Braden River JROTC team wins state title

The morning air was crisp as the Braden River High School Raiders, a team within the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC), prepared to begin their first challenge of five: a 5K run. As they compete as a mixed team of eight boys and five girls, it doesn’t matter if they have the fastest kid in school. They are timed as a team, so they are only as fast as their slowest runner. 

“Pain is just an illusion, keep going,” Carson Smith, the assistant team leader, told Marfil Trejo, the command sergeant major. 

The team went on to compete in four more events — litter carry, obstacle course, rope bridge and kettle bell relay — at the Florida High School JROTC Raider State Championship on Nov. 15 in Brooksville. 

At the competition, the teams are allowed up to 14 kids on the roster. At every event, they pick the 10 best suited for each event. 

They competed in the tier for smaller schools that have 200 or less cadets in the program and placed first against 12 other mixed teams overall. They placed first in their tier in all events except the rope bridge, in which they placed second. 

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Brinlee Johnson, a senior and the battalion commander, said that in the rope bridge event especially, one second can make or break the score. Their knot got bundled up and they had to manually untie it.

“It added like 10 seconds to our time because we couldn't figure it out,” Johnson said. “It's really slow for us and it knocked us down the second so everyone was kind of flustered.”

Johnny Browning is the Army Instructor at Braden River High School and coach of the Raiders. 

“Teams have to make snap decisions on the fly, they'll encounter challenges and obstacles along the way that they were somewhat prepared for, but sometimes things happen, and as a team, they have to overcome it quickly,” said Johnny Browning, coach of the team and Army instructor at the school. “Time’s ticking.”

Browning said he thinks the three practices and two morning runs a week helped prepare his team better than the competition. Additionally, the members get together on nights and weekends to train as well. 

“This team has a synergy that I haven't had in some teams in quite a while,” he said. 

Johnson described being part of the Raiders as being part of a family and it especially feels that way when they do their Saturday runs and gather at her house to cook breakfast.

“I see all of them every day, and I would argue even more than my family at home,” Johnson said. “They motivate me to be a better person and help me when I'm not feeling the best. They make me feel loved and cared for because I know all of them would do anything for me.” 

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The team consisted of: Karina Gutierrez, Carson Smith, Judah Clark, Brinlee Johnson, Grady Johnson, Sammy Martinez, Adrienne Oliver, Arsenii Pianykh, Katie Rock, Trevor Russin, Marfil Trejo, Jancarlos Urbina and Ethan Hunt.

Johnson said the most important lessons her time in the Raiders has taught her are leadership skills, how to provide encouragement and self discipline. 

“Brinlee is just all about Raiders and has been since a freshman,” Browning said. “Despite her stature, she's always been among the strongest and fastest of the girls.”

Trejo said the sport tests each member in many ways in terms of strength and endurance. 

“The most valuable lesson I learned through these experiences is the importance of teamwork,” Trejo said. “It was not always easy to get everyone to stay focused or understand the drills, but we always found a way to overcome challenges together. Teamwork truly makes the dream work, and this team has created memories I will always cherish.”