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NJROTC comes in first in regional meet

COURTESY PHOTO

The Riverhead NJROTC drill team took home 10 trophies, including first-place overall, at a regional drill competition held  Saturday at Mattituck High School, qualifying the team for the area championship in May for the sixth straight year.

Ten units from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut competed in the events, which included armed platoon, unarmed platoon, color guard, personal inspection and academics. Forty-five NJROTC cadets from the Riverhead Drill Team made the trip, school officials said.

“The cadets worked extremely hard in the weeks leading up to this Drill Meet and came to the event focused and determined to qualify for the Area Four Championships,” said NJROTC instructor Lt. Col. Peter McCarthy. “The Armed Platoon was the first event of the day and Riverhead was the first team on the Drill Deck at 0800. This team absolutely nailed their routine and set the tone for what would be an outstanding day.”

The team placed first in armed platoon, as well as unarmed platoon, color guard, inspection team, first year cadet squad, first year cadet inspection squad and the push-up compeition. They took home third-place awards in first year cadet color guard and the academic team.

The Riverhead NJROTC team took home the first overall award, and as one of the top two teams at the meet has qualified for the Area 4 Championship Meet, scheduled to be held in May.