SYRACUSE — The Monticello High School Trap Team sent 16 students to Syracuse on June 8 to compete in the State Tournament for the New York State High School Clay Target League.

Over 91 schools from all over New York with nearly 900 students registered for the event.

Despite some inclement weather, Monticello students perservered and went on to earn several top awards for the day.

The JV team took second place with a combined score of 398 by Nick Carroll, Jaden Washington, Kenny Walz, Liam Brasington and Dominic Giorgianna.

The Varsity squad took home the first place trophy with 447 points. Leo Messenger, Dillon Cole, Chase McFarland, Jake Hovis and Will Reilly combined for the scoring.

Carroll and Cole also earned recognition for each shooting perfect individual rounds of 25 during the tournament.

“We had a great spring, with students showing steady improvement over the season,” stated Coach Jay Mendels after their Third Place Conference win for the regular season. “They really pulled together as a team for States and came home with plenty of awards to prove it. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Eighth Grader Dillon Cole was honored for his top team average for the regular season and was named Team MVP during the Annual Varsity Awards Ceremony held at the school last week.

Monticello’s Trap Shooting program began back in 2017, when there were only five schools competing across the entire state. After eight years, the program has expanded to include over 160 schools in New York and 1800 schools nationwide. In the 2023-24 season, there were nearly 52,000 students competing, officially making Trap Shooting the fastest growing school sport in the country right now.

On June 12, the Monticello Trap Shooting team hosted a postseason exhibition shoot and invited school and local officials. Senator Oberacker, Sheriff Schiff, Russell Reeves were among the many in attendance that celebrated the team’s accomplishments and got a chance to see what they do.

“We appreciate the support we get from the community and school representatives,” Mendels added. “It’s a fun thing to do, and the kids have gotten a lot of recognition for their hard work.”