SCTP

On May 14, at Generations Skeet Club, athletes from across the state competed for SCTP skeet honors. Eighty-three athletes representing nine teams attended. The weather, as usual for mid-May, was cool with occasional showers and thunderstorms around.

This year Allison Shaffer, Fox Township High School, holds the honor of High Over All with a score of 99, and Katelyn Henry of Central Penn Crushers, Lady champ. Competition was tough, and every target counted. Fox Township High School Trap League Senior Varsity Squad of Allison Shaffer, Zac Mosier, and Andrew Gerber took first place with a 270. HAHS Cougars Marcus Rosenstiel Jr., Joseph Katchur, and Dylana Eroh finished second with 269. Third were Katelyn Henry, Bill Gillmen, and Jared Harshbarger of the Central Penn Crushers.

Junior Varsity Champions were Fox Township’s Tyler Geitner, Eli McKay, and Aiden McKay. Gavin Glossner, Samuel Klinepeter, and Nathan Pollard from Central Penn Crushers were the runner-up team. Hunter Bowlen, Emmitt Whipkey, and Jordan Miller representing the Hawkeyes finished third.

Intermediate Advanced Champions were the Hawkeyes’ Brendon Cole, Kory Taylor, and William Boden, achieving the highest squad score of the event with a 285. Teammates Deacon Whipkey, Benjamin Horne, and Parker Jones were runners-up, and Central Penn Crushers Collin Hillyer, Piercen Hoffman, and Tyler Jones finished third.

Intermediate Entry champions are Central Penn Crushers Grant Glossner, Ryan Harshbarger, and Jackson Shearer.

After the competition was completed, while the scores were tabulated, a shoot-off was held for an engraved Shamrock Leather bag for all divisions. Winners were Grant Glossner, Flint Bolt, Henry Zutter, Noah Haines, and William Boden. Receiving individual awards of Jim White belt buckles were Senior Varsity champion Zak Sutton, runner-up Marcus Rosenstiel, third-place Katelyn Henry; Junior Varsity champ Gavin Glossner, runner-up Eli McKay, third-place Emmitt Whipkey; Intermediate Advanced champ Brendan Cole, runner-up Kory Taylor, third-place Benjamin Horne; Intermediate Entrance champ Grant Glossner, runner-up Andrew Wojtaszek, third-place Brayden Kmetz; Rookie champ Brady Moffatt, runner-up Oliver Zutter, third-place Flint Bolt; Collegiate champion Kenneth Jones, runner-up Nicolas Molchan, third-place Mason Mentzer.

This year we had three first 25 straights from Ethan Barr, James Dughi, and Jayden Bonham, as well as a first 50 straight for Tyler Jones. Eighty-one competitors lined up to do the honors at the hat shoot, possibly a record for Generations. This was the first registered NSSA competition for 26 athletes in attendance. It was a long day for referees Roy and Tim Holtz, Joe Vescovi, and Renee and Bill Calvert. They were great and kept the event on track. Catering by Pirates Cove for lunch and the ice cream social held at the Party Barn during the awards presentation were first class. Thanks to the parents, coaches, and family members that attended and made the event special for the athletes. Thanks also to the Holtz family for allowing us to hold the SCTP championship at their beautiful facility.

– Contributed by Joe Gans III

May 12-14 was a great weekend at Blue Rock Sportsman’s Club in North Little Rock, Arkansas, as they hosted one of their premier events, The Rock. The shoot began Friday morning with a 100-target SCTP event, and the participants posted some great scores that foreshadowed what was to come during the main event. For details on the SCTP event, check out the Youth Shooting Development column on page 30 of the August issue.

The Doubles event began Friday afternoon as the rain started to move in. The conditions did not deter Brad Goodart or Brandon Cade, as both posted perfect scores. Goodart defeated Cade for the championship, and Blue Rock member, Clay Baldwin, captured third place after a number of shoot-off boxes. After all the shoot-offs were completed, participants and guests enjoyed free drinks and a great BBQ spread.

The 12-gauge event began Saturday morning under perfect conditions, as the threatening weather passed in the night. Eight competitors managed to break perfect scores, and when all was settled, Benton, Arkansas native James Howey was victorious over runner-up, Michael Schmidt, and third-place finisher, Easlen Moore, my former squadmate. Blue Rock changed the program a little this year to allow participants to shoot the big guns in the morning, meaning the 28 gauge would be shot on Saturday afternoon. Four 100s were posted in the 28-gauge event, and Dennis Burns emerged the winner over Joshua Guess and Paul Newman, who took runner-up and third, respectively.

When the last shots of the evening were fired, competitors were treated to a wonderful shrimp boil with all the sausage, corn and potatoes you could eat. An assortment of complimentary ice cream bars and popsicles was also available throughout the weekend.

On Sunday morning, shooters took the field with the 20 gauge in hand. Thirteen shooters posted perfect scores, and all were eager to battle it out on the shoot-off field. Clay Baldwin earned the championship deep in the second box over runner-up Jake Ratcliff and third-place Jonathan Hopper. In between shooting times, lunch was available free of charge, or you could check out the Elite Shotguns mobile unit run by Aaron Willoughby. Aaron and Dan Lewis were on-site to answer any questions on guns, glasses and all shooting needs. Their customer service is as good as it gets, so make sure to check them out if they are ever in your area.

As usual, the .410 was shot late on Sunday, with three perfect scores posted. Michael “Big Shooter” Schmidt managed to get through the weekend without a miss to post his 27th 400×400 and take home the HOA championship. Brad Goodart and Caile Bradham also broke perfect scores with the little gun. After the smoke cleared, Schmidt took the gun title over Goodart, runner-up, and Bradham, third. These three also stood atop the High Over All podium with Schmidt the champion, Goodart at runner-up and Bradham third, following a 395 shoot-off with Paul Newman and Van Lewis. Katherine Pierce captured the Ladies HOA title in front of second place finisher, Mallory Stanton, and third place, Carol Goodart.

Thanks to all the shoot sponsors, including Kolar, Elite Shotguns, Lincoln Traps and Ducks Unlimited. The support from sponsors makes The Rock and all Blue Rock shoots must-attend events. The hospitality shown by Blue Rock and its club members is unmatched, so if you have never experienced one of their shoots, be sure to make the trip in 2018.

– Contributed by Nathan Boyd