JROTC Precision Rifle Team Two-State Champs, Sweeps Top 5
Walla Walla High School’s JROTC Precision Rifle Team captured the JROTC Cascade Mountain League Two-State Championship in March, during a rifle match hosted at Redmond High School in Oregon. The Blue Devils swept the top 5 places in the match at the end of a 3-position contest that ended with a head-to-head battle from the standing position before a crowd of about 100 spectators.
The top 85 competitive JROTC high school marksmen from Washington and Oregon converged on the rifle range at Redmond High School to compete in the championship match of the 2023/24 Junior ROTC season.
In the sporter class, the team championship went to Lebanon High School from Oregon, with Walla Walla coming in second place, shooting 2032 out of 2400, 87 points ahead of Redmond High School’s JROTC sporter team. The Blue Devil team was led by Cadet Captain Aviella Wilson, who fired a score of 535 out of 600 points for the team’s top sporter class score, putting her in 4th place at the end of the regular match on Saturday. Wilson was followed by teammates Cadet Corporals Jaycee Cox and Melissa Villegas who ended the match in a virtual tie at 520, garnering 9th and 10th place respectively. The sporter team was comprised of Wilson and Cox, as well as Cadet Corporal Sofie Edwards and Cadet Captain Wyatt Block. Wilson’s score placed her in the final match at the end of the day.
The Blue Devil Precision squad turned out a solid performance, posting a 2270 out of 2400 points to clinch the championship over North Salem High School’s precision team by 137 points. Cadet Corporal Evan Graham’s score of 577 led the team for the day, followed by team captain Cadet Major Micah Vawter only a point behind at 576. In 3rd and 4th were Cadet Lieutenant Hannah Goin and Cadet Master Sergeant Chanze Martz in a virtual tie with 561 each. Cadet First Sergeant Saphira Rynaski rounded out the team score with a 556. WaHi’s performance marks their 14th consecutive Cascade Mountain League title since 2010.
“The precision team had a great day,” said WaHi rifle team coach Mark Mebes after the match “All 5 precision team members made the final today.”
Following the regulation course of fire, the top 8 individuals in the match were called back to the range at the end of the day for a Championship Final match. In a “Final”, the top 8 marksmen battle it out for placement and honors for the season in a 10-shot match, fired from the standing position. Although “Final” scores are not added to a team’s total, they are added to the score of individuals to determine final placement for medals. With only 10 points separating the top 6 places, the precision final was a highly anticipated and well-attended event, with over 100 spectators packing into Redmond’s rifle range to watch and cheer the event.
In the Sporter final, Wilson battled shooters on both sides of her from Lebanon High School, shooting an impressive 74.4 in her match. Unfortunately, 3.4 on her 6th shot dropped her out of medal contention, finishing in 6th place behind Alana Griffiths from Lebanon.
In the Precision Class Final, Blue Devil marksmen occupied 5 of the top 8 positions for the 10-shot competition with Graham, Vawter, Goin, Martz, and Rynaski all occupying places to defend. After 10 rounds of extremely competitive marksmanship, Vawter fired the highest score in the final at 98.5, catching teammate Evan Graham’s lead and finishing 2.9 points ahead of him to clinch the 2024 League Championship title. Goin and Martz, beginning the final in a virtual tie, battled back and forth for all 10 shots with Martz edging past her on the final shot by a razor-thin half of a point to finish in the bronze medal position 656.3 to 655.8. Rynaski shot a 98.0, the second-highest score in the final, enough to edge past North Salem’s Liam Bissell and take 5th place.
“The final match was incredibly tight., said Mebes “To see the top 6 shooters in this match all within striking distance medal placement down to the last shot was exciting. It was a really fun end to our league season.”
With this match marking the end of local competitions for the year, the Blue Devil Rifle Team returned to training with a focus on upcoming national and regional championships in Utah and Ohio.
