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The East Coweta Competitive Air Rifle team is the newest state champion in the state of Georgia. The Indians sharp shooters won the GHSA state title setting what Coach Peter Merrill believes is a national record score of 1,168.
East Coweta won the state title back in 2000. This year’s team looked to be in rebuilding mode at the beginning of the season, but the team blossomed as the year went on winning competitive air rivals equivalent of the triple crown, the Marine Cup, the All Services Competition, and the GHSA state title.
“To tell you the truth, last year I had three all staters on the team and really looked at 2016 as a rebuilding year. I had good kids that worked hard and four to six team members that could shoot well as a team, but I did not expect to win a state title this time around”, says head coach Peter Merrill.
The team shoots 8 to 10 hours every week from August through April. And that hard work and dedication paid off in big ways this year.
At the championships each shooter takes ten shots from three positions: prone, standing, and kneeling. Then they take a final ten shots from a standing position for their total score. The target is 33 feet away, exactly ten meters.
The top six marksmen, and markswomen for the Indians are Tanner Whitehead, John Satterfield, Cayla McLeod, Nate Peterson, Austin Barber, and Grant Thom. Competitive Air Rifle is a co-ed sport and I asked the coach what it takes to be a dead eye target shooter.
“It takes toughness………you have to be a competitor, you have to have touch, you have to take it one shot at a time, but you have to have toughness to perform under pressure during competitions.”
In the semifinals East Coweta set a playoff best total of 1,171. The Indians kept it going in the finals holding off Northside, Columbus and Walton High School who finished second and third.
And as for how the individual title went, East Coweta took that trophy home as well with sophomore Tanner Whitehead setting the pace with a 395.4 total.
“Tanner is a relative newcomer to the sport, and he does a great job and doesn’t over think it” says the coach.
“I just take it one shot at a time, keep focused, and don’t overthink things. It was like ‘wow’ I won this. I am awestruck about winning the individual title .”
Teammate John Satterfield was right behind with a 394.7 total. He is the only senior on the team and proud to be going out as state champion. “We all did what we were supposed to do. I am happy about it. This was going to be a rebuilding year and instead we won all three major events in the same year which has never been done before capped off with winning the state title”.
And the East Coweta Nation is very proud of their newest state champions.
“We get a lot of support here at the school. You may not even think the students and faculty are aware we have an air rival team, but everyone wants us to do well, and they are behind us all the way,” says Coach Merrill.
Now you may think that picking up an air rival and firing away at a target is a piece of cake……….I have tried it, and I have hit the bullseye. But that’s a handful of shots at the practice range. You have to be tough, with nerves of steel to shoot ten times from three different positions and hit the bullseye time after time. It takes concentration, nerve, hand-eye coordination, and talent. And with five team members returning next year, keep your eye on the East Coweta Competition Air Rifle team to challenge for back to back titles next year. They will be keeping their eyes on the prize.
And those are some dead eyes, trust me.
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