TCU clay shooters do well at state tournament

Three shooters from Tri-City United competed in the 2013 Minnesota State High School Clay Target Tournament from June 7 to 9.

 

Ninth graders Justin Fogarty and Isaac Young, and 8th grader Grant Fogarty, were the TCU Titans who participated in the tournament. The three have spent the spring season as members of the New Prague High School Trap Team. The NPHS Activities Department accepted the three shooters in a cooperative agreement  in March.

 

The team of 46 athletes has been practicing at the Montgomery Trap Range, the Horse and Hunt Club of Prior Lake, and the Minneapolis Gun Club of Prior Lake since February.

 

The season’s scores placed the Titans on the junior varsity team, which finished in 17th place at the tournament out of 73 JV teams. 

 

Grant Fogarty was the highest scorer of TCU students with an 83 out of 100 targets hit, ranking him at 16. Justin hit 79 for a rank of 20, and Young hit 61 and ended with rank of 38 out of 60.

 

There were 1,869 youth who participated in the tournament.

 

Coach Paul Dietz complimented the team for braving the elements that weren’t conducive to clay shooting.

 

“Good Job! Despite the wind and rain, the junior varsity team finished in the top 25 percent of all the competing teams. The varsity team finished in the top third,” he said. “Of the 39 team members who participated (in varsity and JV), 21 recorded personal bests out of 25 shots (both Fogartys and Young achieved this), and 22 personal bests out of 50 shots. 

 

The coach added that there were others who came very close to a personal best, and overall the team had many successes this season.

 

The Fogarty’s father, Joel, also helped coach the team during the season.

 

Brendan McCabe from Hastings High School won the tournament after he and five other shooters tied with a 98 score. The tie ended in a sudden victory shootoff in the tournament’s overall high gun competition.

 

This is the third year that the Trojans are competing in the MSHSCTL (Minnesota State High School Clay Target League). With 46 athletes, the team has more than doubled in size and is comprised of seven seniors, three juniors, 11 sophomores, 15 freshman, five eighth graders and five seventh graders.

 

Trap shooting is the fastest growing high school sport in the state. This year more than 3,400 athletes will compete for more than 114 schools.