Submitted photoTCCHS Army JROTC Raider team after winning the Area 2 Region Championship (male team category).

THOMASVILLE — Thomas County Central High School Army JROTC Raider team won the Area 2 Region Championship — male team category — held Saturday, Oct. 23, at Crisp County High School. The event included a 5K team run, rope bridge, tire flip, cross country rescue, fitness challenge and fitness test. The TCCHS team earned first place in all but one area (fitness test), in which it placed second. Senior Army Instructor Lt. Col. Kevin “Buzz” Ingram said TCCHS “convincingly defeated teams from Worth, Sumter and Turner counties.”

The Raiders undergo rigorous training three days a week that tests physical fitness, athleticism, precision, and knowledge through task-focused practices. The TCCHS Army JROTC battalion just began its second year, and this is the first year for its Raiders team, which makes winning the region title all the more special. Ingram said, “I’m proud of these kids and the effort they’ve put forth. We set winning region as our goal early this season, and the way the team bought into what we needed to do is why this happened.”

This win allowed the TCCHS Raider team to compete at the state championship on October 30 where the team finished eighth in the state.