Hanford High School JROTC Raiders Capture National Title at Fort Knox Championship

Cadets from Hanford High School’s JROTC Program have earned a national championship title at the 2026 JROTC National Raider Challenge, held this month at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Competing in their first-ever appearance at the national event, the HHS Raider team captured 1st Place in Cross Country Rescue in the All-Service Level Male Division and finished 6th Overall, with two additional Top-5 event finishes along the way. 

The team was one of more than 100 high schools and over 3,200 cadets from across the country who traveled to Fort Knox to compete for the title of Raider National Champion. 

Now in its third year, the JROTC National Raider Challenge is the premier annual championship for JROTC Raider programs, designed to test cadets' physical fitness, teamwork, and leadership under pressure. The multi-day competition features an opening ceremony, head-to-head division battles, and culminating awards presentations. Teams compete across four divisions — Challenge, Masters, All-Service, and Ultimate Raider — in five scored events: the Rope Bridge, RX (Cross Country) Rescue, Gauntlet, 5K Team Run, and Strength Test. The top three teams in each event and division are recognized. 

For the HHS squad, earning a national event title on their first trip to Fort Knox is a significant achievement that reflects months of early-morning training, conditioning, and team-building. Noteworthy is that the HHS program was one of two programs in Washington State selected to compete at the national level. 

"What makes our program special is the range of opportunities we can offer cadets — six integrated teams competing locally, regionally, and nationally. This year alone, our Raider Team competed at Nationals in April, and our Aerial Drone Team is headed to Nationals in May. Behind every one of those accomplishments are students learning loyalty, duty, respect, and personal courage — growing into the kind of leaders any community would be proud of." — MSG (Retired) Kurt Baumgarten, Hanford HS 

The Richland School District congratulates the HHS Raider team, their instructors, and their families on this outstanding national accomplishment. We look forward to watching this program continue to grow and thrive.