CLAY TARGET TEAM – Front from left: Kyle Holz, Cody Mosher, Josh Fleming, Tyler Raimann, Cordell Peterson, Dustin Esplan, Haylie Mosher, Larissa Peterson and Emily Habeck. Back: Kirsten Olsen, Nathan Hager, Tyler Holz, Frank Altrichter, Travis Callahan, Zach Edon, Tyler Logan, Ryan Schlaak, Brandon Hager and Geoff Ramaker. Not pictured: Todd Erickson. (Submitted photo)
The NRHEG Clay Target Team, now in its second year, traveled to Alexandria, MN for the 2012 State Clay Target team competition. More than 900 student athletes were present at state this year, making it the single largest trapshooting event of any kind in the state of Minnesota.
This is indicative of a league that in five years has grown from three teams in 2008 to 57 teams in 2012. This year, the NRHEG group brought 16 shooters to the event, which is broken up into the three divisions of Novice, Junior Varsity, and Varsity.
In the Novice division, Ryan Schaak and Tyler Raimann represented the team. Tyler, who is the team's winner of the Most Improved Shooter award, scored 54 out of 75 targets, which placed the 7th grader in the top third of all novice shooters. Junior Varsity fielded Emily Habek, Kirsten Olsen, Larissa Peterson, Haylie Mosher, Josh Fleming, Kyle Holz, and Cordell Peterson.
All seven shooters shot at or above their average, and in some cases set personal bests. Cordell Peterson, also a 7th grader, was the high shooter for the NRHEG JV with a score of 78/100. Emily Habek was the high female shooter for the team with a 73/100, which also placed her in the top 15 of all female shooters.
The Varsity team was represented by Cody Mosher, Brandon Hager, Nathan Hager, Todd Erickson, Tyler Holz, Tyler Logan and Frank Altrichter. Cody led this team and most of the field with a very impressive 97 out of 100 targets hit. This had him in the running for top gun for most of the day. He eventually ended up in a tie for fifth place overall.
Mosher, a senior, was also the team’s Top Shooter this year, posting a season average of 20.38 out of a possible 25 targets hit per round and he received recognition from the league for three perfect rounds of 25 targets hit.
“All in all, it was a very good run for the team at state, which made up for a somewhat disappointing season in which the team finished sixth in the conference,” said coach Dan Sorum.
Aside from the two top shooter awards, the team also awarded letters to seven students: Frank Altrichter, Zach Edon, Todd Erickson, Dustin Esplan, Brandon Hager, Nathan Hager and Cody Mosher.
