Paloma Valley NJROTC Battlecats win first-place trophy

The Paloma Valley High NJROTC Battlecats earned the overall first-place trophy last weekend. Photos courtesy of Kacey Calle

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Paloma Valley High School’s Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps sent their elite Academic, Fitness, and Close Order Drill team, affectionately referred to as “The Battlecats”, into battle on Jan. 18, when they competed in Ramona High School’s JROTC field meet.

Battlecats cadets competed against 17 other schools in 11 different events. The Battlecats racked up six first-place finishes, two second-place finishes, two third-place finishes and one fourth-place finish. These results earned them the First Place Overall Trophy.

As you can imagine, the Battlecat Leadership was pleased, yet not satisfied with their performance. Battlecat Commander, Lieutenant Samantha Ouk, exclaimed, “Indeed, the field meet shined light onto areas we need to fortify before the State Competition. With the help of my outstanding team leaders, we will adjust accordingly.”

The State Championship competition is known in NJROTC circles as the Super Bowl of Drill. This event takes place Feb. 1 on the campus of Santa Ana High School. This event brings together the best NJROTC programs in Area 11, an area that covers Southern California and all of Arizona. Last year, the Battlecats finished second out of 60 NJROTC schools in the Area.