The Marshall High School Clay Target League Team (MHS CTL) found favorable conditions to showcase their developing skills in the Reserve Week of the 2017 season, and Freshman Kaden Strate set the tone for the final preparatory week of the season with a perfect 25 followed by a round of 24 for a total of 49.
“Kaden has been a hard-working shooter over the past two seasons and his commitment shows in performances like that,” said Coach Nick Simonson.
Freshman Karter DeSmet followed his classmate with a total of 47 to finish second in Reserve Week shooting; Senior Captain John Callens went 24-22 for a top three finish. Six other shooters tallied totals of 45 to round out the week’s top scores. Overall the team averaged 34.8, raising their mean total by .8 targets over the previous week. League competition begins for MHS CTL the week of Apr. 23.
Top performers for MHS CTL in the Reserve Week were:
First Last R1 R2 Tot
Kaden Strate 25 24 49
Karter DeSmet 24 23 47
John Callens 24 22 46
Nick Atcher 21 24 45
Tannyr Curry 22 23 45
Carson Douglas 22 23 45
Ben Leek 24 21 45
Ryan VanMoer 23 22 45
Derrick VanOverbeke 22 23 45
Classes and conferences were announced by the Minnesota State High School Clay Target League (mnclaytarget.com) on Monday, and MHS CTL will compete in Conference 2 of Class 9A, where schools with the most participants are slated for 2017. MHS CTL will shoot at the State Championship in Alexandria on June 20. This year, over 11,400 students on 343 teams are competing across the state. That total exceeds the number of student athletes participating in hockey, and trails football by only a few hundred participants, making CTL the second most popular high school sport in Minnesota.
“We’ve seen this incredible growth not only at MHS and other Lyon County-area schools but also across the state,” said Simonson, “it’s an exciting time for shooting sports and an incredible opportunity for youth to get involved in this life-long activity,” he concluded.
MHS CTL is coached by a staff of 13 volunteers, and supported by a number of parents who help instruct, score and supervise 80 youth. The program is funded by generous donations from a number of local conservation and sportsmen’s groups and area businesses including: Lyon County Pheasants Forever, Redwood River Sportsmen’s Club, National Wild Turkey Federation, Minnesota Trappers Association, Quality Deer Management Association, Marshall Radio, Lockwood Motors, ABRA Auto Body & Glass, Friends of the NRA, Gustafson C&C Course, Don & Gena Atcher.
For more information on the team and to keep up with MHS CTL, visit their official Facebook Page: facebook.com/mhsctl
Lyon County Pheasants Forever 