GARLAND, TX- The Marine Corps JROTC (MCJROTC) cadets at ILTexas Garland High School competed in the Jack C. Hays 12 competition on Tuesday, where they placed 5th among 12 schools for their drill team segment. The MCJROTC Texas Round-Up competition is held annually at Jack C. Hays High School in Buda, Texas located in the Austin metropolitan area where MCJROTC drill team, color guard, and academic cadets from 12 Texas high schools compete.

The team demonstrated their endurance at Tuesday’s drill meet performing in “hurricane like conditions with sustained 50 mph ice-cold winds,” according to ILTexas GHS Senior Marine Instructor Christopher Fears. Although the cadets placed 5th, “the difference between all the teams was within a few points,” he wrote via email. ILTexas Keller, Arlington-Grand Prairie, and Katy MCJROTC teams have also competed in drill meets including the Jack C. Hays competition in recent years. 

ILTexas Garland High School MCJROTC introduction video. Courtesy of Christopher Fears.

Fears, a retired lieutenant colonel, oversees the training for the ILTexas Garland HS team. Cadets undergo extensive practice to prepare for the drill competitions, “typically a minimum of 4-5 times a week, twice a day,” he said. “Our team commander has to memorize over 60 drill commands and the 12 cadets must execute with precision and perfect timing.” 

The team will compete in the Regional Qualifier drill competition at Brennan High School in San Antonio, Texas on January 29. If the team places in the top three, the cadets will then advance to the National Championship held this Spring in Florida.

Learn more about MCJROTC and their mission here.