Now, it is on to Louisville, Kentucky, as they prepare to defend its national title. The event will be held May 11-12.
Last week, AMS scored a 3332 out of a possible 3600 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Complex to capture first place honors. They defeated Buckhorn Middle School by 43 points, as they had a total team score of 3289.
Ashville Middle School
The top 12 individual scorers for AMS were Zac Smith, 293; Chase Roberts, 290; Chris Reaves, 283; Paige Layfield, 280; Amanda Alexander, 280; Erin Smith, 276; Emily Woodard, 276; Jeremiah Phillips, 275; Sadie Martin, 274; Hunter Reynolds, 270; De’Angelo Williams, 268; and Harley Norton, 267.
“I am very proud of the hard work and dedication these kids have had up to this point,” Coach Kirbey Wilson said. “I am proud they have kept the tradition of winning state going. The task at hand now is to prepare for nationals. We have to buckle down and work extremely hard. The competition at nationals is going to be harder for us because everyone wants to beat Ashville. We will have to focus and work harder than ever to raise our scores. We will have to bring our ‘A’ game.”
Ashville High School
Ashville High School archery team won second place at the state competition in Birmingham last week.
The team score was 3284. They finished second behind Alma Bryant. The top scorers were: Kaylee Bollinger, Kirsten Johnson, Madison Vann, Jordan Barnard, Korey McKay, Caleb Wise, Dylan Honeycutt, Jacob O’Dell, T J Lowe, Elijah Bice, Hunter Roberts and Steven Reynolds.
“I am extremely proud of this group of students,” first-year head coach Angie Sanders said. “They are very talented and true winners on any given day. Many of them were former middle school national champions and still have what it takes to be competitive. The next level of competition is really tough, but I believe this group can compete at that level and come out winners if the focus and determination is there. They are a group of well-behaved students of great character and they certainly represent Ashville High School with pride. Again, I am so proud of them and glad to be a part of this team.”
Pell City High School
Pell City High School placed fifth in the state with a score of 3202.
The top male shooter was Austin Maddox with a score of 281. Maddox is currently ranked 17th in the state for the high school division.
The top female shooter was Carry-Ann Sandheinrich with a score of 267. She is currently ranked 18th in the state for the high school division.
The Top 12 archers for Pell City included Austin Maddox, 281; Hunter Thomas, 278; Lee Hingle, 278; Zachary Croft, 275; Christopher White, 272; Joseph Lacy, 269; Charles Fox, 268; Carey-Ann Sandheinrich, 267; Tyler Hutto, 267; Breanna Wyatt, 253; Bethany Wyatt, 249; and Samantha Sparks, 245.
Our team is looking very good as we head to nationals,” Coach James Bryant said. “I am just so proud of our team and how much they have improved from last year. I can honestly say they have gotten better.”
Moody Jr. High School
The Moody Jr. High School archery team finished eighth in the state in the middle school division with an overall score of 2984. They also qualified for nationals.
The top 12 shooters or Moody were John Woodis, 263; Brandon McNeely, 262; Christopher Whitfield, 260; Evan McCrary, 252; Austin Wray, 252; Scott Stone, 350; Westley Stone, 249; Josiah Smith, 246; Ashton Clem, 242; Raechal Watts, 238; Gracie Pate, 236; and Annika Clayton, 234.
Although the team qualified for nationals, Coach Jason Birchfield said they are not going to Kentucky.
“I told my kids up front that we needed a top three finish in the state competition,” Birchfield said. “I feel that to be competitive at the nationals you need to be at least a top three state finisher. I am very proud of being ranked eighth in the state, and it is an honor to have qualified for nationals. The kids did a great job, especially since this is only our second year.”
Contact Gary Hanner at ghanner@thestclairtimes.com.
