TEMPLE, Texas — A group of students from the Temple High School Police Explorer chapter will advance to the state competition after posting top two finishes at the Texas Public Service Teacher Association’s (TPSTA) Region 3 Competition in Lampasas on December 6th.
The Temple HS Police Explorers will have a six-person team advancing in the SWAT competition and an individual is moving on in accident investigation. Both the SWAT Team and accident investigation qualifier finished in second place at the Region 3 competition to punch their tickets for state.
The SWAT Team is made up of Jacob Braniff, Adam Estrada, Eli Flores, Neftali Franceschi, Alex Mungia, and Travis Scantling. During the competition, the group is given a scenario by the judges and has two minutes to discuss a strategy as a team. The team then shares their plan of action with the judges for rescuing a hostage and neutralizing a suspect. The team is judged on various aspects of their execution from communication to technique, to speed of action, to the way they deploy the different tactics of engagement needed to complete the assignment. Temple High School’s second place finish is even more impressive when you consider that Braniff is the only senior on the team, and Scantling was a late addition to the six-person roster.
“I was really excited to qualify for state, especially for Jacob since he is a senior,” Flores, a junior at THS, said. “We have almost a brand-new team, so second place is pretty good for a first-year team.”
“I was kind of shocked actually, because I wasn’t sure what to expect, but qualifying for state is a good feeling,” added Scantling, another junior.
But the team is not satisfied with just qualifying for state. They are looking forward to the chance to continue practicing and improving before the next competition while also looking forward to building on this success going into next year’s competition.
“I’m looking forward to having a chance to work on improving our hostage negotiation skills because I feel like we can get better,” said Braniff, who serves as co-captain of the team with Flores. “I am also looking forward to working with the younger guys. Even though they did phenomenal, I want to make sure they do even better next year as seniors.”
Valerie Maldonado qualified for state in accident investigation. This is also her first year competing in that event. The judges also gave her a scenario and she was responsible for contacting dispatch, speaking with each individual involved to determine the facts, and then completing paperwork afterwards. Competitors are judged on their effectiveness in communicating with those involved, attention to detail, and proper completion of all of tasks involved in the investigation.
“I was really excited to find out that I was going to advance,” Maldonado said. “I was a little shocked because it will be my first time advancing in an individual event. This will also help me moving forward because I would like to become an FBI agent one day.”
Maldonado is one of several team members who are interested in law enforcement careers. It was a childhood dream for a couple of competitors, and taking part in these events has helped them focus on those goals. The opportunity to interact with and learn from law enforcement professionals has also helped open their eyes to some of the other possibilities in the field.
“The police explorers’ program is designed to be student driven and the kids are teaching other kids how to do certain skills,” said Krystal Isby, CTE teacher and Police Explorer sponsor. “You worry a little when they are younger students, but this really empowers them. I am really grateful to see how all of their hard work really paid off. They put in so much effort to get ready for the competition and they are so passionate about what they are doing. I am very proud of this group; they have come a long way, and they are always asking questions and want to keep getting better. I am also so grateful for our community and the way they have supported this group in so many ways.”
The TPSTA State Competition will be held February 21, 2026, at Lone Star College in Houston.