San Juan Guard makes official comeback placing third at Army Nationals

By Hailey Massey | Assistant Editor |

On Saturday, March 30, Roosevelt’s JROTC Rough Rider Battalion Armed Drill team, San Juan Guard, placed third overall at Army National High School Drill Team Championship in Richmond, Virginia.  The third place finish qualifies the team to compete in the National High School Drill Team Championships in Daytona Beach, Florida. There were 51 Armed Drill Teams competing for the top three qualifying slots and 51 Unarmed Teams as well. This was one of the largest national high school drill competitions the team has ever participated in.  

The team prepared for months compete for this title. They attended numerous drill meets across the state to prepare for this one event.

“There aren’t words that describe the feeling that I have about placing 3rd overall,” David Rodriguez, Armed Drill Team Commander said. “I’m just overwhelmed with how proud I am of our team.”

This is the first time in several years that the team has qualified to attend the all service high school drill team championship by placing in the top three.

“It was one of the most satisfying goals that our team was able to achieve in my four years as part of the San Juan Guard Drill Team,” Darius Brown said. “I’m so proud of our team and of how far we’ve come.”