Perfect shot: Koebrick hits 50-of-50 to win St. Ansgar Trapshooting Invitational title

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

OSAGE — Hunter Koebrick was one of the best bowlers on Charles City’s Sub-state champion bowling team, but he has yet to roll a perfect game.

Koebrick is not quite considered the top gun on the Charles City/Nashua-Plainfield trapshooting team, but it’s in this sport that he’s attained elusive perfection.

“I don’t know what got into me,” the Charles City senior said after shooting 50 of 50 clay pigeons out of the sky while earning top individual honors at the Saint Ansgar Invitational, Saturday at the Mitchell County Trap Range.

“I really haven’t been shooting well this week,” said Koebrick, who recently hit only 31 out of 50 targets at the New Hampton Invitational. “It’s been a real struggle … shooting in the low 30s and all that.

“I guess I was more focused today.”

It was the first time Koebrick has ever gone 50-of-50, though such marksmanship is not uncommon amid the CC/N-P team.

“We have several shooters who’ve already gone 50 of 50 … more than once,” said Koebrick, who had to be reminded that he was the first one on his team to achieve a perfect round this season.

To note, Charles City had two shooters record near-perfect 49 scores at MCTR — Dan Swartzrock and Shau Landt.

Having only one perfect round thus far this season is alright with CC/N-P head coach Tim Laube, who has said he’d rather have his shooters peak late in than early.

“We’re about where we should be right now,” said Laube, who had two squads shoot in the 220s at the invite — Jacob Greenzweig (48) Nicholas Wegner (48), Izzy Worrall (47), Aaron Wright (42) and Luke Hillegas (40) for Charles City No. 1 (225), which placed second; and Bailee Bortz (47), Carter West (45), Rebecca Tierney (44), Bryce Hamm (43) and Sydney North (41) for Charles City No. 2 (220), which placed fifth.

A third Charles City team consisting of Koebrick, Swartzrock, Dylan Bilharz (45), Brenden Kvernevig (37) and Ciana Sonberg (36) placed sixth with a 217 total.

“I’m very happy with the way we’ve progressed since the start of the season,” Laube said

St. Ansgar fielded a squad that posted a first-place 230 score which included a near-perfect 49 round from Emma Walling, who was the girls individual champion.

Worrall and Bortz had a shootout round to determine the girls runner-up.

“It was Bailee’s first shootout, and Izzy has been in quite a few so she had experience on her side,” Laube said of the added round, which Worrall won.

“Shau and Dan were also in a shootout for the first time,” Laube said of Landt and Swartzrock eventually placing third and fourth, respectively. “So now they know how it feels to be out there with just one or two others shooters and a big crowd watching them.”