Christenson 10th among individuals
STATE SHOOTERS — Participants for the MSHSL State Tournament on June 25, Tory Christenson, Zachary Eustice, Alex Romer, Noah Lund, Collin Christenson, Kyle Bartz, Tanner Alfson. (Submitted photo)
It was a very busy and highly competitive week for the NRHEG clay target team.
They had to compete for their class title, qualify for the state tournament, and then compete in said tournament. It began Monday, June 20 as 44 team members traveled to Alexandria for the Class 7A Championship.
Unlike other sports, clay target teams compete by classes, one per day for eight days, for the right to compete as a whole league at the state tournament. Additionally, at the class championship, shooters are divided into skill levels including novice, junior varsity, and varsity. Finally, the top five scores for all shooters are used to determine who advances to the MSHSL State Tournament.
The NRHEG squad saw success at both JV and varsity levels. The JV was in 6th place after the first round of 50 targets each but then put on a very impressive showing in the second round to capture the title. The JV kids were led by Alex Dobberstein, a NRHEG sixth-grader, and senior Treavor Hoffman of Albert Lea, both shooting 87/100. This led the JV to a final score of 425, seven better than the second-place East Grand Forks.
The varsity shooters were also successful as they finished second with a score of 468. They were led by Collin Christenson (NRHEG) who turned in a score of 97/100. Most importantly, the team score was also enough to place the squad second overall behind St. Michael- Albertville's 471 to qualify for the State Tournament. Wayzata was third with a score of 467.This is the second time the team has qualified for state. They qualified in 2014 for the inaugural event, first of its kind in the nation, but missed qualifying in 2015.
On Saturday, June 25 the team traveled to the Minneapolis Gun Club in Prior Lake for the state tournament. Thirty-eight teams from eight classes qualified. Each team had to designate a five-person team with two alternates. The NRHEG team was formed by the individual five-week season and their scores from Alexandria. This meant the team would be represented by Collin Christenson (NRHEG), Kyle Bartz (Waseca), Zachary Eustice (Waseca), Noah Lund (Waseca), and Alex Romer (Albert Lea). Tory Christenson (NRHEG) and Tanner Alfson (Albert Lea) were the alternates. Tyler Raimann (NRHEG) was in the top five averages but had to drop out due to a conflict. The team had a rough first round, scoring just a 226, led by Romer with a 47/50. This score meant they were in 11th place after round one in a tie with Medford. St. Michael-Albertville and Bemidji led with 238. The second round was not as troubling as the NRHEG five put together one of their best rounds of the season and second-best round on the day with a 242.
"It was a huge round for the team," said coach Dan Sorum. "They really needed that round to stay competitive." It was indeed very competitive as the team found themselves in second place behind the eventual winners from New Prague, who had notched 480. But, the NRHEG team would slowly see their 468 drop to third as St. Michael turned in a 471 and then fourth when Bemidji squeaked past them with a 470.
"They may have finished two points out of trophy status but their finish was a sight to see. They can hold their heads high,” said Sorum.
The team was led overall by Romer with a score of 96.
In the afternoon it was the individual shoot.
NRHEG had two shooters qualify. Collin Christenson and Kyle Bartz were making return trips. Collin couldn't quite match his season average, but still notched a 97/100, which put him in the 10th spot overall. He hit his last 70 targets in a row and missed a medal by just one point. Kyle, who turned in an average of 23.9, second best in team history, scored a 96 which placed him in a tie for 14th. The top shooter from Kimball scored a perfect 100. Christenson and Bartz improved significantly from their previous trip to state two years prior.
At the end of the day, while the team did not manage to bring home any hardware, they did compete very well, according to Sorum.
“Congratulations to the whole team for your conference championship, your finishes at the Class 7A Championship, and your fourth-place finish at state,” said the coach.
The team would like to thank all their supporters and sponsors that make it possible for everyone to participate at a significantly low cost. Those sponsors are Freeborn Construction - Albert Lea, Waseca County Pheasants Forever, New Richland Fire Department, L&D Ag Service - Hartland, Dobberstein Backhoe - New Richland, Wilton River Long Spurs - New Richland, Tim Raimann Construction - New Richland, Southern Seed Service - Doug Christopherson - New Richland, Pioneer Seed - Scott Routh - New Richland, Olson Excavating - Hartland, Quad Graphics - Waseca, New Richland Area Sportsmen's Club, Pioneer Seed - Brian Wayne - Ellendale, Cabela's - Owatonna, Dave's Body Shop - Waseca, Express Power Washers - Blooming Prairie, Geneva Lumber - Geneva, State Farm - Randy Cirksena - Albert Lea, Jeff Sampson - Waseca, Winegar - Waseca, Golf Carts and More - Owatonna, Colony Court - Waseca, Central Farm Service - Owatonna, Ellendale Geneva Area Sportsmen's Club, Jerry Raetz Masonry - Waseca, Sportsman Stop - Waseca, Roesler Seed - Minnesota Lake, Taco John's - Waseca, Abelman's Apple Creek Orchard - Faribault, Misgen Auto Parts - Ellendale, and Sorenson's Appliance & TV - Geneva.
A special thank you goes to the Owatonna Gun Club for allowing the team to compete at their range at a reduced rate. Finally, thank you to the coaches and parents who make it possible for the students to participate in this fast growing and exciting sport.