On April 30, the Statesboro High School JROTC drill team took to the fields of Griffin High School for the state drill championship. After a long and grueling season that had the state meet postponed twice due to weather and schedule conflicts, the best teams from each region in Georgia finally reached the finish line.
    This time the weather was hot and the competition was extremely tough, but the Drill Devils overcame all of this to leave their mark and extend the winning legacy of the Statesboro High JROTC program.
    After the Drill Devils earned 12 region titles, and qualified for the state championships in every drill event, the pressure mounted to do well at the next level.
    As team captain Demarka Smith stated, “Everyone did what needed to be done and we performed to the best of our ability. We came in determined and left successful.”
    That hard work led to more than just trophies as Hailey Adams, the leader of the female team stated, “We started out as cadets getting to know each other and now we're just one big family.” Adams wasn’t just a leader on drill field she became more like a team mom, giving that little extra “push” whenever someone needed to stay focused.
    Alex Redman, color guard leader, has also learned a lot.
    "The feeling of being part of something bigger is pretty awesome," Redman said. "Especially knowing that the whole cannot function without every single individual being on point.”
    This lesson in teamwork is why drill and ceremony is such an important part of the JROTC program. It seems as if the Drill Devils have learned their lessons well as they brought an amazing 11 top five finishes back to Statesboro.
    Jacob Cronin, who finished his third season on the team and led a squad in one of the toughest events this year said, “I met a lot of great people through drill team. Drill team has always been a great experience. I enjoyed the season and all the competitions. I feel as if we could've done even better at state, but we came out on top like we always set out to do. Even more importantly though, what I liked most is the friendships we’ve made.