After four months of intense competition, Herndon High School’s Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps' (NJROTC) Rifle Team has won the Spicer Cup. The four-person team consisting of Cadets Marshall Wilkins (senior), Ashley Lightner (senior), Allison Maxwell (sophomore), and Caroline Ivie (freshman) defeated finalist West Potomac High School in the Championship Match. This is the ninth year that Herndon has won since the inception of the competition eleven years ago.
Formed in 2003 by the late LTC Joe Spicer, US Army, Retired, of Hayfield High School, the Fairfax County-wide JROTC Rifle League and its tournament include six high schools – Edison (Army), Hayfield (Army), Herndon (Navy), Mount Vernon (Marines), South Lakes (Army), and West Potomac (Army). After shooting single matches against each other, each school receives a tournament seeding. The top four ranked schools then compete in a semi-final/final format.
The Herndon team is coached by CDR Rick Cassara (US Navy, Retired). CDR Cassara spends hours teaching rifle safety, demonstrating proper technique, and honing this popular team to the four best shooters for competition in the Spicer Cup and other events. He and the team’s Cadet Commanding Officer, Allison Maxwell, set high expectations for their team members, who not only must maintain a high regard for safety, respectable conduct, and good sportsmanship, but also must consistently demonstrate their skill in this challenging Olympic sport.
Honor * Courage * Commitment: For more information about Herndon High’s outstanding NJROTC program, please visit http://www.herndonnjrotc.com/.