The Ooltewah High School Army JROTC Raider Team
The Ooltewah High School Army JROTC Raider Team, led by Retired 1SG Michael McCullough, competed in the All Service Raider National Championship competition Thursday through Sunday in Molena, Ga., at the General Lawhorn Boy Scout Camp. The Male Raider team competed and won 1st place overall in the Challenge Division. The Female Raider team earned 4th place overall in the Master’s Division.
\he last time Ooltewah competed in the National Championship was in 2019, after their second consecutive Tennessee State Raider Championship. At Nationals they finished runner-up. Since COVID the team has been rebuilding and improving every year. This year they proved their mettle.
At the local level, the Ooltewah male team has won the Hamilton County Raider competition for eight consecutive years. No other team has more consecutive team wins or overall wins. The female raider team is also leading Hamilton County in three consecutive county championships wins. Ooltewah Raiders put in the work necessary to be the best they can be and it pays off, said officials.
They are the most disciplined, motivated, and physically/mentally prepared cadets, said officials. In addition to their contributions as Raiders, these students are all scholar-athletes, leaders and major patrons of the community. The Raiders volunteer hundreds of hours each year to assist and improve Ooltewah High School, the local community and the greater Chattanooga area.
The mission of JROTC is “to motivate young people to be better citizens.” Ooltewah cadets, especially the Raiders, are the perfect example of this mission.