Right on Target-Shooters from around state gather for AKYESS State Championship

The smell of gunpowder and the sound of shotgun blasts filled the air earlier this mionth as members of the Alaska Youth Education in Shooting Sports (AKYESS) participated in the preliminary sporting clays round of the AKYESS State Championship at the 7th Summit Shooting Park.

Seventy athletes from 14 different teams around the state competed last week in seven different events to include sporting clays, skeet and trap shooting events at both the 7th Summit Shooting Park and Birchwood Recreation and Shooting Park. Over 35,000 clay targets were thrown over the competition.

While the objective is to shoot as many clay targets as possible, athletes come away with more than just bragging rights and a way to prove their shooting skills; they make lasting friendships with their peers and forge a work ethic and a determination to overcome challenges they may face in life.

“There are things that these kids will learn here over these few days that they’re not going to get at home, on their home field,” AKYESS State Administrator and Event Organizer Lorinda “Lindy” Moss said. “Just the experience, just being mentored by their peers, their relationship with their peers, really takes shape in events like this.”

Athletes were separated into squads that consisted of shooters from different teams for the preliminary round of sporting clays. Each group visited seven different stations, where two different clay pigeon throwers were set to throw different size targets at different angles. Some clay pigeons were thrown high in the air, while others flew low through the trees and some bounced and rolled on the ground. Each shooter had several attempts to shoot at each station to collect points that would add to their cumulative score. The course wound through muddy trails of birch forest and athletes and coaches donned rain gear and boots to keep not only themselves but their firearms clean and dry.

Joey Miller, a senior member of the Palmer Moose, AKYESS Varsity team, assistant coach and Youth Advisor to the Board of Directors, was named the 2025 Athlete of the Year. Miller would also place second in the final walkthrough of the sporting clays course on Friday after shooting to break a three way tie for first place after hitting 85/100 targets. Miller said he had been looking forward to the final walkthrough after finishing his shoot in the preliminary round and commented on how well everyone supported each other in his squad throughout the day.

“Being a part of the team aspect is really nice,” Miller said. “Even if you don’t shoot good, there’s people [that say], ‘you still did good,’ even if you didn’t think you shot your best.”

Miller said he enjoys shooting the sporting clays at 7th Summit because of its remoteness and different shooting opportunities in varying terrain. He said the best part of this event is interacting with other shooters from across the state.

“It’s fun because you don’t get to see these guys much,” Miller said. “It’s very fun talking to them. They have their own interesting stories, like some of the kids from Petersburg go out and work on fishing boats. No one up here does that to my knowledge.”

Miller has been competing in AKYESS since he was in eighth grade when he joined the Susitna Shooters and later for Palmer and the Varsity team. He plans to go to UAA and wants to help start a shooting program through the university.

The Colony Knights team took home several awards from the competition. Colony shot their way to the HAA (highest all around) Varsity Team for the week. Hagan Powers, a member of the Colony Knights YESS, AlaskaYESS Varsity Team, Team Captain and Assistant Coach received the 2025 Varsity Athlete of the Year award. The HOA (highest over all) shooter for the week was Logan Williamson from Colony.

Russel Benson has been the head coach for the Colony Knights team for two years and has been a part of the program for eight years. One of his own children has graduated from the program and one competed in last week’s competition. He said that the sport teaches the athletes leadership and social skills, while also encouraging firearms safety. Athletes have the ability to learn from each other and the traveling varsity team has the opportunity to compete all over the country. The most important aspect is getting the kids outside, having fun and being safe.

“You come out here, you have fun with these kids, this is one of the best sports I’ve ever participated in,” Benson said. “There’s a lot of camaraderie out here. All these guys get along. I mean these five, you can watch them,” Benson said as he motioned to the squad in front of him. “They’re all from different parts of the state, different schools, they come out here and they have a good time.”

The state championship concluded at the 7th Summit Shooting Park, a developing facility located between Knik and Big Lake. AKYESS has been making the park bigger and better each year, with Moss and her husband Neil spearheading the work. Without the community’s support, events like this one wouldn’t be possible and the youth of Alaska would not have the opportunity to compete in such a unique sport.

“This is just a really remarkable event,” Moss said. “Having the opportunity to develop the 7th Summit… this is like coming home… When we come here to do the walkthrough, it’s just a completely different atmosphere. It’s like a big sigh of relief. We’re home now. This is their park. This is their home.”

Final Results:

Skeet:

Senior Varsity:

1st Lloyd Pehrson, Redington

2nd Logan Williamson, Colony

3rd Finnegan Taylor, Palmer

JV:

1st Dawson Dethlefs, Ketchikan

2nd Westin Crum, Wasilla

3rd Levi Reid, Petersburg

Entry (high school):

1st Gaige Skeith, Palmer

2nd Liam Hepler, Colony

3rd Rowan Hepler, Colony

Intermediate (7th-8th graders):

1st Sophie Frye, Susitna Shooters

2nd James Short, Susitna Shooters

3rd Gavin O'Neil, Petersburg

Novice (4th-6th graders):

1st Grayson Combs, Tok

2nd Cooper Peyerk, Juneau

3rd Duncan Durst, Petersburg

Double Skeet:

SV:

1st Logan Williamson, Colony

2nd Finnegan Taylor, Palmer

3rd Lloyd Pehrson, Redington

JV:

1st Levi Reid, Petersburg

2nd Oren Laret, Wasilla

3rd Westin Crum, Wasilla

Entry:

1st Liam Hepler, Colony

2nd Brody Mattingley, Palmer

3rd Wiley DeVilbiss, Palmer

Intermediate:

1st Sophie Frye, Susitna Shooters

2nd Evin Olsen, Petersburg

3rd Connor Beatriz, Susitna Shooters

Novice:

1st Grayson Combs, Tok

2nd Abby Dolan, Juneau

3rd Xander Duntley, Susitna Shooters

Trap:

SV:

1st Logan Williamson, Colony

2nd Lloyd Pehrson, Redington

3rd Trent Kittams, Petersburg

JV:

1st Dawson Dethlefs Ketchikan

2nd Corbin Wright, Haines

3rd Oren Laret, Wasilla

Entry:

1st Wiley DeVilbiss, Palmer

2nd Rowan Hepler, Colony

3rd Gaige Skeith, Palmer

Intermediate:

1st Jonah Wray, Haines

2nd Sophie Frye, Susitna Shooters

3rd Bella Kennard, Juneau

Novice:

1st Cooper Peyerk, Juneau

2nd Nathan Jamison, Haines

3rd Duncan Durst, Petersburg

Wobble Trap:

SV:

1st Cody Althens, Palmer, shooting a perfect 50 out of 50 targets!

2nd Logan Williamson, Colony (with 49/50!)

3rd Lloyd Pehrson, Redington

JV:

1st Dawson Dethlefs, Ketchikan

2nd Levi Reid, Petersburg

3rd Oren Laret, Wasilla

Entry:

1st Rowan Hepler, Colony

2nd Liam Hepler, Colony

3rd Brody Mattingley, Palmer

Intermediate:

1st Sophie Frye, Susitna Shooters

2nd Noah Larson, Petersburg

3rd Jonah Wray, Haines

Novice:

1st Cooper Peyerk, Juneau

2nd Duncan Durst, Petersburg

3rd Nathan Jamison, Haines

Double Trap:

SV:

1st Logan Williamson, Colony

2nd Lloyd Pehrson, Redington

3rd Cody Althens, Palmer

JV:

1st Dawson Dethlefs, Ketchikan

2nd Cedar Helms, Petersburg

3rd Levi Reid, Petersburg

Entry:

1st Wiley DeVilbiss, Palmer

2nd Brody Mattingley, Palmer

3rd Ben DeWitt, Wasilla

Intermediate:

1st Connor Beatriz, Susitna Shooters

2nd Sophie Frye, Susitna Shooters

3rd Atom Edwards, Ketchikan

Novice:

1st Nathan Jamison, Haines

2nd Cooper Peyerk, Juneau

3rd Abby Dolan, Juneau

50-Bird Sporting Prelim:

SV:

1st Logan Williamson, Colony

2nd Trygve Hermann, Juneau

3rd Hagan Powers, Colony

JV:

1st Ezra DeWitt, Wasilla

2nd Cedar Helms, Petersburg

3rd Levi Reid, Petersburg

Entry:

1st Liam Hepler, Colony

2nd Brody Mattingley, Palmer

3rd Gaige Skeith, Palmer

Intermediate:

1st Connor Beatriz, Susitna Shooters

2nd Gavin O'Neil, Petersburg

3rd Sophie Frye, Susitna Shooters

Novice:

1st Grayson Combs, Tok

2nd Xander Duntley, Susitna Shooters

3rd Duncan Durst, Petersburg

100-Bird Walkthrough: (this is the final event, which takes about 2-2.5 hours to complete the course)

SV: All 3 of these athletes were tied with 85/100, and by tiebreaker they placed:

1st Lloyd Pehrson, Redington

2nd Joey Miller, Palmer

3rd Logan Williamson, Colony

JV:

1st Cedar Helms, Petersburg

2nd Levi Reid, Petersburg

3rd Ezra DeWitt, Wasilla

Entry:

1st Gaige Skeith, Palmer

2nd Wiley DeVilbiss, Palmer

3rd Liam Hepler, Colony

Intermediate:

1st Sophie Frye, Susitna Shooters

2nd Gavin O'Neil, Petersburg

3rd Jonah Wray, Haines

Novice:

1st Grayson Combs, Tok

2nd Xander Duntley, Susitna Shooters

3rd Cooper Peyerk, Juneau

The HOA [High Over All, all events] Champion was Logan Williamson, Colony, with a score of 457 out of 500 targets!

HOA Runner-Up is Lloyd Pehrson with 433/500.

High Lady Champion is Sophie Frye, a local 8th grader, who shot within the top 10 for the entire event, with higher scores than more than half of the Senior Varsity athletes!

HAA by Division in the Main Event (350 targets) was as follows:

HAA SV Cody Althens

HAA SV Runner-Up Hagan Powers

HAA SV Lady Shelby Burton, Redington

HAA SV Lady Runner-Up Lorelai Bingham, Juneau

HAA JV Levi Reid

HAA JV Runner-Up Dawson Dethlefs, Ketchikan

HAA Entry Wiley DeVilbiss, Palmer

HAA Entry Runner-Up Rowan Hepler, Colony

HAA JV/Entry Lady Isabella Page, Houston

HAA JV/Entry Lady Runner-Up Hannah Jamison, Haines

HAA Intermediate Jonah Wray, Haines

HAA Intermediate Runner-Up Atom Edwards, Ketchikan

HAA Novice Cooper Peyerk, Juneau

HAA Novice Runner-Up Grayson Combs, Tok

HAA Intermediate/ Novice Lady Bella Kennard, Juneau

HAA Intermediate/ Novice Lady Runner-Up Abby Dolan, Juneau

TEAM AWARDS:

HOA Grand Champion Team: Petersburg's Devil's Thumb Shooters

HAA Varsity [high school divisions] Team: Colony Knights YESS

HAA Intermediate/Novice Team: Ketchikan Junior Shotgun League

Joey Miller, Palmer Moose YESS, AlaskaYESS Varsity Team, Assistant Coach, and Youth Advisor to the Board of Directors is our 2025 Athlete of the Year. [I believe you talked to him at length while at 7th Summit]

Hagan Powers, Colony Knights YESS, AlaskaYESS Varsity Team, Team Captain and Assistant Coach is our 2025 Varsity Athlete of the Year.