Freshman Zach Hinze competed at the home opener
Courtesy | Daniel Johnson
The Hillsdale shotgun team filled the podium in the Chargers Classic NCSA competition at the John Halter Shooting Center over the weekend.
The Chargers competed in three different sporting clays events Sept. 12-14, vying for the top spots in each.
“We had a lot of good scores spread across the entire team,” freshman Zach Hinze said. “I’d say overall it was a big success for everyone.”
Junior Luke Johnson won the 100 preliminary sporting clays event overall and in the junior division after hitting 99 out of 100 targets in the event on Friday. Freshman David Texas Ardis (97/100) placed third overall and second in the junior division Master Class. Senior Jordan Sapp (95/100) in AA Class, senior Kyle Fleck (95/100) in A Class, and sophomore Taylor Dale (92/100) in B Class, won their classes in the same event.
“It was almost a perfect score on the first event,” Hinze said. “That was a really cool thing.”
In the Fiocchi Main Event on Saturday and Sunday, Ardis led the Chargers by shooting 177 out of 200 targets. Winning their divisions were sophomore Nathaniel Meloro (175/200) in A Class and junior Alex Hoffman (168/200) in B Class.
In the Pacific Sporting Arms FITASC on Saturday and Sunday, Ardis again led the Chargers by shooting 90 out of 100 targets, placing second overall. Winning their divisions were Hinze (84/100) in A Class and Hoffman (80/100) in B Class.
Sporting clays, the type of shooting involved in all three competitions, involves shooting at a variety of targets coming from different directions at different speeds without the shooter’s knowledge beforehand.
According to sophomore Marin McKinney, competing in sporting clays helps shotgun athletes from every discipline sharpen their skills.
“Sporting clays helps you in all different disciplines because it helps with your reaction time,” McKinney said. “It helps you figure out how to gauge speed with different targets and distances.”
Hinze said the competition helped sharpen the team for the rest of the season.
“It definitely shows where we’re kind of lacking,” Hinze said. “So when we get to nationals next semester, we can be better prepared.”
According to head coach Jordan Hintz, the ultimate goal of this preparation is to continue the Hillsdale shotgun team’s legacy of excellence.
“This season, the ultimate goal is to win another team-high overall national championship,” Hintz said.
The shotgun team will host the Klix Memorial Sporting Clays Shoot this Saturday, Sept. 20, at the Halter Center.
