Missouri FFA/High School Trap Championship draws 850 students

LINN CREEK, Mo. -- More than 85,000 shots rang out from the Missouri Trapshooters Association home grounds in Linn Creek on April 27 for the 26th Annual Missouri FFA and High School Trap Championship. More than 850 students from all over the state participated.

“Despite the rainy weather, we saw several perfect scores and many 99s,” said Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Education Outreach Coordinator Eric Edwards, who helped staff the event “We even had to have a shoot-off to decide placement in some divisions because of all the 100-out-of-100 scores these kids put up today.”

Austin Harris of St. Charles, Nate Carl of Liberty, Jess Johnson of St. Charles, Jonathon Wolf of Washburn, and Taylor Kennemer of Logan all had perfect scores for the day, forcing a shoot-off to decide the top overall shooter. After an additional three rounds of 25 clay birds, Johnson from the Gateway Claybusters of St. Charles came out on top with a 175 for 175 score.

Top honors for the Ladies Division went to Cecilia Young of House Springs with a score of 99 out of 100. The top scoring team was Gateway Claybusters Team Orange with a score of 496 out of 500.

MDC provides scorers each year for this event to help the Missouri Trap Association produce one of the most popular shoots in the state.

“The dedication of these young people amazes me,” said Edwards. “Some are here just to have a good time and socialize with other kids from around the state, while others get very serious about the competition aspect. We had several shooters who will be going to college next year on full-ride scholarships to compete on a collegiate level in the shotgun sports.”

He added, “These outstanding youth along with their dedicated coaches, show that not only is Missouri a great place to hunt and fish, but a great place to enjoy shooting sports too!”

A complete list of scores can be found online at motraps.com/2013youthINFO-HS.asp.