STATE CHAMPS: Franklin County JROTC shares 2022-2023 drill crown with Petal

OCEAN SPRINGS — Two words say it all: “Mission accomplished.”

Franklin County High School’s Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets traveled to the Mississippi Gulf Coast on Saturday, Dec. 10 and walked away with a share of the 2022-2023 state championship for drill teams.

The JROTC programs from Franklin County and Petal wound up in a points tie at the end of armed and unarmed drill competitions with all means to break the stalemate exhausted.

In the end, the two squads were named as Mississippi’s co-champions with the opportunity to represent the Magnolia State at national competition in May.
This was the Bulldog Battalion’s first state crown, and something the program has been working diligently to attain, according to retired Col. Lynn Pippen, who serves as FC’s JROTC instructor.

“Internally, I thought we might choke coming into Saturday’s competition, and we had a generally good performance, but not our best,” Pippen noted.

“But when it came down to it, (our cadets) dug deep and showed a lot of character in not giving up and not giving in to the situation. They overcame obstacles every step of the way and that speaks volumes to the kind of young men and women who make up this program.”

Pippen said he looked at his JROTC program as literally being in a David vs. Goliath scenario as Franklin County was the smallest high school participating in the title tilt.

“We were the only school there that was not a 6A program,” he continued. “I am a competitor at heart and always want to win, but I wanted our cadets to taste victory more than anything else. This is not just a group of teenagers, but is a special group who deserved to win here and in life.

“This was their chance to bring new respect for our program — especially from the community they live in — and finally bring this championship to Franklin County. They did it and I hope people everywhere will have a sense of pride in what this means to our school and our county as a whole.”
Retired Sgt. First Class Marjorie De La Garza said watching the team overcome the mistakes that were made and the level-headedness cadets showed as they continued on meant a great deal to her.

“(Participants in) the unarmed division really picked up the slack where the armed division had some miscues,” De La Garza said. “Their maturity came through because they didn’t fall apart when the odds were stacked against them. Overcoming any shortcoming makes all the difference in the world in these kinds of event.”

De La Garza added as much as she and Pippen nit-pick every little thing in preparation for drill competition, the team listened and learned — putting their individual and squad skills to the test and were chosen as one of the best programs in the state for 2022-2023.

“That said, our cadets’ worst day is often better than other program’s good days because of their commitment to learn, to grow and to show what they are made of,” she continued.

“At Ocean Springs, we made more significant mistakes than we had in the previous drill meets, but that never stopped us and I think that is what I am most proud of out of all of this.”

In the armed competition, Franklin County took third place in color guard; second place in inspection; second place in platoon; first place in exhibition; and second place in squad.

Unarmed competition saw FC claim first place in color guard; first place in inspection; first place in platoon; and first place in exhibition.

The Bulldog Battalion took first-place honors in unarmed competition and second-place overall in armed events.

Petal was second in unarmed and claimed first in armed competition.

“When they said we were champions, it was more of a sigh of relief for all of us,” Cadet Lt. Col. Ayden Harrell said. “We worked for so long to get to this point — not just for the championship, but for every event we take part in.

“I’m excited and happy for the entire team and proud for the effort they put forth day in and day out. I think this is really something special for our school and our county.”

Harrell said the Bulldog Battalion’s trip to national competition last May was a spark that helped him and fellow cadets want to take things to another level during the current school term.

“We have taken that previous experience and built something that has better prepared us for a real run at nationals,” Harrell continued. “Our major focus has been to improve every day and in every way when it comes to our drill efforts, and it has paid off thus far.”

Cadet First Lt. Celeste Collins said she has witnessed the growth in herself and the JROTC program, and earning a state title only motivates her to want to continue to exceed expectations.

“A lot of work has gone into getting us where we are today,” Collins said. “There’s a lot of happiness and excitement for what we’ve been able to accomplish. We do what we have to do on the drill pad and that has involved a lot of practice ... at the end of the day, you’re exhausted physically and mentally, but it’s worth it when you make it to the top.”

Cadet Maj. Arthur Atterberry characterized this past weekend’s effort as a pretty big deal — especially from the standpoint that he had the opportunity to help lead a successful program like FC’s JROTC.

“I’m hard on them a lot, but it feels good that they respect me like I respect them,” Atterberry said in regards to his relationship with other cadets.

“It’s phenomenal that they pick up on things so quickly and run with it, and that shows with how we did this past weekend.”

Atterberry went on to note the trophies brought home by his peers were the reward for the sweat equity the cadets have put into creating a championship climate locally.

“The only way to describe the feeling that came out of this moment was that it seems like something from a storybook,” he continued. “Last year, we went to drill camp with Petal and became friendly rivals ... we challenged each other and both programs have grown. Sharing this moment with them was really a happy ending.”

While the JROTC program is currently participating in PTs — physical training, Harrell said the drill squad won’t have a chance to rest long as it will begin preparations for nationals in roughly five months.

“We have just a little time to enjoy the state championship before we start getting ready for that next-level competition,” Harrell said.

“There are a lot of long days ahead for us in terms of preparations, but hopefully we’ll have some additional motivation with a state title under our belts.”

Coming into last week’s competition, Franklin County had been on a roll — winning three-straight preliminary events.

The Bulldog Battalion took top honors at the Terry High School meet on Saturday, Oct. 8, at Ocean Springs on Saturday, Oct. 22 and at Hancock High School in Kiln on Saturday, Nov. 12.

Drill participants included: Paden Arnold, Savannah Arnold, Atterberry, Carmin Banks, Shane Carr, Arihanna Coleman, Collins, Savannah Cothren, Emily Creel, Kenadie Fleming, Caleb Fontenot, Coy Fontenot, Braden Gentry, Carter Goff, Tate Goff, Austin Halford, Harrell, Trever Marshall, Grant Poole, Seth Powell, Zachary Richardson, Abrielle Simmons, A’aliyah Smith, Nick Smith and Austin Wallace.
Rebekah Griffin served as JROTC public affairs officer with Drake Higgs as squad manager.