Athletes Shoot Through the Rain at State Championships

Remnants of Hurricane Cindy dumped rain on competitors Thursday and Friday but they continued to shoot, unfazed, through it all.

Tennessee’s Scholastic Clay Target Program is one of the largest in the nation; its State Championships is among the nation’s premier amateur shotgun shooting sport competitions.

More than 1,300 youth athletes, from middle school to college, participated in the 2017 Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program State Championships on June 20–24 in Nashville.

The State Championships spanned five full days of co-ed competition in three shotgun shooting sports disciplines: trap, skeet, and sporting clays. Individuals and teams from all corners of the state competed for titles in nearly 70 categories.

“Every year, we’re impressed with the commitment of our student athletes—and the coaches and parents who support them. But this year hit a new high,” said Andrew Peercy, Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program Manager. “The remnants of Hurricane Cindy dumped rain on competitors Thursday and Friday but they continued to shoot, unfazed, through it all.”

The governing body of the sport in Tennessee is the Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program, an initiative of Tennessee Wildlife Federation. Tennessee Wildlife Federation is one of the largest and oldest nonprofits dedicated to the conservation of Tennessee’s wildlife and natural resources. Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program introduces youth to the shooting sports and recruits them into an outdoor lifestyle.

“Our winners embody discipline and we’re excited to see many move on to Nationals the week of July 10,” said Peercy. “But all of our competitors represent the future of outdoor enthusiasts in Tennessee and, by extension, the future of our state’s wildlife.”

Hunters and anglers are the main source of funding wildlife conservation in Tennessee and are leading advocates for policies that promote good stewardship of our natural resources. But for every ten sportsmen today, only seven are growing up to take their place.

2017 State Championships Winners

SKEET

Rookie/Intermediate Grand Champion

Single highest individual score.

Archer Reese on Monroe County team (Monroe Co.)

Junior Varsity/Varsity Grand Champion

Single highest individual score.

Grayson Robinson on Haywood Young Guns (Haywood Co.)

Rookie Team

1. South Gibson County Shooting Sports (Gibson Co.)
2. McKenzie Shooting Sports (Carroll Co.)
3. Southern Shooting Sports (Montgomery Co.)

Intermediate Entry Level Team

1. Haywood Young Guns (Haywood Co.)
2. Franklin High School (Williamson Co.)
3. Zion Christian Academy 4-H Shooting Sports (Maury Co.)

Intermediate Advanced Team

1. Str8 Shooters Clay Team (Hamilton Co.)
2. Monroe County (Monroe Co.)
3. Henry Co. No Fly Zone (Henry Co.)

Junior Varsity Team

1. Spring Hill Clay Target Team (Maury and Williamson Co.)
2. N2Dust Shotgun Sports (Knox Co.)
3. Str8 Shooters Clay Team (Hamilton Co.)

Varsity Team

1. Henry Co. No Fly Zone (Henry Co.)
2. Southern Shooting Sports (Montgomery Co.)
3. Haywood Young Guns (Haywood Co.)

Collegiate Team

1. Bethel University (Carroll Co.)
2. University of Tennessee – Martin (Weakley Co.)
3. Roane State Community College Raiders (Roane Co.)

SPORTING CLAYS

Rookie/Intermediate Grand Champion

Single highest individual score.

Blythe Booker on Str8 Shooters Clay Team (Hamilton Co.)

Junior Varsity/Varsity Grand Champion

Single highest individual score.

Jordan Osborne on County Wide Shooting Sports (Giles Co.)

Rookie Team

1. McKenzie Shooting Sports (Carroll Co.)
2. Southern Shooting Sports (Montgomery Co.)
3. South Gibson County Shooting Sports (Gibson Co.)

Intermediate Entry Level Team

1. Franklin High School (Williamson Co.)
2. Dickson Clay Commanders (Dickson Co.)
3. Clarksville Clay Target Association – No Option (Montgomery Co.)

Intermediate Advanced Team

1. Str8 Shooters Clay Team (Hamilton Co.)
2. William Blount Shooting Team (Blount Co.)
3. Clarksville Clay Target Association – No Option (Montgomery Co.)

Junior Varsity Team

1. Str8 Shooters Clay Team (Hamilton Co.)
2. Southern Shooting Sports (Montgomery Co.)
3. South Gibson County Shooting Sports (Gibson Co.)

Varsity Team

1. County Wide Shooting Sports (Giles Co.)
2. Str8 Shooters Clay Team (Hamilton Co.)
3. Southern Shooting Sports (Montgomery Co.)

Collegiate Team

1. Bethel University (Carroll Co.)
2. Roane State Community College Raiders (Roane Co.)
3. University of Tennessee – Martin (Weakley Co.)

TRAP

Rookie/Intermediate Grand Champion

Single highest individual score.

Dakota Duke on Dickson Clay Commanders team (Dickson Co.)

Junior Varsity/Varsity Grand Champion

Single highest individual score.

Hunter Phillips on T-County Clay Busters team (Tipton Co.)

Rookie Team

1. McKenzie Shooting Sports (Carroll Co.)
2. South Gibson County Shooting Sports (Gibson Co.)
3. Southern Shooting Sports (Montgomery Co.)

Intermediate Entry Level Team

1. Coffee County Middle Claybusters (Coffee Co.)
2. Hardin County HITMEN (Hardin Co.)
3. Collierville High School Trap Team (Shelby Co.)

Intermediate Advanced Team

1. Hardin County HITMEN (Hardin Co.)
2. First Assembly Christian School Trap (Shelby Co.)
3. Henry Co. No Fly Zone (Henry Co.)

Junior Varsity Team

1. Middle Tennessee Christian School (Rutherford Co.)
2. Christian Brothers High School Brothers in Arms (Shelby Co.)
3. Dickson Clay Commanders (Dickson Co.)

Varsity Team

1. Hardin County HITMEN (Hardin Co.)
2. South Gibson County Shooting Sports (Gibson Co.)
3. Cumberland County Clay Crushers (Cumberland Co.)

Collegiate Team

1. Bethel University (Carroll Co.)
2. University of Tennessee – Martin (Weakley Co.)
3. Roane State Community College Raiders (Roane Co.)

COMBINED HIGHEST OVERALL

Awarded to the individuals and teams who shoot the highest score totaled from all three disciplines.

Rookie Individual

1. Isaiah Weakley on Southern Shooting Sports team (Montgomery Co.)
2. Andrew Hubbard on Franklin High School team (Williamson Co.)

Rookie Team

1. McKenzie Shooting Sports (Carroll Co.)
2. South Gibson County Shooting Sports (Gibson Co.)

Intermediate (Entry Level and Advanced) Individual

1. Blythe Booker on Str8 Shooters Clay Team (Hamilton Co.)
2. Todd Hitch on William Blount Shooting Team (Blount Co.)

Intermediate (Entry Level and Advanced) Team

1. Henry Co. No Fly Zone (Henry Co.)
2. Clarksville Clay Target Association – No Option (Montgomery Co.)

Varsity (Junior Varsity and Varsity) Individual

1. Jordan Osborne on County Wide Shooting Sports team (Giles Co.)
2. John Michael Baggett on Southern Shooting Sports team (Montgomery Co.)

Varsity (Junior Varsity and Varsity) Team

1. Str8 Shooters Clay Team (Hamilton Co.)
2. County Wide Shooting Sports (Giles Co.)