Greene County scholastic clay target team wins medals at state shoot
WAYNESBURG – Members of the Hunting Hills Hawkeyes, Greene County’s Scholastic Clay Target Program team, recently received awards during the Pennsylvania Scholastic Clay Target Program Sporting Clays Championship, held June 19 at Nemacolin Woodlands Shooting Academy in Farmington. The event involved more than 130 youth shooters from across the state competing in a 100-target shoot to determine state winners in four skill divisions. Thirty-seven Hunting Hills Hawkeyes members representing all five county school districts participated in the shoot, and 19 team members received medals.
The Hawkeyes took first through third place in the intermediate division. In first place was the squad consisting of Camryn Dugan of Waynesburg, Matthew Rush of Jefferson and Parker Woodring of Carmichaels. Second place went to the squad consisting of Cameron Kromar of Waynesburg, Jared Logue of Waynesburg and Timothy Spitznogle of Clarksville. Taking third place was the squad consisting of Kaitlin Conklin of Waynesburg, Tristan Kozel of Carmichaels and David Price of Waynesburg.
In the intermediate advanced division, the squad consisting of Andrew Buchtan of Greensboro, Tim Heldreth of Mt. Morris and Jacob Young of Waynesburg took fourth place.
The squad consisting of Jared Brewer of Morgantown, W.Va., Nicholas Clarke of Carmichaels and Jason Retucci of Fredericktown took third place in the junior varsity division.
In the varsity division, the squad consisting of Alexander Rush of Jefferson, Benjamin Sisler of Dilliner and Walter Young, Jr., of Waynesburg won second place. Lacey Mathews of Dilliner won the High Overall Lady award for her individual performance.
The Hawkeyes formed in February 2009 as part of a pilot Scholastic Clay Target Program in the county. More than 40 students in grades five through 12 participated in the program.
Last year, 24 members of the Hawkeyes competed in the state SCTP Sporting Clays Championship in Bloomsburg, Pa., with 10 members receiving medals for their performances.
The team’s home base of Hunting Hills is owned and operated by Sally and Roy Sisler, who first approached the Greene County Commissioners in 2008 about starting a Scholastic Clay Target Program. This year’s head coach was Chuck Mallory, who worked with 15 assistant coaches.
Nationally, the programs are sponsored by the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation. Locally, the Greene County Commissioners and the Department of Recreation sponsor the program with the mission of promoting the fundamentals of teaching young people about gun safety, teamwork and outdoor sports.
For more information on the Hunting Hills Hawkeyes, call the Department of Recreation at 724-852-5323.