Antonio Chacon threw up from nerves the morning of the competition.
Then, he turned his thoughts to Mark Gonzales, the former team instructor who died in March 2022.
“I talked to a picture of him the night before, and just asked him for help and guidance, just told him I was nervous,” Chacon said. “After I was finished throwing up, I felt perfect. I didn’t feel nervous at all, I felt really confident.”
The Española Valley JROTC team won first place at the state championships on April 1, highlighting years of hard work in dedication to Gonzales. They totaled 116 points, edging out Kirtland Central, who finished second with 104, and they also won Drill Champions. It was the first time for Española competing at state, as Gonzales did not prioritize competitions.
“I saw a look in their eyes that, we weren’t going home with nothing less than a championship,” said team instructor Wilbert Romero.
Sgt. Wilbert Romero took over the program, and wanted to focus on competing. His goal was to bring a state championship back to Española. Romero commutes to Española from Albuquerque every day.
“It all comes down to the will to overcome things in their lives,” Romero said. “Bottom line, it comes down to leadership. Our cadets that lead these leadership teams, and holding them accountable in our leadership roles, that’s what contributes to success here in Española.”
All agreed that it was a long day in Albuquerque, with the competition at Cibola High School starting at 7 a.m. and continuing past 8 p.m.
“Everything was executed beautifully,” senior Jeremy Gracia said. “Everything happened the way it needed to happen, regardless of slight little mistakes here and there for all of us. For this being our first-ever state competition, it was nerve wracking. But at the same time it was a very beautiful experience that we are lucky to have.”
Competitions such as the “sprint, drag, carry”, where they run 25 meters and back, then repeat while pushing a sled, then repeat while holding kettle bell weights. And drill events include color guard — which carries and presents flags before football and basketball games — and on marching routines, uniform inspections, and knowledge tests.
At the end of the day, Española was announced as the first-place champion, and the team celebrated while in shock.
“I was so tired that I thought that I was hearing things,” Gracia said.
“When they called Española, everyone was shocked and overjoyed, and screamed and yelled,” said Jovan Martinez. “After we got back, definitely cried a little bit.”
The team had worked hard throughout the year to reach that moment. They arrived early in the day to work before school. They would practice during lunch, and after-school practices leading up to state would last until 6 p.m. or later.
“Learning to push through that has been an amazing experience,” Gracia said. “You build a good family with your team, and learning to push past those obstacles is what really helps.”
And Romero built the program to over 80 cadets, about a quarter of whom competed at state. And a feeder program in the middle school has 12 students.
JROTC has helped everyone in the program discover who they are and join a ‘family’.
“I didn’t start off at a good place,” said Destiny Maestas, who joined as a freshman. “Did a lot of bad things in life. And when I joined I totally changed as a person.”
And the team all still feels the impact of Gonzales, who started the program.
“We were very, very close to him,” Gracia said. “He would talk to us like we were family. He would check up on us and make sure we were okay physically and mentally.”
Team members said his strong presence felt like true family to them.
“A lot of us seen Major (Gonzales) as pretty much a dad or grandpa,” Chacon said. “Because here in the Valley, a lot of kids lack that. And Major was that person who would fill those shoes. I wouldn’t be where I am without him.”