The Boys Island Coast Raider team celebrates State Championship. Photo provided

Joy, accomplishment, and celebration among teammates continues to stream through the veins of the JROTC Island Coast Raiders after taking home the State Championship earlier this month.

The Boys Island Coast Raider team won the County Championship in November, which qualified them for the State Championship where 58 schools with more than 80 teams in boys, girls and mixed categories competed. The competition was held at Hudson High School in Pasco County on Dec. 2.

“The feeling is hard to explain,” senior Lucky Daoheuang said. “A feeling where you have never felt it before. When you finally win it’s a different type of joy.”

A couple weeks after taking home the state championship, Daoheuang is still trying to wrap his head around accomplishing that goal — a state championship. He said being around his teammates and coach knowing the pain they went through to get to Pasco County –and then finally accomplishing goals makes the outcome truly unspeakable.

Another team member heard about the Raider program when he began at Island Coast High School as a freshman.

“I didn’t know the full potential this team had. I joined and gave it a shot,” sophomore Marcelo Proenza said, adding that he soon became surrounded by amazing teammates. “Once I found out we were going to nationals and competing it surprised me that our team managed to get up there. It was definitely terrifying the day of the competition. We are going to compete against everyone in the state of Florida. It’s an unbelievable feeling. No one in the state can beat us. So many months of hard training — we pushed through as a team.”

Proenza added he is just so proud of everyone.

“I never thought I would make it this far into the program. I didn’t know it would be a second family to me. I am going to push this program, and make sure, hopefully next year, we win state again. Once they are gone, I want to take that leadership role and push it forward and make it a better team next year,” he said.

Coach Lt. Col. Mario Johnson said the incredible thing is when he took over the program three years ago the team was at its lowest point — nine cadets — not enough to form a team. Fast forward, the team now has 40 to 45 cadets who participate.

“The key to success was to really challenge the team. I think they weren’t challenged before,” he said. “They weren’t getting assignments and training.”

The team’s interest peaked, and they began winning. The Raider’s first competition — winning the spring championship.

“When you are part of a winning group it brings people together,” Johnson said, adding that the next season brought on both male and female interest with the number of cadets rising to 33.

The State Championship team event consisted of five events in one day, pushing the young competitors to have both mental flexibility and agility.

Daoheuang said Johnson always said, “We win in training.”

“We train hard every day,” he said, which is being both physically and mentally capable.

The team, which is comprised of young and older cadets, took time to push each other to their fullest potential while teaching them to be leaders.

Proenza said the team always trained hard during the season, even on days they did not have school. He said they had to have a “hungry mindset,” so they could obtain that victory.

“Out of season I do other sports –soccer, track and cross country. I am always staying active. I prepare myself mentally,” he said.

The competition events included a 5K run and constructing a rope bridge that spans 60 feet.

The Raiders had to take all of their equipment, along with themselves, across the rope bridge before deconstructing it.

The hardest part of the competition, according to Proenza, was the rope bridge, as he said it was the team’s weakness. The bridge took a lot of quick thinking and action.

“Something happened that we thought would make us fail, but thankfully we all kept our heads up and managed to get through it,” Proenza said. “It didn’t perform the way we wanted, but we managed to get first place.”

That event alone taught him to never give up and continue to look for solutions.

“It’s better to at least try than give up,” Proenza said, adding that the support among his team members was still there. “At the end of the competition, after the event, we all hugged each other and cheered and got over it.”

Another event was an 800-meter-long obstacle course with five obstacles that they had to negotiate. There was also an event where the cadets participated in a cross-country rescue either carrying 120-pound stretcher or 30-pound backpack for one mile.

The final event was the Raider Relay with each team member carrying anything that weighed 60 pounds for 25 meters before going back and picking up another 60 pounds. They then tap another team member to keep the relay going.

“It’s all timed and all done consecutively. It’s a tough competition that maximized their fitness and their mental fortitude,” Johnson said. “We beat 58 teams. There were 70 schools that were represented.”

Daoheuang said the hardest thing about the competition was they are only as fast as their slowest person.

“It’s all a team effort. There is always going to be that barrier that we are going to have to overcome. Being able to come up with ideas and solutions to overcome the problem was the hardest part of the competition,” he said, adding that they all had to put their minds together and come up with a solution everyone agreed upon.

There are 12 Raiders on the team with 10 competing at all times.

“We go through a selection process, and it takes about a good two months. By that time, we start breaking it down to different components — male team, mixed team of male and female and a developmental team,” Johnson said.

The developmental team was not able to make the two top teams, but they continue to train and keep interest.

Once selected they are given their jersey and uniform — a mark that they have made the team.

“For me as a coach, as an educator and as a mentor it’s been the biggest joy for me — to see these young people succeed in life — that is my reward,” Johnson said as their eyes show him how happy they are… To see that victory; there is nothing that can surpass that. I am so super proud of them. To be a state champion may only happen once in their life.”

The opportunity to be on the Raider team has given Daoheuang qualities he can take with him after graduating high school. He is contemplating a few different career paths, such as opening his own business, going to tech school, or helping his family run their business.

“The most important thing that I have learned here is being able to teach and lead everybody — and being able to follow everybody,” he said.

Proenza said being on the team has motivated him to sleep and eat better, have a better mind set, problem solve all while working on leadership and teamwork. Another perk is creating good bonds with his teammates.

“It motivates me to follow people but give advice even though I am the youngest one. I still want to step up. I want to motivate my friends,” he said.