- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,207,543
- Reaction score
- 59
DELAWARE − If you want to measure the explosive growth of high school trap shooting in East Central Ohio, you don't look at the scoreboards — you look at the staging areas.
Just three seasons ago, Buckeye Trail launched its clay target program with a modest roster of 12 student-athletes. This spring, the Warriors rolled into the season deep with 37 competitors Meanwhile, neighboring John Glenn has mirror-imaged that exact trajectory; after starting with 12 shooters of their own in their inaugural spring season last year, they exploded to 22 by the fall, and hit the firing line with 33 athletes this spring.
That massive influx of local talent didn't just fill out the rosters; it altered the state landscape. At the Ohio Trap Shooting State Tournament−sponsored by the Ohio State High School Clay Target League and was held on June 6-7, 2026, at the Black Wing Shooting Center−and both local programs proved their sudden strength in numbers translates directly to elite status.
Competing head-to-head in the high-stakes Large School division (Conference 1-2A), the John Glenn Muskies powered their way to a spectacular sixth place team finish in Ohio with 469 points, while the Buckeye Trail Warriors lunged into the state top-10 right behind them, securing eighth place with a team score of 481.
For Buckeye Trail coach Devani Roe, watching her 37-athlete squad−which featured 30 boys, seven girls, and 15 returning lettermen−climb the state leaderboard is the natural result of persistent dedication.
"Each year our team has grown in numbers and skill level," Buckeye Trail coach Devani Roe said. "Our program is growing and every coach likes to see their program grow."
That growth yielded impressive history at this summer's state showcase thanks to an absolutely unforgettable individual performance on the shooting line by Warrior shooter William Hudson Weisend who etched his name into state trapshooting tournament lore.
Weisend shattered a perfect 100-of-100 straight targets during his standard 16-yard varsity round. In a historic first for the Ohio tournament, three separate shooters tied with flawless 100-for-100 scores, forcing an intense, high-stakes extra session from extended distances of 20 and 24 yards out. Weisend stayed incredibly sharp under that pressure, hitting 9-of-10 targets in the tiebreaker sequence to officially claim the individual state runner-up title−a impressive milestone for the young Buckeye Trail program.
"I'm very proud of our team this year, each week we saw improvement from them," Roe said of the state tournament performance. "They were safe, they were respectful and they got better. A coach cannot ask for more than that. This is a sport they can do for the rest of their lives. I hope that many of them have developed a love for this sport and will continue it after high school."
Roe noted that the rapid rise of the Trail program wouldn't be possible without a strong community foundation behind the scenes.
"I'm thankful for the dedicated coaches we have working with our team," Roe added. "They are volunteers who are invaluable to us. Our parents have been very supportive as we have grown this sport at Buckeye Trail. They step up whenever we need anything from them; having a good set of parents is always a plus in making a program successful."
While Buckeye Trail celebrated a podium finish, John Glenn proved that a program doesn't need decades of varsity history to weaponize elite depth. The spark for John Glenn's swift multi-season expansion came from a localized shared vision to expand opportunities for area youth.
More: Travis Daugherty spearheads historic rebuild of Cambridge youth baseball
More: Here are the massive fish records to try to break in Ohio
"The coaches from the Morgan County Youth Trap Shooters and I wanted to bring the sport to the East Muskingum School District," John Glenn coach Adam Conn explained. "And so far we have had a great response from the community."
That community backing translated directly to hardware on the state level this spring for the Muskies' young shooters.
The Muskies were anchored heavily by Wyatt Bare, who put a season-long clinic in focus and accuracy. Bare finished his spring run placing an prestigious sixth place overall in the entire state of Ohio while maintaining an impressive season average of 24.50 out of 25 targets. Highlighting the depth of the inaugural Muskies' roster, freshman teammate Brantley Spragg fired his way right into the elite mix as well, finishing in a tie for 19th overall in the state with a stellar season average of 24.00.
For Conn, the high placement on the state leaderboard are a fantastic bonus, but the true victory lies in the culture and safety infrastructure established by the team's setwork of supporters.
"Our success is tied to the amazing help we receive from the student-athlete's parents and our coaches Jeff Bean, Joe Spragg and David Wilson," Conn said. "Our goal is to provide an opportunity for John Glenn students to participate in clay target shooting in a safe and supportive environment."
[email protected]; X: @KSuttonDJSports; Instagram: kevinsutton_dailyjeffsports
This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Buckeye Trail, John Glenn flex depth at State Trap Shooting Tournament
Continue reading...
Just three seasons ago, Buckeye Trail launched its clay target program with a modest roster of 12 student-athletes. This spring, the Warriors rolled into the season deep with 37 competitors Meanwhile, neighboring John Glenn has mirror-imaged that exact trajectory; after starting with 12 shooters of their own in their inaugural spring season last year, they exploded to 22 by the fall, and hit the firing line with 33 athletes this spring.
Strength in Numbers
That massive influx of local talent didn't just fill out the rosters; it altered the state landscape. At the Ohio Trap Shooting State Tournament−sponsored by the Ohio State High School Clay Target League and was held on June 6-7, 2026, at the Black Wing Shooting Center−and both local programs proved their sudden strength in numbers translates directly to elite status.
High Stakes standings
Competing head-to-head in the high-stakes Large School division (Conference 1-2A), the John Glenn Muskies powered their way to a spectacular sixth place team finish in Ohio with 469 points, while the Buckeye Trail Warriors lunged into the state top-10 right behind them, securing eighth place with a team score of 481.
Flawless performance fuels Buckeye Trail
For Buckeye Trail coach Devani Roe, watching her 37-athlete squad−which featured 30 boys, seven girls, and 15 returning lettermen−climb the state leaderboard is the natural result of persistent dedication.
"Each year our team has grown in numbers and skill level," Buckeye Trail coach Devani Roe said. "Our program is growing and every coach likes to see their program grow."
That growth yielded impressive history at this summer's state showcase thanks to an absolutely unforgettable individual performance on the shooting line by Warrior shooter William Hudson Weisend who etched his name into state trapshooting tournament lore.
Weisend shattered a perfect 100-of-100 straight targets during his standard 16-yard varsity round. In a historic first for the Ohio tournament, three separate shooters tied with flawless 100-for-100 scores, forcing an intense, high-stakes extra session from extended distances of 20 and 24 yards out. Weisend stayed incredibly sharp under that pressure, hitting 9-of-10 targets in the tiebreaker sequence to officially claim the individual state runner-up title−a impressive milestone for the young Buckeye Trail program.
"I'm very proud of our team this year, each week we saw improvement from them," Roe said of the state tournament performance. "They were safe, they were respectful and they got better. A coach cannot ask for more than that. This is a sport they can do for the rest of their lives. I hope that many of them have developed a love for this sport and will continue it after high school."
Roe noted that the rapid rise of the Trail program wouldn't be possible without a strong community foundation behind the scenes.
"I'm thankful for the dedicated coaches we have working with our team," Roe added. "They are volunteers who are invaluable to us. Our parents have been very supportive as we have grown this sport at Buckeye Trail. They step up whenever we need anything from them; having a good set of parents is always a plus in making a program successful."
Muskies capitalize on swift expansion
While Buckeye Trail celebrated a podium finish, John Glenn proved that a program doesn't need decades of varsity history to weaponize elite depth. The spark for John Glenn's swift multi-season expansion came from a localized shared vision to expand opportunities for area youth.
More: Travis Daugherty spearheads historic rebuild of Cambridge youth baseball
More: Here are the massive fish records to try to break in Ohio
"The coaches from the Morgan County Youth Trap Shooters and I wanted to bring the sport to the East Muskingum School District," John Glenn coach Adam Conn explained. "And so far we have had a great response from the community."
That community backing translated directly to hardware on the state level this spring for the Muskies' young shooters.
The Muskies were anchored heavily by Wyatt Bare, who put a season-long clinic in focus and accuracy. Bare finished his spring run placing an prestigious sixth place overall in the entire state of Ohio while maintaining an impressive season average of 24.50 out of 25 targets. Highlighting the depth of the inaugural Muskies' roster, freshman teammate Brantley Spragg fired his way right into the elite mix as well, finishing in a tie for 19th overall in the state with a stellar season average of 24.00.
You must be registered for see images attach
For Conn, the high placement on the state leaderboard are a fantastic bonus, but the true victory lies in the culture and safety infrastructure established by the team's setwork of supporters.
"Our success is tied to the amazing help we receive from the student-athlete's parents and our coaches Jeff Bean, Joe Spragg and David Wilson," Conn said. "Our goal is to provide an opportunity for John Glenn students to participate in clay target shooting in a safe and supportive environment."
[email protected]; X: @KSuttonDJSports; Instagram: kevinsutton_dailyjeffsports
This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Buckeye Trail, John Glenn flex depth at State Trap Shooting Tournament
Continue reading...
