This past Saturday, the Viking Raiders kicked off their season with a new addition to their trophy collection: first place overall. This competition, named the Bobcat Combat, took place at Battlefield High School, and was hosted by the Battlefield Highschool Air Force JROTC program. 

Raider Competitions are extremely difficult, consisting of five events: a 5k, PT, logistics, rope bridge, and litter carry. 

In the beginning, they had a major setback with the 5k. The route went around the stadium, through a trail in the forest, and then back out around the school onto the track again. The Vikings were misdirected though, got lost, and in the end ran a mile more than their opponents. 

Despite the setback, WSHS still came in fourth place even with the extra mile, an impressive feat. Battlefield ended up scrapping the entire 5k during scoring which evened out the playing field for the teams that were misdirected. 

Cadet Izabel Ketledge shared her thoughts on the 5k, “Battlefield really messed up, they did not keep this in the planning stages long enough at all.”  

Raider’s Commander, Cadet Alex Sopo said, “Our Blood, Sweat, and Tears are what strengthen our bonds. We bleed together, sweat together, and cry together.” Without the strong bonds and morale between the team members, the team would not be as successful. 

Even though happy and proud, not all cadets were satisfied with the results, such as cadet Aiden Ward. “We did not deserve to win at all, we screwed up multiple times. If we want to win states in November, we need to put in much more effort and work into training.” Without more effort, the team may not have a chance at states. Even though they won this competition, at states they will likely compete against teams that are much better than they have ever seen before.

Congratulations and good luck to the Viking Raiders in their future endeavors!