Over the summer, the varsity and junior varsity Allen Eagle Competitive Shooting (AECST) teams won the National Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) championship in the high school division in Marengo,Ohio. They last won nationals in 2018 but have won state and regional championships since. 

“We won first in the high school division, fourth in the open league against about 4,000 competitors from roughly 35-40 states,” varsity co-captain Owen Lyons said. 

The team competes in three different events: skeet, sporting clay\ and traps. 

“They took the top five for each of those three events and that composited our team score,” co-captain Sam Gott said. ”So for individual events, our team score is made up of the top five scores of the athletes on the team.”

The team primarily focuses on shotgun sports and practices with clay shooting a lot. 

“So basically we have these little orange clay discs that they fire into the air, and you have to hit them and break them and that is how you get a point,” Gott said. 

AECST has members ranging from sixth to 12th grade with an estimate of 90 members last year. 

“Junior varsity is freshmen. It’s by age level, so not like football where you move up. So varsity is sophomores though seniors. Intermediate advanced is 7th and 8th grade. Intermediate is 6th grade,” JV captain Dylan Little said. 

Most high school members start around middle school and work their way up.

“My dad bought me a shotgun when I was ten. We went out to a field and then I found that there was a team, so I joined,’ Little said. 

AECST is always looking for new members. If you’re looking to join, access aecst.net for more information.