Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The Logan Longshots recently won the state title in trap and skeet shooting. From left are coach Jerry Bob Osborn, Angelo Scioli, Mason Martinez, Greyson Bollinger, Colton Liles, Reese Hastie, Ace Whitson, Bryce Merrill, Shawn Martinez, Jayce Garrett, Logan Martinez and assistant coach Ross Hastie.
The Logan Longshots, a high-school trap and skeet shooting team in only its third year of existence, won the state title during recent competition at Raton.
The 10-member squad competed at the three-day Scholastic Clay Target Program at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton and earned the state-champion varsity trap team award, plus the season-champion varsity trap team award.
Coach Jerry Bob Osborn said his team took a slim, 14-bird lead after the first day and managed to build on it over the rest of the tournament.
Logan edged Carlsbad for the state title.
"We knew we had a good team," Osborn said. "We finished second last year. We knew we'd be in the competition."
Osborn said the Longshots also won zone competitions earlier in the season at Las Cruces and Belen.
For Logan, Greyson Bollinger was the high overall individual in varsity singles and varsity doubles.
Shawn Martinez finished first in intermediate men's handicap.
Reese Hastie also was the high overall individual in intermediate ladies singles for the Longshots.
Varsity team members for the Logan Longshots also included Colton Liles, Angelo Scioli, Bryce Merrill, Jayce Garrett, Ace Whitson, and Logan Martinez, along with men's intermediate member Mason Martinez.
Assistant coaches are Justin Bollinger and Ross Hastie.
The Longshots are graduating only one senior in Liles.
"I think we'll be a strong team next year," Osborn said. "The team has been together only three years, and we keep learning with every meet. Some of the teams we compete against have been together for eight years."
Osborn credited the lower-scoring members of the Longshots for pushing the rest of the squad.
"In my opinion, there's no 'I' in 'team,'" he said. "If we didn't have everybody practicing and keeping each other honest, we wouldn't be in the place we'd be."
