Raiders, Burnfield, Kalsey win WPIAL rifle medals
Submitted photo
Submitted photo
Waynesburg Central placed third in the WPIAL Rifle Championship held at Dormont/Mt. Lebanon Sportsman’s Club on Feb. 18. The Raiders finished with a team score of 798-47x. Members on the bronze medal winning team area (front row, from left) Talia Tuttle, Riley Reese, Hannah Heldreth, Grace Kalsey, Taylor Burnfield, Savannah Cumberledge, (back row, from left) coach Rich Rush, Taylor Wasson, Zach Wilson, Bryce Bedilion and Maddie Simpson.
Submitted photo
Submitted photo
Waynesburg Central’s Taylor Burnfield (left) placed third and Grace Kalsey finished sixth at the WPIAL Individual Rifle Championship held at Dormont/Mt. Lebanon Sportsmen’s Club on Feb. 18.
The aim was so true at the WPIAL Individual Rifle Championships last Friday at the Dormont/Mt. Lebanon Sportsmen’s Club the determining factor for the gold medal came down to center shots.
Bethel Park’s Travis Zeis, Hempfield’s Lydia Dunn and Waynesburg Central’s Taylor Burnfield all finished with a two-round total of 200-18x. Zeis hit six centers to win the gold medal, while Dunn found five centers for the silver.
Burnfield had two center shots to take the bronze medal.
The Raiders’ Grace Kalsey also found herself in a tie after she was one of four shooters to finish with a two-round total of 200-17x. Avella’s Alayna Walther and Butler’s Alexander Cottington both hit five centers and Kalsey hit three to finish sixth overall.
The top 16 finishers advanced to the state tournament. Waynesburg shot its individual and team rounds on Tuesday, but won’t know the results until late next week.
The Raiders just missed out on three state qualifiers after Bryce Bedilion scored 200-13x for 17th place.
“Bryce was the first person out, the spot no one wants to be,” said Waynesburg Central coach Rich Rush.
Butler’s Hayleigh Gorog (200-17x), McGuffey’s Gracie Stagon (200-16x), Dwight Logsdon (200-16x), and Aidan Tau (200-15x), Woodland Hills’ Henry Hilf (200-16x), Hempfield’s Logan McKivens (200-15x) and Rylee Loucks (200-14x), Mt. Lebanon’s Graceann Foster (200-14x), Trinity’s Angelina Cecchine (200-14x), and Upper St. Clair’s Bella Romann (200-14x) also qualified for the state tournament.
Waynesburg’s Hannah Heldreth (37, 199-13x) and Talia Tuttle (61, 198-11x) also had solid performances in the individual final.
Alexis Berdine (39, 199-13x), Hanna Toth (43, 199-12x), Owen Hughes (48, 199-11x), Alison Tuttle (60, 198-12x), and Brooke Miller (67, 197-11x) represented West Greene in the district championship.
Yough’s Walther Vinosky finished 77th with a two-round score of 194-12x.
The Raiders warmed up for the individual tournament by placing third in the team finals on Feb. 17.
Waynesburg finished with a team total of 798-47x, led by Bedilion’s 100-8x. Kalsey, Zach Wilson and Taylor Wasson all finished with 100-7x. Burnfield and Talia Tuttle scored 100-5x.
Savannah Cumberledge and Maddie Simpson both finished with 99-4x. Hannah Heldreth (98-3x) and Riley Reese (98-5x) did not count in the final total.
“That was our second-highest score of the year,” said Rush. “All 10 of mine had shot at least two 100s (in matches), but we couldn’t get all seven in the 100s. We’d finish with six 100s and two 99s.”
The entire rifle season was competed virtually, so the WPIAL tournaments were the first time most of the competitors shot away their home range.
“A lot of scores were down. This was the first time they shot in another range other than their home range,” explained Rush. “It was also the first time the kids shot against other kids.”
Hempfield, sparked by Logan McKivens’ 100-10x, won the team title with 799-60x. Trinity won silver with 798-57x.
Bethel Park (797-50x), Penn-Trafford (797-47x), Mt. Lebanon (795-58x), Butler (794-45x), McGuffey (791-34x), and Armstrong (786-44x) rounded out the team standings.