Photo by DAWN MARTEN

Members of the Crane Union High School Clay Target Team. Back row from L-R: Adam Thompson, Matthew Drushella, Emery Hammond, John Otley, Mountaineer Man, Brady Otley, Talon Dark, Coach Perry Robbins, and Preston Van Nice. Front row from L-R: Coach Connie Robbins, Drake Dark, Evan Marten, Cyrus Mocan, and Henry Starbuck.

The trapshooting season for the Crane Union High School (CUHS) Clay Target Team “loosely” begins in mid-January, with non-mandatory practices.

Coach Robbins always emphasizes that, “Though practices aren’t mandatory, to shoot well against the top shooters in the nation, you ‘gotta’ practice. You need to show up.”

This season brought forth some dedicated shooters who “showed up” and worked hard to do their best!

The team’s first competition was the Shamrock Shoot, which was held in LaGrande on March 12. The Crane Mustangs won the five-team competition, only three birds ahead of second-place Hermiston and five birds ahead of third-place Madras. Molalla and La grande placed fourth and fifth, respectively. Evan Marten (senior) shot a 25-straight and placed second in Men’s Varsity after a shoot off. Brady Otley (freshman) placed third in Men’s Novice.

The USA Clay Target League was started in 2007 when several Minnesota trapshooting ranges were closing at alarming rates. By 2001,10 percent of Minnesota’s ranges were closed, and the average age of shooters was 57. In order to save the sport, something had to be done to encourage youth to participate. Jim Sable was named Youth Program Director at the Plymouth Gun Club in Plymouth, Minn. and given the responsibility of attracting young people to the club and to the shooting sports.

When the president of the Plymouth Gun Club asked Sable where he would start, Sable said, “In the schools. That’s where the kids are.”

During the league’s first season (2007-2008), there were 30 participants and three teams in Minnesota. By the 2013-2014 season, the league expanded to two states with 7,046 participants shooting on 191 teams. The league has continued to grow to 34 states, 36,690 participants, and 1,310 teams in the 2020-2021 season! Oregon joined the league in 2016, and CUHS joined the numbers in 2017.

Crane’s 2022 regular season began the first week of April. Based on its number of members, the CUHS Clay Target Team was placed in the third conference. Crane’s team had 13 members this year, and Conference 3 hosts all teams that have 11 to 15 members. Eleven scores are used to calculate the team scores each week. The coaches report the weekly scores virtually by Saturday at 3 p.m. Central Standard Time. By Sunday evening, anyone can jump on the Oregon Clay Target website and view the standings. The Crane Mustangs started the season with a commanding lead over the Class 1A conference competition, which includes Cascade Christian, Dufur High, North Powder High, Pilot Rock High, Riverview High, and Siuslaw High. Crane kept its lead throughout the season, finishing first in Conference 3 with 2,882.5 points. Cascade Christian followed with 2,551.5 points. Preston Van Nice placed first in Conference 3, with an average score of 24.2 out of 25. Marten placed second with 23.8 out of 25. Lindsay Hill placed third in the ladies division with 16.5 out of 25. Many members improved greatly throughout the season.

The CUHS Clay Target Team had four All-State Team qualifiers. To qualify, an athlete must shoot in the top 50 of the state to earn a badge during the regular season. Crane had two top 10 athletes. Van Nice (junior) was fourth in the state, with an average of 24.2. Marten (senior) placed 10th, with an average of 23.8. Emery Hammond (junior) and John Otley (senior) also received All-State Team badges! This is a very difficult award to earn, and it takes a lot of effort to be named on the All-State Team.

The Oregon High School Clay Target State Tournament was held June 25-26 in Hillsboro. Due to the growing numbers of athletes, the competition was held for two days. The Class 1A tournament was on Saturday, and the Class 2A tournament was on Sunday. The Crane Mustangs placed fourth in state overall. Placing first was Rainier Jr./Sr. High with 470 points, Yamhill-Carlton High placed second with 460 points, Madras High placed third with 458 points, and only five birds behind was the Crane Mustangs with 453 points. A total of 25 teams participated in the state tournament in Class 1A. Logun Vitek (freshman) shot his personal best with an 84/100.

Regular-season averages are figured into the qualifications for Nationals. Five athletes must shoot a 19 out of 25 average to shoot at Nationals as a team, and individuals must shoot an average of 21 out of 25 to be invited to Nationals. The CUHS Clay Target Team sent five athletes to the USA Clay Target League Nationals Tournament in Mason, Mich. July 6-10. Crane had nine members qualify for the team event and eight members qualify for the individual events. Some of the top team members could not attend, allowing others to go in their place. Oregon sent six teams to compete as well as many individuals. Out of a total of 232 teams, Crane placed 151st overall. Only the top 80 teams could advance to the Nationals tournament on Sunday. Marten shot his first 50-straight, and Van Nice shot his first 100-straight!

Crane fared better in the individual competition. Only the top 400 out of 1,703 athletes could advance to the Nationals Tournament. Marten and Van Nice both shot a 97/100 to advance to the Nationals event.

Marten shot a 99/100 in the championship round, giving him a total of 196, and earning him 41st place. Had he shot “the one that got away”, he would have placed 11th overall.

When asked about his performance, Marten said, “I made a goal to be in the top 50, and I achieved that goal.”

Marten also earned his first 75-straight patch!

Van Nice ended the tournament with a 96/100, with a total of 191/200, placing him in 222nd place. This was a great improvement from the previous year!

Matthew Drushella placed 633rd, Adam Thompson placed 1,264th, and Ian Dawson placed 1,444th.This was Dawson’s first trip to Nationals.

When asked about this year’s competition, Coach Robbins said, “I’m very happy to see the dedication and effort these kids made this season. Their hardworking attitude and effort really made a difference in their performance! I’m proud of all our team members!”

The CUHS Clay Target Team is always looking for new members. If you attend Burns High School, Silvies River Charter School, or CUHS, you are eligible to participate. Please contact Connie Robbins at CUHS at 541-493-2642 extension 233 if you are interested in joining the team.