Statesboro High School will compete in the Georgia High School Association’s Riflery State Championship on April 1, in Dahlonega.
The school’s precision air rifle team was one of 15 teams who qualified for the state championship after defeating Crisp County High School and Kennesaw Mountain High School in playoff matches in March. Team member Katlyn Sullivan, a sophomore, also qualified to compete in the individual division of the state championship after posting a score of 292, just six points off a perfect score of 300.
Held at the University of North Georgia Convocation Center, the event is free of charge to spectators. Athletes will compete in three shooting positions – prone, standing, and kneeling on a 10-meter indoor range.
Air Riflery began at Statesboro High in 1982 when the JROTC Department was formed, and it was originally part of the JROTC’s Raider competitions. When Riflery became a sanctioned GHSA sport, Statesboro High formed an athletic team, so interested students do not have to be part of JROTC to be part of the team. Shooting sports can lead to opportunities for athletes at the collegiate and Olympic levels.
The Statesboro High School team is coached by Eric Heffner (Lt. Col., Ret.), a JROTC Senior Army instructor at the school. Team members are Katlyn Sullivan, Yeongseo Oh, Andrew Nunez, Jorden Kley-Rodriguez, Lariza Lozano, Hunter Denshar, and Laron Johnson.
