Students in Central’s Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) have opportunities to participate in several competitions across the county. Our JROTC program includes the Raiders, Academic, Robotics, Rifle, and Drill teams. This year, Central’s Air Rifle Marksmanship team reigned undefeated in the county.

“I am extremely pleased with the team’s performance this year,” stated Sergeant Major Ricky Franklin, sponsor of the rifle team. 

The season began on November 4 and ended on January 27. The team has competed against Sale Creek, Soddy Daisy, Red Bank, Howard, and Hixson, and East Ridge High Schools. The final competition was against Ooltewah High School. The team finished this school year’s competitions with the Superintendents Match on Saturday, February 5. 

The Rifle team beat Ooltewah by nearly one-hundred points. The team kept this excellence up for the superintendents match. The overall score being 1,011— the highest in a decade. This solidified the team as being undefeated this season.

However, it is no surprise the team was so successful this year. The team is made up of many promising individuals that work well together as a team.

“Being a part of the rifle team is like being around a family that you get to watch grow in their accomplishments. The practices are somewhat fun, [and] we push each other as best we can to hit high scores,” explained ZyAnne Alford, a Sophomore member of the rifle team. 

ZyAnne was most proud of hitting a high score of 257 this season which puts her accuracy higher than average. A score of over 250 results in special recognition. Her teammates include Zane Ferrying, Anna Frazier, Sydney Stone, Erickson Frias-Cruz, Ashley Frias-Cruz, Holt Ramsey, Addison Ramsey, and Colt Forehand.

“While on the rifle team, your main goal is to continuously improve your shooting and focus. It is a team sport, but the individual aspect is just as important. If you were to slack off, then it would greatly reduce the chances of your team being able to win,” stated Zane Ferrying, a Senior on the rifle team, “Overall it was a great season and I am very proud of our results.”

Working as a team the Central Rifle team has ended their season on top. The team hopes to continue their success in the near future. You can keep up their progress as the JROTC program continues to dominate on the Central Digest.