Comet senior trapshooter Carter West 2nd at CC Invitational

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

NASHUA — Aside from the sun shining and not snowing for a change, the conditions for the Charles City Trapshooting Invitational, Saturday at the Nashua Fish and Game Club were far from perfect.

When squads were not shooting, they often took refuge in the clubhouse, or huddled closely around their team vans to avoid being a target for the bone-chilling wind.

Thus, it wasn’t a surprise that the not-so-perfect weather didn’t yield any perfect rounds from the participants.

But there were several impressive scores from those who were able to shoot through the breeze.

Charles City senior Carter West tied New Hampton’s Karson Crooks with a 47-of-50 round to pace all shooters.

West, who’s not only proficient at shooting clay birdies but also provides bird’s-eye view services as a drone operator and photographer, lost the subsequent shoot-off with Crooks and settled for second place.

New Hampton’s Jordan Holthaus tied Chickasaw teammate Cameron Mass and Lucas Rogers from Osage with a 46 round before winning the subsequent shoot-off for third place.

Holthaus also shot a 25-of-25 shoot-off round to help New Hampton Red break a tie with New Hampton Black for top team honors. Both teams had shot 223 team scores.

Osage 1 placed third with 221.

Katie Holschlag of New Hampton topped the girls shooters with a 46 followed by runner-up Jodie Popp of Osage who hit 44 clays.

Charles City senior Bailee Bortz’s 42 score tied Saint Ansgar’s Emma Rosonke and New Hampton’s Barbera Schwickerath. Rosonke won the subsequent shoot-off for the third-place medal.

“I though we shot well but we could have shot better,” said CC/N-P head coach Tim Laube, whose best squad compiled a 208 score for fifth place.

“The weather could have been better,” Laube said. “It’s better to struggle a little now than later when the conditions get better.”