The Marion High School JROTC precision air rifle team excelled at the recently held All-Army JROTC Rifle National Championship. The Giants earned a second place finish at Camp Perry, Ohio, one of the three regional locations where the championship was held nearly simultaneously. Across the competition, the Marion squad placed seventh among the Army teams competing.
Additionally, Emily Smith finished an amazing 10th place amongst all Army marksmen, advancing to the JROTC All-Services National Championship where she will face the very best marksmen from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps JROTC teams.
“It was awesome, amazing and very satisfying,” Smith said, speaking of how well she shot during the All-Army Championship.
Smith, an MHS junior, is only the second Marion cadet to advance to the All-Services National Championship.
The Giants entered the competition at Camp Perry as the No. 4-seeded team.
“The fact that our team moved up in the pecking order to finish second at Perry speaks well of their performance,” said retired Lt. Col. David Farlow, the rifle team’s coach and Senior Army Instructor for the Marion High School JROTC.
The Giants have strung together a series of victories and impressive finishes mid-way through their competitive season.
Marion sophomore Andersson Guevara also earned recognition at the All-Army competition by finishing in the top eight and earning a spot in the final. Guevara entered as the No. 6 shooter in the final and was able to finish in fifth place.
The Marion rifle team has excelled over the past several years, earning state and regional titles along with numerous invitations to compete at national competitions. Farlow credits the team’s strong performance and several factors.
“We are blessed to have two volunteer coaches, David Kuester and Kent Santee, who commit many hours each week in support of the rifle team,” Farlow said. “Additionally, the school and community have helped us establish a state-of-the-art 11-firing-point range where the team can train. The fantastic facility allows us to not only train the current varsity team, but also develop the up-and-coming athletes.”
Other members of the Giants team who competed at the All-Army Championship were Khamrynn Allen, Nick Purdy, and Gwynneth Hamilton, all sophomores at MHS.
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
Top: Marion High School JROTC marksman Emily Smith takes careful aim during the All-Army National Championship at Camp Perry, Ohio. Smith, an MHS junior, finished 10th in the nation among Army marksmen and earned an invitation to the All-Services JROTC Rifle National Championship, making her only the second Marion cadet to ever reach that level. (Photo provided by Marion Community Schools)
Bottom: The Marion High School JROTC rifle team recently competed in the All-Army JROTC National Championship. The Giants finished as the seventh-best team in the nation amongst Army JROTC programs. Members of the team are: front row from left, Emily Smith, MHS junior, and Nick Purdy, Gwynneth Hamilton, and Khamrynn Allen, all MHS sophomores; and back row, from left, Coaches Lt. Col. David Farlow, David Kuester, and Kent Santee, and MHS sophomore, Andersson Guevara. (Photo provided by Marion Community Schools)