Claybreakers take first place at Lincoln competition
Saturday, March 23 the Lassen Grizzly Claybreakers converged on the Coon Creek Trap Club in Lincoln, California.
There were 227 shooters on hand with the Grizzlies ready to rock it.
It was a 100-target event with a possible team score of 500. For the varsity, Caleb Montgomery rocked it with a perfect 100 straight and landed himself first on the podium, followed by team captain Tyler Johnson and Zach Pettus shooting a pair of 96.5.
Then Hunter Smith and Jake McCart shot a pair of 95.5 to round out their high-five score, which is a combination of the top five scores between the JV and varsity scores.
Also for the varsity was Jewel Kerby, crushing 93 targets, Rylee McCart shot 91, Keegan Divine tallied 90. Wyatt Gould and Dillon Ross both with a pair of 88.5, Kendahl Loflin shot an 85, Bailey Spalding finished with 81, Morgan Rausch recorded 80 and Nate Biggs all gave the varsity Grizzlies the backup they needed.
The Varsity team score of 480 put the Grizzlies in first place, four targets ahead of Barean Christians score of 476 and eight targets ahead of third place Sutter’s 472 score.
For the JV team, captain Will Pickens smoked 92 targets, along with Aidan Adams. Michael Cizins and Daniel Jones finished with 89 respectively. Along with Austin Stephenson’s score of 86, rounded out the JV’s high-five.
Close behind was Titus Toscanao and Alexis Pickens with 85.5, Rylan Pickens shot 81, Katherine Baldwin finished with 80 followed by Dharma Jones, Chase Roby and Logan Growden gave the JV’s first place and a team score of 447.
JV finished 20 targets ahead of second place Sutter’s 427, and a whopping 33 targets ahead of third place Barean Christian’s 414.
Head coach, Phil Guisti, said, “For the first time in my life, I think I was speechless. My varsity ‘A’ squad consisting of Tyler Johnson, Caleb Montgomery, Zach Pettus, Hunter Smith and Rylee McCart shot a 123 score in the second round, and we all just had to do a group hug. Then they came back in round three and shot a 122!”
Coach Guisti continued, “I’ve only seen a 125 round once in my life and that was at a pro shoot. I know they do happen occasionally but it’s still pretty rare. Who knows with this varsity, we may see a 125 before the season’s over and I hope someone got a picture of that group hug.
“As for my JV’s after winning second place in that first shoot, two targets behind Barean. They decided second wasn’t good enough and went and won first by 20 targets, I couldn’t have been prouder of those young men and ladies pulling that off with their number one shooter Dylon Stark being sidelined by the flu going around the school. Montgomery was so sick he sat in the truck and slept all day when he wasn’t shooting. Hunter Smith had a torn shoulder muscle now that is team dedication. I don’t believe our varsity or JV’s can be beat this year.
“I want to recognize team parent Melissa Smith for her 2018 gun quilt drawing and Pheasants Forever for donating the gun, with the proceeds, Melissa was able to buy every student and coach team jackets and then pay all the entry fees for the Coon Creek shoot. The next stop is Carson City Saturday, April 6, and Las Vegas better watch out in July, because the Grizzlies are coming.”
