On September 17th, 2022, 8 academically-talented cadets traveled to Boca Raton High School for the first Brain Brawl of the season. Waking up early in the morning, the cadets’ academic knowledge was put to the ultimate test.

Brain Brawl is a state-wide academic competition for JROTC cadets that tests general knowledge. Cadets are organized into teams of 4, competing against teams from around Florida. 16 Schools from all corners of Florida competed in this intense battle of wits. Brain Brawls are organized like Jeopardy-style game shows, with each cadet having a buzzer to answer rapid-fire questions. Questions can be from a range of topics, including but not limited to Naval History, U.S Government, Mathematics, and Pop Culture. Cadets must be quick thinkers in order to be the first to correctly answer each question. There are two question types, tossup and bonus. Tossup questions are open to all competitors and require an individual answer, while bonus questions ask for team cooperation. After 10 minutes, competitors enter the “Lighting Round”, a high-intensity 2 minute round with no bonus questions or answers. Cadets compete in multiple rounds, culminating in the Brawl Stars Individual Competition. This competition tasks a single cadet nominated by each school with competing against the rest of the champions. Cadets that win this competition can receive bronze, silver, and gold medals.

“I’m a little nervous to be honest, I’m not sure if I’m even going to hit the buzzer, “Academic Team Commander Isaiah Owens said when asked how he was feeling about the competition. While him and many others were nervous about the intense pressure that the competition brings, Owens and the rest of his team were catapulted to 2nd place in the entire competition.

The competing cadets from North Port High School’s Team 1 were Cadets Kevyn Dufresne, Danny Gonzalez, Soliel Castro, Isaiah Owens and Aailyah Floyd.

The competing cadets from Team 2 were Cadets Jordan Wager, Desmond Walton, Shanelle Williams, and Riley Devaney.

After hours of fierce but respectful competition, Team won 2nd place overall, and Team 2 scored 8th place.

Cadet Kevyn Dufresne was selected as his team’s Brawl Star, scoring a second place silver medal in the individual competition.