WaHi JROTC Rifle Team at Competition in Yakima
The Blue Devil JROTC Precision Rifle Team swept the top three spots in the Cascade Mountain League JROTC Rifle Competition on December 8-10, 2023 in Yakima. Over 120 high school JROTC shooters representing 20 rifle teams from Washington and Oregon met at East Valley High School for the match.
Over 100 Sporter Class shooters and a dozen Precision Class shooters filled four relays of matches to test their marksmanship skills in the second of five contests that the Cascade Mountain League JROTC Conference hosts this season. Shooters competed in 3 position rifle matches consisting of 20 record shots in the prone, standing, and kneeling positions.
In the Sporter Rifle Open Class, Cadet Corporal Jaycee Cox brought home a gold medal with a score of 536 out of 600, setting several personal records Saturday, with career-high scores in kneeling and the target from the unsupported standing position that scored an astounding 94 points.
“It has been years since I have seen a sporter class shooter shoot a target that high in a match,” said Rifle Team Coach and JROTC Instructor, Retired Sergeant First Class Mark Mebes, on Saturday. “Jaycee is only a sophomore. She is just getting started in her shooting career.”
With Cox’s score leading WaHi’s Sporter Team, they finished the day with a team score of 2012 to take 2nd place, behind the Sporter Team from Lebanon High School with 2050. Scoring team members for the Blue Devils were Cadet Captain Aviella Wilson at 513, Cadet Corporal Sofie Edwards at 483, and Cadet Captain Wyatt Block at 479 for a bronze medal in the Sharpshooter Class.
Also in the Sporter Match, Cadet Sergeant Sarah Nelson posted a 488 for bronze in the Open Class and Cadet Lieutenant Octavio Osorio produced a 479 for a silver medal in the Sharpshooter Class.
“This is Nelson’s first year shooting,” said Rifle Team Captain Micah Vawter after the match. “She is progressing very quickly, and just secured a spot on the rifle team a couple of weeks ago by qualifying for Army Nationals.”
The Blue Devils swept the Precision Class with Vawter winning gold with a 574, Cadet Lieutenant Hannah Goin taking silver with a 573, and Cadet Staff Sergeant Adam Fundak claiming bronze behind a 572.
At the conclusion of the competition, Walla Walla’s Precision Team took first place in the match with a 2261, ahead of the precision squad from North Salem High School JROTC who posted a 2141.
“I think we can make some improvement on our prone scores before our next matches,” said Vawter on Saturday “But our new precision shooters shot very solid and we are making strides at every practice right now.”
Precision Team members firing the match included Vawter and Goin, as well as Cadet Corporal Claire Calvert who posted a 562, and Cadet First Sergeant Saphira Rynaski at 552.
