Every year at the National High School Drill Team Championships, Sports Network International selects a single school that epitomizes the hard work, excellence in the face of adversity, overall champion spirit, grit and determination and glorification of drill & JROTC to reign as the Nationals Spirit Award winner for the following school year. For the school year ending at the 2025 Nationals, the school unanimously selected was the tough cadets from Mansfield High School in Mansfield, Texas..
This unit is relatively new on the scene to the top of the drill universe but storm the hill they have done! Several years ago, the program attended the Army Drill Championships and as the scores began flowing in, their scores were among the best teams in the nation. This prompted many schools to comment, "Who is Mansfield High School" as the team filed up the stairs to capture numerous team trophies. The parade of trophies has deepened over the years and now people see them at top-level drill means and have a more dreadful tone when they say, "UGH, Mansfield High School is HERE!".
This team has no easy roads and everything they win, they do so through hard work and sacrifice. There are no shortcuts to excellence and the team powers forward in all areas of not only drill, but life off the drill pad. Respectful, helpful and fun, the Armed Storming Tigers glorify drill in everything they do but more importantly, they churn out GREAT YOUNG ADULTS.
Too many people have the mistaken impression that the Spirit Banner is given only to teams as a "consolation prize" which is not accurate at all. In fact, the award is selected BEFORE the competition is event held. The way they do business, they way they represent their school and their service, and the conduct and demeanor of the cadets, the parents and the instructors are unparalleled. They understand that drill is a puzzle piece, not the whole puzzle. Talking to their unit instructors and they will solidify those beliefs. When asked about the success and the takeaways of being a JROTC instructor at Mansfield, his reply? “What an honor and a blessing to be able to change lives and see cadets become better citizens,” said JROTC instructor SFC Daniel Kinnel.
SNI is honored to have such amazing people win this 2025 Spirit Award
The streamers you see at the top of the staff list the names of the previous winners of this award. Click above on the link to see who has previously won this award. We at Sports Network International are honored to present this banner to a single school each year that exemplifies the greatest ideals of JROTC on and off the competition floor in victory and defeat. To learn more about the Spirit Banner, please click on the links above.
