May 9, 2018
Jim Harris Managing Editor Arkansas Wildlife Magazine
JACKSONVILLE – Gilson Elam was a perfect 50-for-50 and Jagger East, John Cox and Jonah Rathburn hit a combined 146 targets out of 150 attempts in leading the Texarkana Arkansas Razorback Trap Team’s Red Squad to the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program’s South Senior Regional championship last Saturday, May 5, at the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation Shooting Sports Complex.
With Riley Bennett chipping in with a 45-for-50 day, Texarkana Red totaled 241 out of a possible 250 targets to win the regional easily. The Razorback Trap Team’s other entry, the White Squad, looked like it had third place sewn up until the late going, when Ashdown’s Senior Team hit 231 targets to capture second place and bump the Texarkana White out of the top three finishers. Third place went to the Lakeside Angry Birds Black Birds squad, whose five shooters hit 229 targets and edged Texarkana White and its 227 total.
Those four squads and the other 12 teams that made up the top 16 finishers from Saturday’s regional advance to the Senior State Championship here on June 2.
Elam and Corbin Cooper of Mount Ida were the only two shooters to post perfect scores Saturday. They join Chase Wiggins of the Booneville Bearcats Trap Team 1 and Hunter Depew of the Berryville Shooting Sports Baby Bandits as perfect shooters through two weeks of competition, and they will meet in the Senior Tournament of Championships following team action June 2.
Friday’s action, under cloudy and sometimes drizzly conditions, saw the Nashville Scrapper Trap Team No. 1 take the AYSSP’s South Junior Region title. Nashville's five shooters amassed 116 of 125 possible points Friday, led by Tanner Harris' perfect 25 targets hit.
Magnolia Team 22 finished in second place by hitting 110 targets out of 125 shots. The Junk Yard Dawgs, part of the White Hall Bulldogs shooting program, edged out Fouke Junior No. 1 by one target, securing third place with 106 points. The top 16 teams in Friday's action advance to the Junior State Championship on June 1 here.
Harris was the only shooter Friday to hit all targets, and he advances to the Junior Tournament of Champions event June 1. He'll join four perfect shooters from last week's West Junior Region tournament.
Two more regions, East (May 11-12) and North (May 18-19), will be contested in the next two weekends. Complete team and individual results can be found on the AGFC website at www.agfc.com/ayssp/. The competition is open to all spectators and there is no admission charge.