Article submitted by Kingsley High School Clay Target Team Head Coach Cecil Nye
2022 marks the Kingsley High School Clay Target Team's first official season, and the athletes have come out with a bang!
Thirteen students registered for the team with 10 athletes participating in the spring league and seven of them traveling to compete in the State Tournament held in Mason, Michigan on June 18.
"Our team was 5th place in our conference and 31st overall in the State Tournament out of 61 Michigan teams," said assistant coach Justin Wolf. "We are very pleased with the placing and results being a first-year team in the sport."
Our KHS team consisted of 13 students starting the spring season, with 9 finishing the conference.
The KHS Trap Team leadership is composed of head coach Cecil Nye, two assistant coaches, Justin Wolf and Mickey McDonnell, and range safety officer Charles Rand.
After finishing 5th out of 9 schools in conference competitions over an eight week period, the team took students to the state tournament in Lansing, Michigan, where they finished 31st out of 61 schools. Scores are based on the teams 5 best shooters’ performances.
There are three students that deserve special recognition, first is Hudson Ray, the teams’ top shooter for outstanding scores, with one 99 out of 100. That score included a run of 75 straight!
Second is Nora Galton with the outstanding accomplishment of placing third in the conference out of all of the competing female athletes.
Third is the most improved student of all, Joshua Face. We are very proud of his dedication and that is an inspiration to us all.
"In the State Tournament, we had high gun athletes. We had had high gun shooters placing 40th, 89th and 91st out of 397 varsity level athletes," said Coach Wolfe.
No person deserves single recognition, because it is about being a team. This sport is about true team spirit and helping others. The real competition is not so much about beating the other teams, but it is about being safe, having fun, and developing skills that can be enjoyed for a lifetime in the sport.
Nyes Trap Range and Cecil Nye donated a pallet of targets and purchased 20 flats (200 boxes of 25 shells each). Coach McDonnell has donated a thousand dollars in shooting vests and shells.
The countless hours Coach McDonnell and Coach Nye have put in on safety classes and phone calls with the support of Coach Rand have made a strong and competitive team. All of the staff has put in hours of dedicated “behind the scenes” work.
Hudson Ray, Cole Sousa, and Nora Galton all earned all-conference designations. Though none of them actually applied for the honors, officials in Mason saw fit to bestow those honors.
Those three individuals, plus Tyler Unterbrink and Egan Nolf achieved the milestone accomplishment of breaking 25 targets in a row. That is not easy.
Finally, is something that has to be said about the team spirit of every student athlete and coach supporting each other, and that support was nothing short of outstanding.
The team is open to students in grades 6-12 and there is a fall and spring season. Registration for the fall season opens August 1, 2022.
For more information contact Cecil Nye at (231) 883-4223.