The One Box Youth Shooting Team captured a National Title, placing three teams among the top in three divisions.  Members of the team are front, from left, Dalton O’Connell, Jake Hansel, Laine Clarke, Brian O’Connell, Steven Grant, and Andrew O’Connor; second row, Joshua Crankshaw, coach Dave Stunkel, Austin Svoboda, and Print Zutavern.

     SPARTA, IL -- The One Box Youth Shooting Team sent 12 members to Sparta, IL and brought home a national championship.
    The Intermediate Advanced Division National Title was awarded to Laine Clarke, Berwyn; Brian O’Connor, Greeley; and Austin Svobada, Burwell winning first place. Youth shooting teams from 24 states captured medals and nationals honors at the 2009 Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) National Champion-ships held at the World Shooting and Recreation Complex in Sparta, Illinois on July 23 – 26, 2009.
   

Browning Day kicked-off the weekend’s festivities which included the Opening Ceremony, an exhibition shoot by Winchester’s Patrick Flanagan and the awarding of the Sporting Clays National Awards.
    The day’s events also included the Ruger Rimfire Challenge and the Kaskaskia Single Action competitions. These events continued throughout the weekend.
    The One Box team of Print Zutavern, Broken Bow; Brian O’Connor, Greeley; and Andrew O’Connor, Greeley captured third place in the Rugar Rimfire Challenge, an event involving shooting rifles and pistols for speed and accuracy. Saturday was slated as Beretta Day which began the trap and skeet competitions, along with the annual Beretta cookout and concluded with a shooting exhibition by Beretta’s shooter Scott Robertson and the Last Competitor Standing competition.
    Over 225 shooters competed in this hour long event which was won by Travis Wagner of Virginia with Jon Ebbers of Wisconsin as the runner-up and Nebraska’s Lane Bennett, Sargent finishing third.
    The National Champion-ships concluded on Sunday with Remington Day and included the final competitions in trap and skeet, along with the closing ceremonies and the award presentations in trap, skeet and high all-around. Award presenters included representatives from Winchester, Remington, White Flyer and Olympic Gold Medal winner Kim Rhode.
    The ultimate goal of SCTP is to instill in young participants a commitment to safe firearm handling, teamwork and leadership. This was certainly evident throughout the entire weekend with each and every participant.
    In terms of sheer numbers of participants, the eight-year-old SCTP is one of the most successful youth-oriented program ever established. Nearly 30,000 middle and high school students have participated in the program, which includes trap, skeet, sporting clays, Olympic Trap, and ISSF Skeet competitions.
    Two other teams from the One Box Youth Shooting Team placed in the the top three.
    The national runner-up team of Jake Hansel, Broken Bow; Dalton O’Connell, Ansley; and Joshua Crankshaw placed second in the Jr. Varsity Division.
    In the Varsity Division, Print Zutavern, Broken Bow; Andrew O’Connor, Greeley; and Steven Grant place third.
    Also making the trip for the One Box Shooting Team was Levi French and Levi Clarke.