By Vickie Middlebrooks

Boca Raton High School’s Bobcat Battalion traveled to Orlando earlier this month and won the Navy Junior ROTC Florida State Championship.

The Bobcats competed against 23 other high school JROTC unit finalists out of 60 units in the state. This is the sixth state title for the Bobcats.

To prepare for this competition, the cadets began hitting the books, participating in physical fitness training and practicing drill maneuvers two weeks before school started last August.

Cadet Captain Jaymarie Colon-Perez led the Bobcat Battalion to this State Championship. The Cadets finished first in Academics, Armed Basic Drill, Unarmed Basic Drill, and Overall Drill. They also placed second in Personnel Inspection.

Cadets Jennifer Menke and Jack Woods took top honors on the Academic Test, placing first. The field meet was very tight, down to the last two events.  It was between the Bobcats Battalion and their rivals, Flanagan High School.

The Bobcats ran like the wind to beat Flanagan in the 100 yard and 200 yard relays, said Lt. Cmdr. Ken Bingham, the naval science instructor at Boca Raton High.

“When the dust finally settled, the Bobcats prevailed with first place overall, and Flanagan second,” Bingham said. “All these efforts have gained the Cadets a well-deserved undefeated year in competition. Congratulations to the cadets and instructors SCPO Tim Core and CPO Edwin Morales.”