More than 230 youths compete in skeet, sporting clays and trap shooting championships

Clay Hernandez of Marana takes aim at the skeet championships in Tucson, April 30. He had the second-highest individual score in the rookie division.

PHOENIX - More than 230 young sport shooters from across the state competed in the Arizona Game and Fish Department's first-ever Commissioners' Cup championships over the past three weeks. The competitions concluded with trap shooting championships May 21 at the Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club in Scottsdale.

The Commissioners' Cup comprises three separate championships: trap, sporting clays and skeet. Each competition is divided into three age divisions: rookies (fifth grade and below), juniors (sixth through eighth grades), and seniors (ninth through 12th grades).

The championships capped the inaugural year of the Game and Fish Commission's Scholastic Clay Target Program, which introduces young people to shotgun sports in a competitive, team-based format. More than 400 young people participated in the program this year and the department certified more than 90 instructors. Many parents are involved as volunteers.

Kimberly Peters of Peoria had the second-highest individual score among seniors at the trap championships in Scottsdale, May 21.

"We had a phenomenal first year," says Hays Gilstrap, chair of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. "To some folks, it might seem counterintuitive to connect kids with firearms, but the reality is that these youngsters learn to respect firearms and how to handle them safely. I'm always impressed with the discipline and maturity they demonstrate. This program helps young people become responsible young adults."

Teddi Wood-Holt of Buckeye has two children in the program, Ethan, 14 and Macy, 12. "The program offers kids so much," she says. "It teaches them responsibility, gun safety, and how to compete as part of a team. Plus, they make friends with other kids from all over the state."

Kimberly Peters, 15, of Peoria had never used a shotgun before starting the program last fall. "I was a little nervous because I thought I'd be the only girl," she says. "But I thought I'd give it a try and it was really fun." Peters placed second among seniors in the trap championships.

Team and individual results from each event are below. The winning squads in each age division will represent Arizona in national events in Detroit and Vandalia, Ohio later this summer.

The Ben Avery Clay Crushers squad took first place in the junior division at both the skeet and sporting clays championships. Youth team members are (front row, left to right): Ian Graham, Cave Creek; Wesley Borie, Phoenix; Patrick Wood, Scottsdale. Adults pictured are (left to right): Hays Gilstrap, chair of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission; Sally Borie, coach; Steve Andros, coach; Russ Gunderson, lead instructor; Andy Borie, coach; and Joe Melton, member of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission.

TRAP CHAMPIONSHIPS
May 21, Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale.

Team Results – Trap Championships

Senior Division Ninth through 12th grades

Place	Team	Score	Squad members	Home club
First	Red Mountain Target Terminators	867	Mark Clary, Jr., Mesa; Remington Dias, Ft. McDowell; Chase Judd, Mesa; James Kechely, Queen Creek; Hunter Williams, Gilbert	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Second	White Mountain Clay Busters	857	Chris Beebe, Taylor; Travis Bickford, Springerville; Luke Reidhead, Lakeside; Eli Reisner, Lakeside; Jonathan Ritchie, Lakeside	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low
Third	Red Mountain Target Terminators	847	David Cadis, Mesa; Chris Hibner, Mesa; Bryan Peterson, Mesa; Kevin Renzaglia, Apache Junction; Frank Tubbs, Mesa	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale

Junior Division Sixth through eighth grades

Place	Team	Score	Squad members	Home club
First	Red Mountain Target Terminators	861	Hayden Edgmon, Queen Creek; Isaac Evans, Mesa; Correy Schultz, Gilbert; Kyle Wandelear, Queen Creek; Justin Williams, Gilbert	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Second	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	825	Wesley Borie, Phoenix; Michael Carnicle, Phoenix; Ian Graham, Cave Creek; Luke McCabe-O’Donnell, Phoenix; Patrick Wood; Scottsdale	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Third	White Mountain Clay Busters	788	Christian Harrold, Springerville; Chris Hoyt, St. John’s; Tim Hoyt, St. John’s; Philip Risser, Springerville; Jeremiah Russ, Lakeside	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low

Rookie Division Fifth grade and under

Place	Team	Score	Squad members	Home club
First	Pusch Ridge Riders	285	Brandon Carlisle, Tucson; Luis Gloria, Tucson; Clay Hernandez, Marana; Perry Kurker-Mraz, Tucson; Trevor Willett, Tucson	Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, Tucson
Second	White Mountain Clay Busters	252	Scott Horine, Show Low; Dustyn Howard, Clay Springs; Alix Hoyt, St. John’s; Danielle Risser, Springerville; Dennis Stover, Springerville	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low
Third	Red Mountain Target Terminators	218	Justin Lonchar, Chandler; Nick MacLean, Scottsdale; Ashley Manoff, Scottsdale; Matt Muller, Paradise Valley; Kyndal Schultz, Gilbert	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale

Individual Results – Trap Championships

Senior Division Ninth through 12th grades

Place	Name	Score	Home town	Team	Home club
First	Donnie Knight	189	Queen Creek	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Second	Kimberly Peters	185	Peoria	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Third	Kevin Renzaglia	183	Apache Junction	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Fourth	Hunter Williams	183	Gilbert	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Fifth	Chris Beebe	182	Taylor	White Mountain Clay Busters	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low

Junior Division Sixth through eighth grades

Place	Name	Score	Home town	Team	Home club
First	Michael Reeves	184	Mesa	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Second	Wesley Borie	183	Phoenix	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Third	Kyle Wandelear	182	Queen Creek	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Fourth	Hayden Edgmon	177	Queen Creek	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Fifth	Chris Hoyt	175	St. John’s	White Mountain Clay Busters	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low

Rookie Division Fifth grade and under

Place	Name	Score	Home town	Team	Home club
First	Luis Gloria	78	Tucson	Pusch Ridge Riders	Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, Tucson
Second	Ryan Bollinger	78	Phoenix	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Third	Hayden Melton	75	Buckeye	Buckeye Hills Sportsman’s Club	Buckeye Hills Sportsman’s Club, Buckeye
Fourth	Dennis Stover	68	Springerville	White Mountain Clay Busters	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low
Fifth	Matt Muller	65	Paradise Valley	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale

SPORTING CLAYS CHAMPIONSHIPS
May 14, Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix.

Team Results – Sporting Clays Championships

Senior Division Ninth through 12th grades

Place	Team	Score	Squad members	Home club
First	Red Mountain Target Terminators	263	Danny Bush, Chandler; Mark Clary, Jr., Mesa; Donnie Knight, Queen Creek	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Second	Red Mountain Target Terminators	240	Remington Dias, Ft. McDowell; Chase Judd, Mesa; Hunter Williams, Gilbert	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Third	White Mountain Clay Busters	239	Luke Reidhead, Lakeside; Jonathan Ritchie, Lakeside; Zachary Russ, Lakeside	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low

Junior Division Sixth through eighth grades

Place	Team	Score	Squad members	Home club
First	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	254	Wesley Borie, Phoenix; Ian Graham, Cave Creek; Patrick Wood; Scottsdale	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Second	Red Mountain Target Terminators	240	Hayden Edgmon, Queen Creek; Kyle Wandelear, Queen Creek; Justin Williams, Gilbert	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Third	Red Mountain Target Terminators	195	Michael Reeves, Mesa; Tyler Reeves, Mesa; Correy Schultz, Gilbert	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale

Rookie Division Fifth grade and under

Place	Team	Score	Squad members	Home club
First	White Mountain Clay Busters	126	Dennis Stover, Springerville; Dustyn Howard, Clay Springs; Alix Hoyt, St. John’s	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low
Second	Pusch Ridge Riders	111	Luis Gloria, Tucson; Perry Kurker-Mraz, Tucson; Trevor Willett, Tucson	Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, Tucson
Third	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	108	Ryan Bollinger, Phoenix; Bailey Hansher, Phoenix; Zane Hirsch, Phoenix	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix

Individual Results – Sporting Clays Championships

Senior Division Ninth through 12th grades

Place	Name	Score	Home town	Team	Home club
First	Jonathan Ritchie	91	Lakeside	White Mountain Clay Busters	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low
Second	Donnie Knight	90	Queen Creek	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Third	Danny Bush	90	Chandler	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Fourth	Chase Judd	84	Mesa	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Fifth	Travis Vittitow	83	Tucson	Pusch Ridge Riders	Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, Tucson

Junior Division Sixth through eighth grades

Place	Name	Score	Home town	Team	Home club
First	Kyle Wandelear	97	Queen Creek	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Second	Patrick Wood	90	Scottsdale	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Third	Wesley Borie	86	Phoenix	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Fourth	Luke McCabe-O’Donnell	80	Phoenix	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Fifth	Bradley Barber	79	Glendale	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix

Rookie Division Fifth grade and under

Place	Name	Score	Home town	Team	Home club
First	Dennis Stover	65	Springerville	White Mountain Clay Busters	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low
Second	Ryan Bollinger	58	Phoenix	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Third	Clay Hernandez	50	Marana	Pusch Ridge Riders	Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, Tucson
Fourth	Chris Van Sickle	44	Glendale	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Fifth	Nathan Sullivan	44	Peoria	Buckeye Sportsman’s Club	Buckeye Sportsman’s Club, Buckeye

SKEET CHAMPIONSHIPS
April 30, Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, Tucson.

Team Results – Skeet Championships

Senior Division Ninth through 12th grades

Place	Team	Score	Squad members	Home club
First	Red Mountain Target Terminators	267	Danny Bush, Chandler; Donnie Knight, Queen Creek; Cameron Westmoreland, Queen Creek	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Second	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	243	Beau Bonner, Cave Creek; Kimberly Peters, Peoria; Nicholas Warren, Cave Creek	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Third	White Mountain Clay Busters	233	Chris Beebe, Taylor; Travis Bickford, Springerville; Jonathan Ritchie, Lakeside	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low

Junior Division Sixth through eighth grades

Place	Team	Score	Squad members	Home club
First	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	242	Wesley Borie, Phoenix; Ian Graham, Cave Creek; Patrick Wood, Scottsdale	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Second	Red Mountain Target Terminators	162	Kyle Wandelear, Queen Creek; Justin Williams, Gilbert; Hayden Jorde, Queen Creek	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Third	Buckeye Hills Sportsman’s Club	133	Jessica James, Surprise; Ethan Holt, Buckeye; Koal Grandy, Buckeye	Buckeye Hills Sportsman’s Club, Buckeye

Rookie Division Fifth grade and under

Place	Team	Score	Squad members	Home club
First	White Mountain Clay Busters	84	Dennis Stover, Springerville; Alix Hoyt, St. John’s; Dustyn Howard, Clay Springs	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low
Second	Pusch Ridge Riders	81	Trevor Willett, Tucson; Luis Gloria, Tucson; Perry Kurker-Mraz, Tucson	Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, Tucson
Third	Pusch Ridge Riders	40	Clay Hernandez, Marana; Chase Hernandez, Marana, Brandon Carlisle, Tucson	Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, Tucson

Individual Results – Skeet Championships

Senior Division Ninth through 12th grades

Place	Name	Home town	Team	Home club
First	Donnie Knight	Queen Creek	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Second	Danny Bush	Chandler	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Third	Nicholas Warren	Cave Creek	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Fourth	Cameron Westmoreland	Queen Creek	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Fifth	Jonathan Ritchie	Lakeside	White Mountain Clay Busters	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low

Junior Division Sixth through eighth grades

Place	Name	Home town	Team	Home club
First	Kyle Wandelear	Queen Creek	Red Mountain Target Terminators	Red Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Scottsdale
Second	Patrick Wood	Scottsdale	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Third	Wesley Borie	Phoenix	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Fourth	Bradley Barber	Glendale	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix
Fifth	Ian Graham	Cave Creek	Ben Avery Clay Crushers	Ben Avery Clay Target Center, Phoenix

Rookie Division Fifth grade and under

Place	Name	Home town	Team	Home club
First	Dennis Stover	Springerville	White Mountain Clay Busters	White Mountain Trap and Skeet Club, Show Low
Second	Clay Hernandez	Marana	Pusch Ridge Riders	Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, Tucson
Third	Nathan Sullivan	Peoria	Buckeye Hills Sportsman’s Club	Buckeye Hills Sportsman’s Club
Fourth	Luis Gloria	Tucson	Pusch Ridge Riders	Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, Tucson
Fifth	Trevor Willett	Tucson	Pusch Ridge Riders	Tucson Trap and Skeet Club, Tucson