Georgia students tops in multistate clay shooting competition

SOCIAL CIRCLE —Young shooters from Georgia took team and top individual honors at the recent second annual Southeastern Youth Clay Target Combine at the Palmetto Shooting Complex in Edgefield, S.C.

Gatewood School of Eatonton, comprising students Aaron Copelan, Baylor Garland and Nash Sinclair, took first place in the team competition with a score of 421. Copelan, with a score of 147, was the first-place male shooter in the competition, while First Presbyterian of Macon’s Dallas Ward, who scored a 139, was the high-scoring female shooter.

The multistate shotgun event allowed top varsity squads from Georgia, South Carolina and Mississippi to compete and represent their state, according to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division officials.

Participating schools brought 90 varsity student-athletes, making up 30 squads, from Independent School Associations within the three states. Each participant shot 150 total targets across three different shotgun disciplines: sporting clays, skeet, and trap.

The Southeastern Youth Clay Target Combine was tailored to grow shooting sports programs in the Southeast and simultaneously provide student-athletes the opportunity to compete outside state lines. The event was created by the Georgia WRD, working together with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. All participating student-athletes were required to have successfully completed and received certification from their state Hunter Education Program.

Team Results

— First Place: Gatewood School, Eatonton, Ga. (Score: 421) Aaron Copelan, Baylor Garland, Nash Sinclair

— Second Place: Mid-Carolina Gun Club, Orangeburg, S.C. (Score: 406) Madison Sharp, Conner Mills, Rich Mcfee

— Third Place: First Presbyterian, Macon, Ga. (Score: 402) Bryce Daniel, Tate Skipper, Dallas Ward

Highest Overall Male

— First Place: Aaron Copelan, 147, Gatewood School, Eatonton, Ga.

— Second Place: Andrew Weiche, 146, Windsor Academy, Macon, Ga.

— Third Place: Conner Mills, 142, Mid-Carolina Gun Club, Orangeburg, S.C.

Highest Overall Female

— First Place: Dallas Ward, 139, First Presbyterian, Macon, Ga.

— Second Place: Madison Sharpe, 136, Mid-Carolina Gun Club, Orangeburg, S.C.

— Third Place: Brianna Gibson, 132, Richland Creek Top Guns, Saluda, S.C.

For more information about scholastic clay target programs in Georgia, visit http://georgiawildlife.com/sctp.