Senior Tommy Kemp stands to shoot, cocks his shotgun, peers down the sights, targets the clay pigeon, gets his lead and pulls the trigger. Kemp is a member of the trap shooting team, which is entering its second season. The team won the state title last year and this season’s competition has begun for the 2017 season.

“We are setting out to win another state title,” sophomore Hannah Doyle said. “We also would like to go undefeated again. I believe that we can do both because we have a lot of our best shooters returning this year.”

While team members believe that they could repeat an undefeated season, others believe that there is room for improvement beyond the state title.

“I can see a lot of growth with the team this year,” Kemp said. “It can be difficult for extreme amounts of growth sometimes, like when a shooter shoots 95 out of 100. It can be difficult for growth because that is so good, but growth is possible for those that shot like a 65 or 75 out of 100. When it comes to shooting, mindset is key. You can hit 20 in a row, but if you tell yourself that you are going to miss it, you will. Shooting is 25 percent actual skill and 75 percent mental toughness.”

After the team’s inaugural season, they are bringing back double-digit shooters from 2016. Captain and founder of the team senior Spencer Bundy took away personal lessons from his first season shooting for the school.

“One thing I learned from last year is that perseverance is key to competitive shooting,” Bundy said. “Last year we did really well, we won almost all of the team awards, and we learned a lot in our first year. We are returning about 15 people from last year, and I expect us to do well.”

The trap team has their next meet April 12, at the Linden Sportsman Club.