The road to the 2024 Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program State Championships began last week with the Regional Championships held across multiple locations from May 30 to June 2.
These preliminary events allowed athletes to showcase their skills before the big event at the end of the month.
Across the four regions, 1,292 total athletes from 81 teams battled rainy weather during the weekend. Over the four days of competition, trap had the highest participation numbers with 1,274, followed by sporting clays with 631, and lastly, skeet with 583.
No matter their chosen discipline, Eric Sims, a Columbia Academy GunDawgs coach, underscores the Regional Championships’ importance in athlete development.
“It’s really the first taste of a large competition for the first-year [athletes] and they get to see what it’s all about before State. A big motivator for them is taking the podium or seeing their teammates take it,” said Sims. “As for the more experienced athletes, Regionals gives them a good feel of what they need to go back home and work on.”
Following these competitions, Sims and his fellow coaches have already shifted their focus to preparing their team for the next challenge—State Championships.
“We had a quick coaches meeting on Sunday,” said Sims. “We looked at how we stacked up against our competition and our averages and from there we devised a practice plan based on that for State.”
Eyes on the Big Prize
For athletes aiming to compete at the highly anticipated Tennessee SCTP State Championships on June 17-22 at the Nashville Gun Club, participation in the Regional Championships was mandatory. Performances from last week have set high expectations for the upcoming State Championships.
“We’re on track to have our largest participation numbers ever at State and from what we saw at Regionals, it looks like it’s going to be an exciting six days of competition.”
Ashley Tone, Program Manager
Below are the High Over All winners in each region. To see the full list of winners click here.
High Over All
Awarded to the individuals and teams who shot the highest score totaled from all three disciplines.
Rookie Ladies
Region 1: Peyton Hilliard, McKenzie Shooting Sports (239)
Region 2: Audra Murphy, Middle Tennessee Christian School (139)
Region 3: Abigail Burgess, Cumberland County Youth Shooting Sports (159)
Region 4: N/A
Rookie Men
Region 1: Ryan Scott, T-County Clay Busters (233)
Region 2: Peyton Lawrence-Adams, Nashville Gun Club Juniors (229)
Region 3: Jackson Houser, Str8 Shooters Clay Team (208)
Region 4: Liam Lawson, East Tennessee Straight Shooters (248)
Intermediate (Entry Level and Advanced) Ladies
Region 1: Taylor Hilliard, McKenzie Shooting Sports (263)
Region 2: Abbe Blaine, Clarksville Academy (185)
Region 3: Emma Watson, Monroe County (200)
Region 4: Lauren McCown, Unaka Shooters (226)
Intermediate (Entry Level and Advanced) Men
Region 1: Cooper Carver, Henry Co No Fly Zone (272)
Region 2: Channing Garrett, HSSC Crush (283)
Region 3: Ian Fife, Str8 Shooters Clay Team (288)
Region 4: Scott Dunn, Unaka Shooters (276)
Intermediate (Entry Level and Advanced) Team
Region 1: Henry Co No Fly Zone (969)
Region 2: HSSC Crush (941)
Region 3: Cumberland County Youth Shooting Sports (831)
Region 4: Unaka Shooters (950)
Varsity Ladies
Region 1: Morgan Hilliard, McKenzie Shooting Sports (269)
Region 2: Gabby Worthen, Dickson Clay Commanders (280)
Region 3: Abby Tower, Cumberland County Youth Shooting Sports (259)
Region 4: Isabella Carr, Warriors (263)
Varsity Men
Region 1: Joshua (Wyatt) Poole, Haywood Young Guns (274)
Region 2: Taylor Sims, Columbia Academy GunDawgs (289)
Region 3: Cylas Prince, Monroe County (278)
Region 4: Luke Lankford, Warriors (286)
Varsity Team
Region 1: Henry County No Fly Zone (1,010)
Region 2: Columbia Academy GunDawgs (1,029)
Region 3: Cumberland County Youth Shooting Sports (986)
Region 4: Unaka Shooters (1,023)
