The annual Maryland State Skeet Championship was held at Loch Raven Skeet and Trap in Phoenix, Maryland, on August 27-29. The beautiful weather made for a great event.
Since the Maryland State Championship is an open state shoot, there are both open winners and state winners. Quite often they are the same person, but many times they are not. Here, we’re including the Maryland State Champions, but Open champions are included in the chart.
Doubles started on Friday, with a rain delay pushing the last rotation to the following morning. Alessandro Vitale had the lone 100 for champion, Sam Armstrong was runner-up at 98, and Jonathan Myrick was third with 97. State class winners in doubles were John Wells Jr. (AA), Gil Traore (A), Dan Cimbora (B), Bert Devonald (C) and Ethan Ruark (D).
Saturday’s 12-gauge event had 100s shot by Dylan Lee (his first) and Sam Armstrong. After a shoot-off, Armstrong was the 12-gauge champion and Dylan Lee runner-up. Following the 100s, there were three 99s who shot off for third place, with Bernie Warnowicz winning the shoot-off. Class winners were Alessandro Vitale (AAA), John Wells Jr. (AA), Mike Wollard (A), Jeremy Dvorak (B), Tom Fowler (C), Robert Senesi (D) and Murrell Smith (E).
The 20-gauge competition resulted in three perfect scores. When the shoot-off concluded, Sam Armstrong was champion, with Bert Devonald as runner-up and John Swidrak in third. Class winners were Alessandro Vitale (AAA), Mark Gay (AA), Bernie Warnowicz (A), Jacob Ruark (B), Dylan Lee (C) and Paul White (D).
After shoot-offs, the shooters were treated to dinner from Corner Stable and a raffle was conducted. After a spirited and successful raffle, the 2020 Maryland State Team awards were presented. Following presentation of the state awards, Sam Armstrong was presented with an award for 25 consecutive years on the Maryland State Team.
Kicking off Sunday morning was the 28-gauge event. After Dylan Lee’s hat was shot for his 12-gauge 100, Mark Gay and Sam Armstrong shot off their 100s. Mark Gay won the shoot-off, taking champion, and Sam Armstrong was runner-up. Three 99s shot off for third, with Gil Traore taking the third spot on the podium. Class winners were Alessandro Vitale (AAA), Jonathan Myrick (AA), Maj Tavakoli (A), Dylan Lee (B), Joe Weinbrecht (C) and Brian Vess (D).
Sunday afternoon concluded with the Maryland State .410 event, and Alessandro Vitale claimed the champion spot with the lone 100. Jonathan Myrick took runner-up with a 99 and George Giammittorio took third with a 98. Class winners include Sam Armstrong (AAA), John Wells Jr. (AA), John Swidrak (A), Skip Spessard (B), Jacob Ruark (C) and Joe Weinbrecht (D).
Sam Armstrong and Alessandro Vitale tied for the HOA with 396 targets, with Alessandro Vitale claiming the championship after a shoot-off. Jonathan Myrick took third place with a 390. Class winners were John Wells Jr. (AA), George Giammittorio (A), Jacob Ruark (B), Dylan Lee (C), Robert Senesi (D) and William Fields (E). The Lady HOA champion for the weekend was Danielle Murdock with a 382, followed by Debbi Perry at 352.
Many thanks to our sponsors and volunteers. We could not have a successful shoot without all the volunteers. Thanks to Loch Raven Skeet and Trap for hosting another great event and to Paul D’Amato for working tirelessly on the machines to give us good targets. All of the Maryland State officers deserve a big thank you for all the hard work. See you next year at the 2022 Maryland State Championships.
– Contributed by Danielle Murdock
