Published in the Interest of the Staunton Community for Over 143 Years
Published in the Interest of the Staunton Community for Over 143 Years
Staunton Bulldogs trap and skeet team members are (front row) Collin Ray, Owen Rizzi, Troy Skinner, Caiden Crowe; (2nd row) Brent Warren, Tyler Bequette, Jake Wineburner, Emma Kolb, Tori Partridge; (3rd row) Drake Billings, Dalton Ondes, Cole Rucker, Logan Miersch, Carli Skinner; (back row) Braden Buffington, Riley Stipcak, Andrew Dustman, Eric Gusewelle, Zachary Painter, and Mason Horton.
Zack Painter (left) and Cole Rucker fist bump after shooting.
Colin Ray is on the mark for the Bulldog trap team.
Emma Kolb gets ready to compete for the Staunton Bulldogs trap team.
The Staunton High School trap and skeet teams successfully completed five weeks of competition in the Illinois State High School Clay Target League's 2022 fall season.
The fall league for trap shooting included 31 high school teams from across the state. These 31 teams were assigned to five conferences based on the size of the team. The fall league for skeet shooting included six high school teams from across the state. These six teams competed in one conference.
The Staunton High School trap team, which consists of 20 athletes in 6th to 12th grade, finished 3rd in their conference.
Individually, senior Andrew Dustman led the team with a 24/25 average and finished 3rd in the conference (male division) and 6th overall. Senior Zachary Painter was 2nd on the team with a 23/25 average, 7th in the conference (male division) and 18th overall. Sophomore, Cole Rucker was 3rd on the team with a 22.5/25 average and finished 15th in the conference (male division). Freshman, Emma Kolb finished 9th in the conference (female division) with a 18.2/25 average and sophomore Carli Skinner finished 11th in the conference (female division) with a 17.5/25 average.
In addition to the accomplishments listed above, Andrew Dustman and Zachary Painter both shot 50 straight during the trap fall league, and Andrew Dustman, Zachary Painter, Cole Rucker, Braden Buffington, Tyler Bequette, and Drake Billings shot at least one round of 25 straight during the trap fall league.
The Staunton High School skeet team, which consists of six athletes in the 10th to 12th grades, finished 2nd in the 2022 fall season.
Individually, senior Zachary Painter led the team with a 22.8/25 average and finished 2nd in the conference (male division) and 2nd overall. Junior Braden Buffington was 2nd on the team with a 21.8/25 average, 4th in the conference (male division), and 5th overall.
In addition to the accomplishments listed above, Zachary Painter and Braden Buffington each shot 25 straight during the skeet fall league.
During the fall season, the Staunton High School trap team was coached by volunteer coaches Art Partridge (head coach), Brian Johnston, Corey Painter, Bob Fritz, and Pat Wineburner. The skeet team was coached by volunteer coaches Corey Painter and Art Partridge.
The Staunton High School trap and skeet teams will continue their season when spring rolls around. They will compete in the 2023 Illinois Clay Target League with 45 athletes on the trap team and seven athletes on the skeet team.
The Staunton High School trap team, a 501(c)(3) organization, has been in existence since the spring of 2016 and the skeet team has been in existence since the spring of 2019. Both teams are members of, and compete in the Illinois State High School Clay Target League, which is a member of the USA High School Clay Target League. The league is an independent provider of clay target shooting sports as an extracurricular co-ed and adaptive activity for high schools and students in grades 6 through 12. The league's priorities are safety, fun, and marksmanship – in that order.
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