Mar 2, 2019 4 min read

Waynesburg’s Hunter Wasson last advanced to the PIAA Rifle Championships two years ago as a sophomore, and West Greene’s Sheyanne Watson had never participated in the state final.

Both advanced to the PIAA final this year and both Greene County students capped the 2018-19 season with a PIAA medal.

Wasson managed to double out in his senior year after the Raiders captured third place in team championship.

Watson finished seventh with a four-relay total of 409.9. The junior opened with a 106-99 score in the first two relays, and then closed a bit stronger with 103-101.9 in the final two rounds.

Watson was also honored on the PA State All-Tournament Team.

Avella’s Alayna Walther, the WPIAL runner-up, was the top finisher among all area shooters. She led the Washington County representatives with a third-place finish with a 413.3 total and a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

The PIAA Rifle Championship is competed at two sites, one on the eastern side of the state and the other on the western portion of Pennsylvania. Frazier-Simplex Rifle Club in Washington was the site for the western side of the state.

The host site was familiar to the Greene and Washington shooters, providing a more comfortable setting for the championship.

“It helped being their before. I was familiar with the lighting, and it was close to home,” explained Watson. “It was great to see local kids, as well.”

West Greene and Waynesburg share the Waynesburg Sportsmen’s Club as their home range, and several other competitors from Section 1 advanced into the state final so Watson had a few familiar faces in the title match.

Watson was a bit anxious at the start, but settled in as the competition began.

“I was nervous, but I calmed down once I got in there,” said Watson, adding, “I was not as nervous as I was for the WPIAL (finals).”

Watson shot her first two relays, took a break and then returned to complete the final two relays, taking about 40 minutes to complete her competition.

Watson competed Feb. 21, so she had to wait about a week for the final results to be tabulated. Now, she has a piece of school history with her seventh-place finish to earn the program’s first state medal.

“(The wait for the final result) was nerve-racking,” said Watson. “It’s an accomplishment (to win the medal). I’m the first shooter to medal. It’s great. I love it.”

Wasson finished fifth with a four-target total of 410.9. His strongest target was his second with a score of 105. The senior opened with 101.8, then came back with a 102.3-101.8 combination to close out the round. He was named to the Pa. State All-Tournament Team.

Twelve teams from around the state and 41 individual shooters qualified for the state championship. The top five scores counted for the team totals with each shooter completing two rounds. All shooting was done from the prone position.

Wasson earned a second state medal when the Raiders finished third in the team standings with an aggregate score of 1016.9. His two-relay total was 206.8 (101.8-105).

Everett edged Hempfield for the team title. Everett scored 1023.1, while the Spartans totaled 1022.4.

Colby Simkovic, who also earned all-tournament honors, led the Raiders in the team competition with 207.1 (102.9-104.2).

Selena Phillips, the two-time WPIAL individual gold medalist, finished with a score of 203 (101.2-101.8). She finished 13th in the individual standings with a score of 406.5 after shooting consistent rounds of 101, 101.8, 101.9 and 101.8.

Southern Lehigh’s Michael Tilley won the state title with a four-target score of 416.7. Everett’s Camden Donahoe won the silver medal with a score of 413.7, with Walther a close third with 413.3.

Sports editor Chris Dugan contributed to this story.