Members of the United South Central trap shooting team had great success this year and placed 12th at the Minnesota State High School League Clay Target Championship held at the Minneapolis Gun Club in Prior Lake on June 24. Konnor Harpestad placed 57th in the individual competition.

The United South Central trap shooting team ended their season on a high note with a 12th-place finish in the 40-team field of the Minnesota State High School League Clay Target Championship held at the Minneapolis Gun Club in Prior Lake on June 24.

The State competition was won by Wayzata with 489 targets hit out of a possible 500. Tri-City United was second with 481. USC was tied with Bemidji for 11th place but lost a tie breaker which put them in 12th place.

USC’s five-person team hit 475 targets in the contest. The members of the squad are Konnor Harpestad, Will Allis, Braxton O’Rourke, Zale Bushlack and Matt Beyer, along with two alternates, Caleb Warmka and Chloe Lutteke.

Harpestad also had qualified for the individual competition where he tied for 57th place out of 100 competitors by hitting 94 out of 100 targets.

The USC team had qualified for the State Tournament at the Trap Shooting Championship which was held in Alexandria earlier in June. The Rebels had the second-best team score out of 360 teams at that competition.

There are a total of 400 teams in the trap shooting league.

“I am so proud of these kids; it was a great day for USC,” one of USC’s coaches, Michelle Gottberg, says.

Gottberg notes trap shooting is one of the fastest growing sports in the state.

“It is open for students as young as sixth graders all the way up to seniors,” Gottberg comments. “Both boys and girls can be on the team and kids in wheelchairs can participate on the same squad. It is a sport almost anybody can enjoy.”