CEDAR FALLS — Competing in the 2017 Iowa State Trap Championships last Saturday, the Newton Trap Team had one full varsity squad and one full junior varsity squad. The high school shooters had a strong round of competition at state.
“Our team members shot some of their best scores of the season on Saturday, and we usually see that at the championships,” Newton Trap Team coach Paul Klein said. “There’s a lot of really good shooters in this program. It’s really impressive to see the scores being posted at the state trap championships.”
Newton’s varsity squad of seniors Brian Bleakney, Logan Zaabel, Nathan Tremel, Colton Kingery and Clay Trotter combined for a score of 819 out of a possible 1,000 targets. It finished 129th out of 172 varsity squads.
Dawson Cobler, another senior, posted Newton’s highest individual score in the varsity men’s division. Dawson hit 185 of 200 clay pigeon targets to finish 194th out of 855 shooters. Sophomore Brooke Grifford broke 171 of 200 targets to take 79th out of 243 shooters in the varsity women’s division.
“Dawson, Brooke, (senior ) Evan Cook and Nathan each shot their first 25 straight targets on Saturday. We had two members who only missed 15 birds out of 200 and finished 194th and 49th in the divisions,” Klein said. “That’s a good example of how tough the competition is at state.”
The Newton junior varsity squad of freshmen Brodee Vest, Ryan Brown, Landon Gearhart, Malarie Zach and Jarrett Antle combined for a 785 out of 1,000 targets for 39th place out of 62 squads.
Vest placed 49th out of 402 shooters in the junior varsity male division, hitting 185 of 200 targets. Zach was Newton’s top junior varsity female shooter, hitting 144 targets for 41st out of 96 shooters.
This Saturday the Newton Trap Team competes in the state sporting clays shoot in Oskaloosa. On June 24-25, it will conclude its postseason competing in the state skeet shoot at Waukee.
Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com