The 2023-2024 Armstrong Rifle Team is ranked second in its division and is expected to qualify for WPIALs. This year, the team broke their previous high score record twice. 

Senior Jeramiah McDermott and junior Shannon Anthony described this season as “one of the best so far.” 

They are joined by AHS seniors Lilly Polka and Riley Wagner, Lenape Tech seniors Lincoln Claypoole and Dylan Gadley, and Freeport seniors Brayden Behune, Madi Burnheimer, and Katie Mccoy. Shannon and Lincoln are the captains. 

Because the team has to travel so far for their matches, they bond on the team bus. They also share food together and promote an uplifting environment, according to Shannon. 

Their favorite memory was winning against Woodland Hills. 

Jeremiah joined the rifle team because he liked the way it sounded. Shannon joined because it gave her an opportunity to participate in a school sport without having to be athletic. 

She explained that the premise of “the more you practice, the better you get” does apply to shooting and that you don’t have to be traditionally athletic to excel. 

They described this year’s team as close because there are so many seniors who’ve been on the team together for so long. Both Jeremiah and Shannon have been on the rifle team for three years. 

Jeremiah explained that rifle teams are not common in colleges, so he doesn’t know whether he will have a chance to continue the sport after high school. He will be attending the University of  Pittsburgh at Greensburg. 

Shannon said that although the rifle team is one of the lesser publicized sports at Armstrong (and one of the lesser offered sports at many schools), she’s “never met anyone that joined that didn’t like it.”