In Perfect Company

Charles City trapshooters leave SCTP Nationals with honors, scholarships

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

Serious trapshooters, if they’re ambitious enough, will reach a level of competition where even hitting 200 of 200 clays won’t guarantee top honors.

Take the deadeye marksmanship displayed at the Scholastic Clay Target Program Nationals that took place in Marengo, Ohio on July 8-15.

Since graduated high school senior Luke Hillegas, who was part of a quintet representing Charles City, hit 195 of 200 clays over a two-day period.

“Luke shot pretty well for us,” Charles City trapshooting head coach Tim Laube said. “When you only miss five out of 200, that places you among the better shooters.

“But in the senior varsity division, you had two guys get 200s [another 200 in the senior jr. varsity division] and about five or six shoot 199s. That’s the way it is when you get down to nationals.”

The other Charles City shooters included Carter West, who hit 185 out of 200; Rebecca Tierney (184); Jacob “Shorty” Greenzweig (182) and Brenden Kvernevig (164).

With a total of 910 out of 1,000, Charles City placed 35th as a senior varsity team at nationals.

In a competition that attracted nearly 2,000 competitors from across the nation, two teams from Iowa placed in the top two in senior varsity: Ankeny Centennial (986) and North Scott (982).

“There was some stiff competition and the conditions were muggy and wet, but our kids did very well down there,” Charles City assistant coach Kevin Tierney said. “It was a week-long competition and there were other shooting events. We were just there for trapshooting, so we just shot for two days. But it was a good trip for the kids and the coaches.

“Watching the other events may help us in continuing to expand our program.”

During the SCTP Nationals Awards program, Hillegas and Rebecca Tierney, Kevin’s daughter, both received $1,000 SCTP Scholarships.

“It’s based on SCTP participation and performance, and academics,” Laube said. “They give out 105 of these scholarships a year and students from Iowa received 14 of them.

“We’re happy that Luke and Rebecca were part of that 14.”

Also at nationals, Hillegas and Greenzweig were named to the 2017 Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation and NRA Competitive Shooting Sports All Scholastic Team.

“It’s an honorary award, meaning no scholarship money came with it,” Laube said. “You had to have had at least a 3.0 grade point average, have shot at least 95-percent in competition and demonstrate outstanding community involvement to be considered.”

During the nationals, Greezweig had a perfect 50 of 50 round; Hillegas had four 25 of 25 rounds.

Rebecca Tierney and Kvernevig will both shoot trap for their respective Simpson and Iowa Central teams.

“I also see the others also being involved in the sport at some level in college,” Laube said. “That’s what you like to see as a coach.”

Though this high school season is officially over with, it’s likely you will see the aforementioned Charles City trapshooters in action as well as their former if not current teammates and coaches at this weekend’s second-annual “Shoot for a Cure” to raise support for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, July 29 (Saturday) at the Nashua Fish and Game Club, 3024 Addison Ave.

“And there’s also the ‘TJ’ Houdek tournament coming up (Aug. 12),” Kevin Tierney said of the second-annual event in memory of the former Charles City trapshooter who died in a motorcycle accident last year.