May 10, 2017
Jim Harris Managing Editor Arkansas Wildlife Magazine
Strong winds were prevalent for a second straight weekend at the Jacksonville Shooting Complex, but by Saturday the 129 senior division trap-shooting teams competing were greeted with plenty of sunshine and a little less wind for the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program’s west regional qualifiers. Shiloh Christian School’s senior high team won the senior division on Saturday, while the Accuracy In Motion/Gunsmoke club team from Madison, Washington and Carroll counties bested 84 teams in the breezy conditions of Friday’s junior division regional.
“The weather Friday was overcast and very windy. I think it had an impact on the scores,” said Doug Newcomb, the chief of the AGFC’s Education Division, which oversees the AYSSP. “The weather Saturday was sunny and a little windy, but not as bad as Friday. We had two perfect scores turned in on Saturday.”
The Shiloh Christian School’s Gunslingers hit 231 of 250 clays to claim first place in the senior division on Saturday.
Huntsville High School’s Ugly Unicorns were just two targets behind Shiloh in second place, edging Bearcat Trap/Macho Busters in a shoot-off.
Johnathon Kearney of Shiloh Christian and Cadyn Meredith from Ozark Youth Shooting Sports both had perfect 50-for-50 shooting days on Saturday and qualified for the Champion of Champions event, which will be contested during the AYSSP State Finals June 2-3.
In Friday’s junior division competition, Accuracy in Motion shooters broke 100 out of 125 thrown clays. Berryville Shooting Sports/Berryville Junior High took second with 96 out of 125, beating Shiloh Christian/Blue Trappers by one target. Second- through sixth-place finishers in the junior division were separated by only two clays.
“Friday’s scores were probably lower than what we would normally see, and I don’t doubt that the wind had an impact in that. It was very tough conditions to be shooting,” Newcomb said. “Basically, the weather was the thing. You have to admire the kids, though. They didn’t seem to be whining about it, but rather just saying, ‘This is what we have.’ The good thing is, they were all shooting in the same conditions and it didn’t adversely affect one team over another. And when those top 16 teams come for the junior division state finals, hopefully we’ll have better conditions.”
The top 16 teams in each division from each regional qualifier will be able to compete in the AYSSP State Championship. This weekend, junior (May 12) and senior (May 13) teams from the south region will compete, followed by teams from the east region on May 19-20.
West Region Senior Division qualifiers:
Shiloh Christian School/Gunslingers
Huntsville High School/The Ugly Unicorns
Bearcat Trap/Macho Busters
Berryville Shooting Sports/Berryville Sr. 2
Lamar Warriors/Orange Crush
Berryville Shooting Sports/Berryville Sr. 1
Huntsville High School/The Mighty Moose
Shiloh Christian School/Smokey Skyz
Alma Youth Trap Club/Annihilators
Greenwood Bulldogs/Pure Powder
The Russellville Shooting Team/Squad 5
God's Great Outdoors/Disintegrators 1
Minutemen/Bunker Boyz
Clarksville Panther Trap Team/Seniors
Shiloh Christian School/Clay Crushers
Accuracy In Motion/The Outlaws
West Region Junior Division qualifiers:
Accuracy in Motion/Gunsmoke
Berryville Shooting Sports/Berryville Jr. 2
Shiloh Christian/Blue Trappers
Berryville Shooting Sports/Berryville Jr 1
Greenwood Bulldogs/Pure Powder
Shiloh Christian/Trapping Daisies
Minutemen/Salv0
Bearcat Trap/4 Drakes and a Suzy
Hector Wildcats/ Hector Jr. Wildcats 1
The Russellville Shooting Team/Chinooks
Shiloh Christian/Clay Busters
O.Y.S.T/Oyst Jr. 1
Lamar Warriors/Orange Busters
Greenwood Bulldogs/Trap Attack
Shiloh Christian/Young Guns
Berryville Shooting Sports/Berryville Jr 3
For more information about AYSSP, a program of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, visit http://www.agfc.com/education/pages/educationprogramsayssp.aspx.