In 10 seasons of competition, the Northfield High School trap shooting team has firmly established itself as one of the state’s top programs.
With a roster of 92 student-athletes, Northfield ranks among the biggest in the state and the Raiders will be looking to build upon its first-place finish at the Minnesota High School Skeet State Tournament in 2024.
Under the direction of fifth-year head coach Pete Mergens, Northfield will field a large number of veterans from last year’s team, led by a leadership team of four captains — senior Maddy Sevcik, senior Jadyn Schulz, senior Tadd Stanton and junior Chase Beckius.
“What we’ve been very good at is being a team. We lift each other up and help each other … we’re kind of like a family in that way. A goal is to do our best and improve. Something I see for this team is improvement,” Sevcik said.
The strong outlook for the team was also echoed by Stanton.
“I think we are going to have a lot of fun this year,” he said. “We have great captains and a great team … We’ve done really well in the past year, but I think we could have the best team we’ve ever had. Scorewise, I think we are going to dominate this year.”
The Raiders will begin regular season competition next week and this will include conference events on five consecutive Sundays that will finish at the end of May. The state championship in trap shooting will then take place after school lets out in June, and the state skeet championship is also held at that time.
The Minnesota State High School League only sanctions trap shooting, while the skeet shooting competition, that only utilizes 10 of the team’s top athletes, is an independently run competition.
The Raiders will be looking to advance to the state meet this year after just missing out in 2023. Teams can send any number of athletes to the qualifying competition but they only consider the top five scores to determine which teams advance to the state meet. Northfield missed by the slim margin of two targets in 2023. Later in the summer of 2023, Northfield gained a bit of redemption after the Raiders sent a group of 12 to the U.S. National meet in Mason, Mich. and returned home with an impressive 24th place finish.
Along with his four captains, Mergens said that over 40 out of the team’s 94 members were shooting varsity level scores last year and a large percentage of those athletes are back this year.
“We really have about 30 kids that can shoot a high 20s average. With those numbers of kids who can shoot those high averages…that is what it takes to get a berth in the state tournament,” Mergens said. “At the championship, they take the top 40 teams and what that ends up being is the top five scores on that day from your team. I need five kids who can shoot, out of 100, a 92 or better, in order to make that top 40 and that typically means the team score needs to be in that 475 range or better in order to make the top 40.
“What it means is that from our team, we have five of those top scores when it matter. All we need is for five kids to have good days.”
The team’s four captains are looking forward to more success in 2024 and are also looking to enjoy the connections built amongst the team.
“My goal is to connect with the team on a deeper level, mainly with the new people coming in,” Schulz said. “I want to show then how the family works and introduce them to that and how it works.”
Beckius added, “We have quite a few new kids this year, so to get them into the flow and help them feel welcome is a large part of what the captain job should be. Not only that but also helping the coaches…getting the range set up, cleaning the range up, helping Pete (Mergens) out with the day-to-day tasks and helping the team out with tips and pointers.
“A goal for us would be to not just go to state but get to the second day of state for trap and get another title for skeet on our belt. Last year we won our division and I think we should be able to do that again this year with the people and the skills on our skeet team.”
Another important element of the team is gun safety. Coaches and volunteers go through extensive safety training and that is passed down to the athletes on the team. Last year, almost 50,000 students in 37 states participated on high school trap shooting teams and since U.S. Clay Target statistics began being tracked in 2012, there have been no accidents over the years.
“I think as a captain, our biggest role is to make sure everyone feels welcome and safety. Safety is huge and I can’t encourage that enough,” Stanton noted.
As one of the largest team sports at Northfield High School, the trap shooting team is a natural fit for those interested in hunting and the outdoors.
“For a lot of people who grew up with an interest in the sport, they grew up with a background of hunting, fishing and shooting, and they see this as a way to do it through the school. They can do this as a sport and letter in it as a sport. They can go to competitions, state and nationals. So a lot of people see that and think it would be something interesting to do,” Beckius said.
Sevcik added, “When I first found out about trap, my freshman year I saw a ‘school view’ essage go out and I asked my Dad if I could do this. I was also a new kid as well since I transferred in eighth grade and didn’t have very many friends. I wanted a way to make friends and do something fun…I did it and have met all these amazing people.
What is enjoyable about it is that I can go out and shoot. Before, I would shoot in my backyard and it was alright but it wasn’t anything special but being out on that range and being able to get that help you need to get better and having this family aspect with people encouraging you to get better is really what has made it enjoyable for me.”
Schulz also talked about her interest in the sport and what makes it special.
“I grew with my Grandpa shooting. We used to sit on the picnic table and shoot BB guns at metal targets in the pasture, so it was interesting for me to evolve to a .22, to a .410, to a .20 gauge and then a .12 gauge and make it the level where I am now,” Schulz said. “To go on the range and have a specific place to shoot and be able to shoot with a whole group of people that have the same interest, and you have so many people encouraging you, it is something I look forward to that every single weekend.”
Stanton joined the team as a sophomore after injuries and a surgery kept him out of wrestling. His interest has only grown since that time along with his appreciation for the sport.
“What I found that I love most about it is that I can do it with my Dad,” Stanton said about trap shooting. “My Dad and I will probably be out tomorrow and on Sunday. We’re going on a trip to Florida where we are going trap shooting. I’ve shot with guys at the club that are 90 right now, and I know when my Dad is 90 and I’m 50-something, I will probably still be shooting with him. It’s an everyday thing that we can do together and with my friends…that’s what it is really about, I can do it with my friends and family.”
As a two-sport athlete, Schulz has seen the benefits in the training she has done for trap shooting and how it helps you focus.
“It is definitely a mental game. You can’t have anything on your mind other than I am going to shoot this next target otherwise you completely mess up your pattern. I’ve struggled with that before, if I have something else on my mind, its like a lose my focus and it is harder for me to break the target. So it is definitely is a mental game.”
Stanton said, “The focus increase from shooting trap is incredible because you only get one shot. If you miss one you are out of the tournament. If you miss a shot in basketball or slice a shot in golf you are not out of it you can still pick it up. The focus in trap is incredible.”
Sevcik added, “We learn how to train our eyes to just settle and focus. With other sports like golf, darts, pool, etc., that translates to that because you are getting that same mentality of focusing and looking where you are trying to go and go for it.”
Mergens has focused on bringing in a consistent training program during his tenure as coach and has utilized methodology developed by Olympic medalist Dan Carlisle. This training has allowed Northfield to increase the size of its team’s talent pool and its chances of success at the state level.
“The more kids we have in that sweet spot, the better chance we have at winning and I’m most excited about this year, because we have a very good opportunity for success because of the methodology we’ve put into place,” Mergens said.
Sevcik said. “Our coaching is fantastic. Coach Pete (Mergens) pushes practice, practice, practice and I think quite a few of our teammates do that and it really shows because they progress at a younger age.”
Mergens got connected with the team several years ago when his son started participating in trap shooting. His son finished high school last year but Mergens has continued due to his love of the sport and the the connections he has made with the team and other coaches.
“This is probably one of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my life,” Mergens said.
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