By Joseph P. Tartaro | Executive Editor
Minnesota high schoolers Woodrow Glazer, left, and Mason Milbrand, right, both shot perfect 200 scores during preliminary individual competition during the inaugural National Championships of the USA High School Clay Target League. (Photo courtesy USAHSCTL)
Woodrow Glazer from New Prague High School in Minnesota took home the National Championship title at the USA High School Clay Target League’s inaugural National Championship when the guns went silent on July 15 in Mason, MI.
Glazer shot a perfect 200×200 over the course of the individual Championship, in which nearly 1400 other competitors registered. The high-school junior held out against two other perfect shooters in a shoot-off to claim the crown.
Mason Milbrand from Norwood-Young America High School in Minnesota and Ethan Boettcher from St. Croix Central High School in Wisconsin also shot perfect 200×200 scores but were edged out by Glazer in the tie-breaking shootout. Milbrand dropped one target while Boettcher missed two.
St. Michael-Albertville High School, also from Minnesota, claimed the National Team Championship. The five-person team hit a total of 968 targets out of 1000, to beat 175 other teams over the course of the event. They edged out two other Minnesota high schools to capture the team title. Delano High School scored 959 targets during the two-day competition to take second place, while New Prague High School captured third place with a total score of 951 birds.
The 2018 USA High School Clay Target League National Championship is presented by NRA Sports and sponsored by the Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, SCHEELS, and Mark Zauhar.
Over 2,000 student athletes converged on Mason, Michigan the weekend of July 12th-15th to take part in the National Championship. Over 5,000 spectators also attended to watch the competition and cheer on their school’s representatives during the event, which also featured exhibitors, concessions, and a concert on opening day Thursday by country music artist Lucas Hoge.
The championship team squad and coach from St. Michael-Albertville High School in Minnesota. (Photo courtesy USAHSCTL)
“We had a fantastic time hosting our first-ever National Championship.” said Jim Sable, the founder and president of the USA High School Clay Target League. “Congratulations to all the participants, parents, coaches, and volunteers that made this event great!”
The USA High School Clay Target League is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and operates affiliate State High School Clay Target Leagues as the independent provider of shooting sports as an extracurricular co-ed and adaptive activity for high schools and students in grades six through 12 who have earned League-approved firearm safety certification. The organization’s priorities are safety, fun, and marksmanship—in that order.
The League is the safest sport in high school sports, with not one reported injury since the inception of the League in 2001. To participate in the League, each team must have the approval of their school’s administration. The League is the only 100% school-approved clay target shooting sport program in America.
Nationwide, more than 26,000 students participated on over 800 school-approved teams during the 2017-2018 school year.
For more info visit http://usaclaytargetchampionship.com
