A group of area teenagers participated in the sport of clay shooting and showed some success throughout the summer.
Forming as “Target Ridge Clay Hunters”, the group competed in three State and National shoots in June and July.
Target Ridge traveled to Marengo, Ohio on June 18, to compete in the Ohio SCTP state shoot. Jaxon Rees won the Intermediate Advanced nonresident division and Clayton Bonnell was runner up in Intermediate Entry Level nonresident.
Target Ridge competed at the Jefferson Gun Club in Louisville, on June 23, in the state SCTP shoot. Preston Philpot won second-place overall and placed first in the Senior JV division, this qualified him for KY state team at SCTP Nationals. Philpot, Ethan Hunter and Hunter Habermehl place third as a team in the Senior JV division. Landon Sharp and Jordan McKinney also placed third place in Senior Varsity Division.
On July 3, Target Ridge traveled to Central KY Gun Club in Berea to compete in the KY AIM State shoot. Philpot placed fourth in Junior division after a 75-bird shoot off. Andrew Collins placed 3rd in Sub Junior after a shoot off. Sharp, Philpot, Ethan Scott, Habermehl and Collins won third-place team in the Junior division with 961 out of 1,000 targets hit. Scott won first place Class C and won the Clayburn Hunter Award. Habermehl was runner-up in the Class C.
Target Ridge traveled back to Marengo on July 20-21, to compete in the SCTP National shoot. This Year there were 1,912 competitors at this competition. Philpot finished 40th, Austin Collins 312th, Sharp 333rd,Rees 364th, Andrew Collins, 667th, Scott 1,294th andBonnell 1,677th. Philpot also competed on the KY National team which won first place in the Nation.
Target Ridge consists of 11 shooters from three counties; Bracken County, Mason County and Lewis County. Hailing from Bracken County are Jordan McKinney, Landon Sharp, Preston Philpot, Jaxon Rees, Clayton Bonnell and Braeden Riley. Mason County participants include Ethan Scott and Hunter Habermehl. Lewis County competitors are Austin and Andrew Collins. The team is coached by Jeff Rees, Alvin Staggs, Justin Rees and Brian Sharp. If anyone is interested in joining Target Ridge, visit their Facebook page: targetridgeclayhunters or text @targetri to 81010 to be added to the remind me app about upcoming events.
