Riverhead NJROTC earns top honor at regional drill meet

The Riverhead Naval Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps drill team finished first overall at Saturday’s Area Four Regional Drill Meet in Mount Holly, N.J.

The competition, which took place at Rancocas Valley Regional High School, included 13 schools and more than 500 cadets.

[Related photos: Riverhead NJROTC’s annual inspection and pass-in-review]

“Despite missing most of the junior class due to scheduled ACT tests, the rest of the unit picked up its game and performed extremely well despite the lack of competition experience in many cases,” according to a press release issued by Riverhead School District. “This effort displayed the importance of having depth on the team and cadets continuing to practice hard and making the most of their opportunity.”

The unit is scheduled to participate in a spring orientation trip April 25-29 where the cadets will visit Marine Corps Base Quantico, U.S. Naval Academy and Civil War battlefields in Fredericksburg, Vir.

Here’s a list of the awards:

Armed Platoon – 1st place led by senior Nicholas Waldron

Athletics – 1st place led by senior Connor Behr

Academics – 2nd place led by senior Muhammad Fareed

Air Rifle – 2nd place led by junior Sam Saunders

Color Guard – 3rd place led by senior Connor Behr

Personnel Inspection – 5th place led by senior Laurence Nash

Unarmed Platoon – 6th place led by junior Julia Pizzuto

Photo: The Riverhead NJROTC drill team with the overall first place award after competing in the Area Four Regional Drill Meet. (Credit: Riverhead School District)