Burnet shooters sweep honors at TSRA Prone Championships

HIGHLAND LAKES —  Shooting against the state’s best at the Texas State Rifle Association Prone Smallbore Prone Championship, the Burnet County 4-H precision shooters swept a host of honors. The Oct. 11-12 title match in San Antonio was “a mental and physical marathon,” said Guy Taylor, Burnet County 4-H coach. “It was one of the most grueling precision rifle matches in Texas.” 

Area shooters participating included Burnet students Allison McClennen and Kara Coffey, Marble Falls student Brandon Johnson, Llano student Katie Bridges and adult coaches Mark McClennen and Guy Taylor. 

All six shooters shot the first day using open or metallic sights only. Every shooter competed in one of four specific classes, except Brandon Johnson who participated as an unclassified competitor. Johnson will be classified after competing in two matches, but coaches said he still posted noteworthy results.

“If he had been classified he would have won some awards in this match,” Taylor said. “He did very well for his first big match.”

After the first day of the championship matches, Allison McClennen and Coffey finished in third and fourth place respectively in the Junior Marksman Metallic Sights Division. Taylor was in second place in the Civilian/Service Marksman Metallic Sights Division, Mark McClennen was at fifth place in the Civilian/Service Marksman Metallic Sights Division and Bridges was at the top of the leader board.

“Katie Bridges shot an unbelievable score of 1,590-97X on the first day, dropping 10 points in 160 record shots and winning the State Smallbore Prone Metallic Sights Championship match and taking two other titles of High Women and High Junior,” Taylor said. “This is pretty remarkable about Katie (Bridges), especially since she just turned 14. She was not only beating older kids but the seasoned adult shooters as well. We proved to the other shooters that if anyone wanted to win the overall championship, they would have to come through us.”

On the second day of the match, only Bridges and Taylor continued to compete.

 The pair had dominated the first round using open sights, but competitors had the option of switching to the telescopic sights on the second day. Even though Bridges and Taylor did not have telescopic sights, which offer a clear advantage over open sights, coaches said they were up to the challenge but struggled to maintain their lead.

“It was a very tough two days,” Taylor said. “The prone position is very physically and mentally demanding on the competitor. Plus, I could not hold on to my lead using metallic sights for second place in the Civilian/Service Marksman Any Sights Division and second overall in the State Civilian/Service Smallbore Prone Division.”

Even without a telescopic sight, Bridges kept other shooters at bay with her phenomenal shooting.

“She had them all worried,” Taylor said. “The other competitors were running to the score shack checking Katie’s score between each match.”

Eventually, Bridges lost her slim lead but still finished the second day as the State Women Smallbore Any Sights Champion, third Overall State Champion and State Women Smallbore Prone Champion. 

“I did my best and I almost had the overall title,” Bridges said. “The other competitors had to catch me with scopes because they couldn’t catch me with metallic sights. I’ll be back next year more prepared and determined.”

Recently, Bridges swept the title in her class in the State Smallbore 3-Position Championship match on the same range. This was her second major state win as a very young competitor. She is the Texas State Sporter Air Rifle champion and also Second Overall State Indoor Air Rifle and Smallbore Champion. 

On Oct. 10, the Burnet County 4-H shooter competed in the Bordelon 3-Position Air Cup Match in San Antonio. She placed 13th out of 64 competitors that included numerous JROTC cadets ranging in age from 12-18. 

Courtesy Photo