On January 11, 2013, our Ripon Army JROTC went head on with
Riverbank’s Navy JROTC. The proceeds to the game went to young Riley
Simmons, a young girl with brain cancer, a noble cause for this annual
game. She was often mentioned in multiple cheers by the Army JROTC
cheerleaders and in announcements throughout the game. Many hopes for
her healthy recovery were expressed by the people present at the game.
The national anthem was sung with much passion and also expressed the
pride that these military based programs express in serving this
country through their school.
A valiant effort was made by Ripon JROTC, where they kept on fighting
till the very end. At the end of the first quarter the game was going
to Riverbank, the score being 0:8. Then by the end of the second
quarter going into half time, Riverbank scored another touchdown,
making the score 0:16.
At halftime the JROTC Army cheerleaders had a thrilling performance
with a remix of songs from David Guetta to Nicki Minaj. Their
performance was full of energy and hope for a better turn out for the
game and to cheer on their team.
 By the end of the third quarter they were still down the score being
0:22. Then our boys brought on the action by taking a touchdown all
the way by about 30 yards with less than 5 minutes left in the game.
The overall score was 6:22, with Riverbank winning the trophy. The
ending handshake of the players ended the tension the players had for
each other, where aggression from both sides was expressed. Ripon
still ended with a high note, having hopes for the year to come.
        Over the past for the Army Navy game, the Navy has won as well as
there being a few ties between the schools. Needless to say, many of
the players expressed their sentiments of planning to win the game
next year. We are all hopeful for their coming back and taking the
trophy next year, and hopefully Riley Simmons will be able to share
that joy there as well.

By: India Chakraverty