West Valley takes home gold at 2010 Mid Alaska Rifle Championship

Hutchison's Cayla Wagahoft settles in for another shot during the Relay 1 prone position round of the smallbore portion of the Mid Alaska Conference Rifle Championships Saturday morning, December 4, 2010 at the E.F. Horton Range in the UAF Patty Center. Eric Engman/News-Miner

Sometimes sodas are at stake for the West Valley High School rifle team. On Saturday, the Mid Alaska Conference championship was on the line for the Wolfpack.

Depth and determination helped West Valley capture the title in the smallbore competition and clinch the team title Saturday at the E.F. Horton Range in the University of Alaska Fairbanks Patty Center.

The Wolfpack won the smallbore competition with a total of 2,168 after taking the top honor in Friday’s air rifle matches with a 2,236.

“This is fantastic,” West Valley’s fourth-year head coach, Jason Williams, said after Saturday’s finale.

West Valley’s 14 shooters pushed themselves in practices this season and occasionally, sweet carbonated beverages were an incentive to excel.

“It changes from practice to practice,” Williams said. “People will get on each other about particular position or about a match score, and they’ll lay down a challenge over a soda or whatever.”

West Valley was consistently deep this season, and it showed in the MAC tournament.

On Friday, Justin Lipscomb of the Delta Junction Huskies won the individual title, but the next four shooters in the standings were from the Wolfpack — in order, Emily Williams, Anna Quist, Robert Williams and Cale McDonald. The top five places Saturday belonged to the Wolfpack. McDonald won with a 551, Emily Williams took second with 547, Robert Williams placed third with 542 and Tyler Pruce and Anna Quist came in fourth and fifth, respectively, with 528 and 514.

Jason Williams was grateful for his team’s depth at the Patty Center and through an 8-0 run in the regular-season varsity matches.

“I’ve had people sick this year, I’ve had people out, I lost one to grades and there were people who couldn’t make matches because they were taking SATs and things like that,” he said. “Having a deeper team meant that we still did well at all those matches.”

The Wolfpack did well enough Saturday to put a gap on the runner-up team compared to a year ago.

“Last year when we won, it was pretty close, and this year, it was more decisive,” Williams said. “I feel like they really earned it because they worked hard all season and it really paid off.”

In 2009 at the Patty Center, West Valley edged the Delta Junction Huskies by one point in the smallbore, 2,219 to 2,218. On Saturday, the Wolfpack had a little more breathing room for the first-place trophy, as the Hutchison Hawks finished runner-up after posting a 2,007 in the smallbore following a second-place air rifle effort (2,141).

It was a significant accomplishment for the Hawks, who are a first-year program and had only one shooter, freshman Gabe Stutz, with significant shooting experience in 2009.

“This is awesome for the kids and for the team,” said Greg Yocum, who co-coaches Hutchison with his wife, Trish. “We only had one kid who really did any shooting last year at all last year. To have all them come in, learn, pick it up and stay dedicated to it, it just says a lot about the kids.”

Behind the Hawks came the Lathrop Malemutes in third with 1,905, the North Patriots in fourth with 1,887, and Delta Junction in fifth with 1,735.

McDonald was dedicated for the Wolfpack after not placing in the MAC meet last year.

“I kept working hard and going on the things that needed improvement,” the West Valley junior cited as a key to winning the smallbore individual title.

McDonald said he focused on one position and improving on it.

He had Saturday’s top prone position result: 194 points in the smallbore. He recorded a 171 in the standing position and his secured the individual prize with a 186 total in the kneeling portion.

“It’s great because I don’t win very often,” McDonald said. “It’s good to actually put it all together.”

Eleven personal bests were accomplished Saturday.

by Danny Martin / dmartin@newsminer.com

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