Brennan Klender of USC takes aim at a clay target as teammate Brayden Schultz looks on in the background.

Playing first-person shooter games on Xbox One or Playstation 4 are normal leisurely activities for high school students of this generation. For other students however, they are finding a more practical use for their trigger fingers.

Students from United South Central High School, and Blue Earth Area High School, recently competed in the fall Minnesota State High School Clay Target League. Not only did these young marksmen compete in the fall league, but they blew away the competition in the process. Literally.

USC finished first among the six other schools who competed in Conference 14 of Class A. After five weeks of competition, USC earned 17,718 points. The second place high school, Thief River Falls, finished with 14,082.5 points.

Unlike traditional sports, trapshooting teams do not meet face to face with their opponents. Instead, scores are compiled at remote sites, and are then compared against other team totals from their conference. Team standings are based on the cumulative scores of each week’s performance.

In USC’s case, their team of 36 fall league shooters and eight coaches did their shooting at the Wells Rifle and Pistol Club once a week to tabulate their scores. Two of the USC’s trap shooters this fall, Kole Jacobsen and William Allis, were from Blue Earth Area High School. This season marked the fourth consecutive year in which both schools have participated together in the fall league.

In the world of trapshooting, the fall league is considered to be a warm up for the regular season, which begins in the spring. With no playoff or state tournament bids at stake, USC trapshooting coach John Vee sees the fall league as the perfect opportunity for young shooters to gain valuable experience.

“I think this league definitely gives the kids more confidence going into the spring season,” says Vee. “The sport has grown in popularity the last few years, and the fall league allows for more kids to stay involved.” Participation numbers in trapshooting have steadily increased with 53 USC and Blue Earth students involved in last year’s spring league.

With so many young adults taking an interest in the new sport, expectations are running high this spring for USC. In fact, their trapshooting squad has secured an eighth place finish in the state for two consecutive years.

Having coached trapshooting and firearm safety for over 30 years, Vee looks forward to improving on this solid foundation come springtime.

“We had a phenomenally strong fall season, so if the kids continue to stick with it, I see no reason why that success can’t continue.

“Kids from farming and hunting families have taken an interest in it for sure,” Vee explained. “To see their big grins and the excitement and respect the kids have for trapshooting is really special.”