The Forest Lake skeet team shot its way to a first-place finish and a Class 1A state title on Tuesday, June 25, at the Minneapolis Gun Club in Prior Lake. A group composed of just six individual shooters managed to accomplish a feat that has yet to be done in the history of Forest Lake skeet shooting: winning a state championship title.
The Rangers earned the opportunity to compete at the Minnesota Skeet Shooting Championships by performing well enough throughout the season and meeting certain scoring qualifications, mostly based on their overall scores and team averages in the conference. Forest Lake would compete and match up with 21 other total teams at the state event, where the Rangers ultimately came out with the top prize.
“Some of the boys aren’t just skeet shooters, they shoot both trap and skeet,” said David Madison, who’s head coach of the program as a whole, noting the flexibility of his athletes.
Madison said one student on the trap team wanted to compete on the skeet team this year and brought his dad along to coach. Madison was all about it.
“If anything, he was doing us a real favor, because just within the short conversation I had with him, I could really tell how big of an asset he would be to the team overall,” he said. “So the accomplishment of us winning the state title is really his. He’s a great guy, his wife comes when he can’t be there – we’re proud to have him for sure.”
The Rangers wound up shooting an incredible score of 435 to earn first place en route to capturing its first skeet championship. Red Wing gave Forest Lake a run for their money, also earning a 435 score, but the Rangers won the tiebreaker to end the season on a high note.
Sophomore Brian Ott, the son of the skeet team head coach Bart Ott, took second-place individually at the tournament – shooting a whopping 98 targets out of 100. Seniors Jacob Williams and Alex Wood also posted solid outings, as they shot a 93 and a 90, respectively.
Trap team
In addition to the skeet team’s success, the trap team also ended up winning the conference title this season and placed 11th overall out of 350 teams at the sectional shoot in Alexandria on June 15. The Rangers shot a 480 score in the Minnesota Trap Shooting Championships to earn themselves a state berth in the MSHSL Clay Target State Tournament on Friday, June 21, by cracking the top 40 of qualifying teams in the event, while more specifically grabbing a second-place finish in Class 6A before winding up in 11th among all nine of the classes.
“They took the top 40 [teams] from the big sectional shoot in Alexandria and went to the state championship shoot at the Minneapolis Gun Club, and they ended up placing 39th overall out of the whole state, but that’s also in the total of the 350 schools to get to that point ,” Madison said. “When you are standing on the high road, it’s a pretty good view.”
Gabe Voss helped his team reach the 2024 Clay Target State Tournament by ripping off a 98 out of 100 total score at the Alexandria sectional shoot, while Williams shot an outstanding 99 of 100. Jackson Auge showcased a 97 final score, a clear recipe for success.
“I’m super happy with the scores they shot. Those are great scores there from the trap team,” Madison said.
Madison also explained what this state title means for the program moving forward, and even gave a slight warning to other rival schools.
“It says a lot about the group we have. They’re resilient and we’re filled with some great kids. When I look at this team – and we will only have five or six seniors graduating – look out for next year, because we are coming,” Madison states. “We are looking to do great things, and I’m beyond excited for it all next year.”
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