Los Alamos Young Guns Team 1 competing in Raton last weekend. Photo by Kathryn J. Smith
Los Alamos Young Guns and coaches at the NRA Whittington Center last weekend. Front row from left, Mike O’Neill, Sam Stringfield, Josh Smith, David Smith and Quentin Brown. Second row from left, Kes Luchini, Alison Pimentel, Hannah Wilbanks and JoAnna O’Neill. Fourth row from left, Kathy Smith, Tom Hanlon, Chris Bond and Nick Greenfield. Back row from left, Alan Bond and Dave Smith. Courtesy photo
LAHS sophomore JoAnna O’Neill took first place in the State High Schools Shotgun Competition. Photo by Scott Greenfield
LAHS News:
Los Alamos High School sophomore JoAnna O’Neill was the highest scorer Saturday, April 26, at the New Mexico State High Schools Shotgun Sports Competition held at the NRA Whittington Center in Raton. She broke 96 out of 100 clays to beat Colton Kelley of Aztec High School by four points. O’Neill competed with 10 other members of the Los Alamos Young Guns, which is sponsored by the Los Alamos Sportman’s Club.
Junior Nick Greenfield took second place for boys with a score of 89 and Kes Luchini took third place for girls with a score of 88. Sophomores Sam Stringfield and Josh Smith took fifth and sixth places respectively for boys.
Los Alamos Team 1 comprised of Kes Luchini, JoAnna O’Neill, Nick Greenfield, Tom Hanlon and Chris Bond took first place, and Los Alamos Team 2 with David Smith, Josh Smith, Sam Stringfield, Alison Pimentel and Quinten Brown took fourth place. Hannah Willbanks also participated in the competition and scored a personal best.
The shooters shot 50 targets at 16 yards and 50 targets at 19 yards with winds from 17 to 24 miles per hour. They were accompanied by coaches David Smith, Kathy Smith, Alan Bond and Michael O’Neill, youth programs coordinator for the LASC.
“We are very proud of these young shooters,” O’Neill said. “Some of them have been shooting together since 2010. They function cohesively and move well as a team.”
O’Neill said the shooters work hard and are very dedicated, making it to practices in all kinds of weather. He thanked the coaches who traveled with the teams as well as Rex Crook, Wayne Simons, Teresa Cull and Steve Diamond, who also coach the Young Guns, for making this program work so well.
The youth shotgun program meets on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at the Sportsman’s Club. For more information, call 505.662.0980.
