Redington student earns sporting clays gold

WASILLA — Gunar Sunn of the Redington Huskies led a group of Valley champions during the Alaska Youth Education in Shooting Sports State Championships at the Birchwood Shooting Park.

Sunn took gold in the senior varsity boys’ sporting clays, and captured the boys’ sporting clays championship trophy. Sunn was among 98 athletes, grades fourth through 12th, competing in trap, skeet, and sporting clays, and wobble and double trap, during the three-day meet in Birchwood. Fifteen teams were represented. Seven hail from the Valley.

River Vincent of the Wasilla Warriors was fourth in the boys’ senior varsity skeet, and Colony’s Meghan Thompson was third in the girls’ senior varsity trap.

Wasilla’s Jarek Blanning edged teammate Logan Samson to place first in the boys’ junior varsity division of the sporting clays. Tristan Powell capped the top-3 sweep for Wasilla in the category. Wyatt Anderson of Colony finished first in the boys’ junior varsity skeet. Powell followed in second, and Palmer’s Tyler Olsen placed third in the division. Blanning was also third in boys’ junior varsity trap, and was the overall boys’ champion for the junior varsity division. Olsen was third overall.

Colony’s Courtney Bellanger earned the girls’ junior varsity overall championship after finishing first in the sporting clays and skeet, and third in trap. Wasilla’s Shelby Nevada was first in girls’ junior varsity skeet and second in girls’ junior varsity sporting clays. She finished as the overall runner-up.

Rylee Gustafson, of the Fronteras team, finished second in trap and third overall in the girls’ junior division, which includes grades sixth through eighth. Teammate Noralee Phetphommasouk was third in the sporting clays and skeet.

In the trap triumphant event, which includes trap, wobble and double trap, Thompson finished third for the Knights in the girls’ senior varsity class. Olsen was second for the Moose in the boys’ junior varsity class, followed by Colony’s Wyatt Anderson, who placed third. Anderson was also shot his first 25 straight in wobble, which earned him a patch in traditional hat-shooting.

Gustafson was second in the trap tri in the girls’ junior division.

The Wasilla Warriors earned the junior varsity team championship, led by high overall scores from Blanning, Samson and Tallon Littlewood.

A group of local shooters also were named to the 2016 Honorary All-State Team for scholastic achievement, community service, commitment to the program and sportsmanship excellence.

The group includes Gunar Sunn (Redington), River Vincent (Wasilla), Caleb Hughes (Houston), Wyatt Anderson (Colony) and Meghan Thompson (Colony).