International web site at www.thenationals.net.