Mat-Su middle school student wins 2023 Alaska Trap Championship

Logan Williamson, a middle school student at Mat-Su Central and a member of Susitna Shooters’ AlaskaYESS team is the 2023 Alaska Trapshooting Association State Champion! Tied with a collegiate athlete for the Champion trophy, Logan won a nail-biting shootoff to determine the High All-Around Champion. Competing in six events over three days this past weekend with a total of 700 targets, Logan Williamson, along with nine other AlaskaYESS athletes, made their presence known among the competitors from all over the state!

In Friday’s Preliminary events, Logan won the High Junior Doubles Champion trophy. The Main Event, which is 200 Singles targets on Saturday plus 100 Handicap and 50 pair of Doubles on Sunday, brought out the best in these young athletes. Logan Williamson walked away with not only the Champion trophy, he is also the Sub-Junior Singles Champion, Sub-Junior Doubles Champion, and the Sub-Junior Handicap Champion. His score of 191 out of 200 Singles earned him the NRA Distinguished Expert Award in Trap.

“It was a great experience to shoot with the seasoned guys, there’s a lot to learn from them!” Logan said, while discussing the rainy conditions and the challenge of shooting in adverse weather. “We shoot in it all during our season and it doesn’t stop us.” Training in all kinds of weather is great preparation for shooting competitions.

Logan Fitch, a member of Wasilla Warriors YESS team, won Handicap Junior Champion, Singles Junior Champion, Class D Doubles Champion, Singles High Junior Champion, Doubles Junior Champion, and High All-Around Junior trophies. Matthew Steen, also a Susitna Shooter, won the Overall Handicap Champion trophy and High All-Around in D Class. Connor Halvorson of Hawks & Huskies YESS team earned the Handicap Champion Runner-Up trophy and Doubles Champion trophy in D Class. Dausen Loughman of Rabbit Creek won the Singles Junior Champion in D Class in the Main Event and Reid Gilchrist of Grace Grizzlies won the Singles in D Class in Friday’s Preliminaries. Also competing were Lloyd Pehrson of Hawks & Huskies, as well as Tristin Loughman, Quincy Gellerman, and Marty Gellerman all from Rabbit Creek Youth Shotgun League.

Carol Halvorson, mother of Connor Halvorson, said “We are so proud of Connor. All the shooters did great for such a wet weekend. Logan [Williamson] did an awesome job holding it together for the shootout. That young man has some real talent!” Connor has been shooting for less than a year, and this is Logan Williamson’s second year in the program.