By Brenda Erdahl
The Maple Lake High School trap team travelled to Michigan for three days of competition, July 12-14 at the National Championships.
Two Irish made it to the finals – Jakob Hickman and Kalli Hennen.
The team finished in 233rd place the first day of competition, Friday, July 12 led by Hickman with a score of 96. Dylan Hennen shot an 86, Joe Neutz 83, Joe Novotny 82, and Dalton Kerkow shot 71 for a total team score of 418.
After shaking off their nerves Friday, Saturday’s individual qualifiers went much better and everyone improved their scores, Coach Brad Neutz said.
Kalli Hennen led the Irish with a 95 and a reverse run of 39. This gave Kalli a 394th place finish and earned her a trip to the finals. The top 400 individuals qualify for the finals.
Kallie went on to shoot a 90 the following day, finishing in 370th place overall. She also finished in 36th place for female shooters and won a 25 straight badge.
Hickman also shot a 95, but with a reverse run of 12 to narrowly miss qualifying for the finals. He finished in 456th place and earned a 25 straight badge.
Dylan Hennen shot a 93, Joe Neutz shot 88, Joe Novotny shot 83- reverse run 5, and Dalton Kerkow finished with an 83-reverse run 1.
“Despite some nerves on day 1, the Irish came back on day 2 and competed strong,” Coach Neutz said. “Each year we are seeing the competition increase, higher standards to qualify, and more demands on the shooters. It’s fun to see the sport grow.”
The Irish will compete again in fall league in September.
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