Tiger shooters take state title

The Ozark High School JROTC battalion rifle team earned a clean sweep of the championship trophies at the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) State Championship on Jan. 15.

The Tigers came in first place in both the precision and sporter rifle divisions of the team competition that was held in Washington, Missouri.

“We continue to work hard day in and day out and I’m very proud to see this team rewarded for all of their hard work,” said 1st Sgt. William Crawford, Ozark High School JROTC instructor and rifle team coach. “There were roughly 15 schools with over 25 teams, which made for a highly-competitive field. Consistency is accuracy and accuracy is consistency.”

Ozark’s triumphs also extended to the individual competition, as the Tigers claimed the top three spots in both the precision and sporter divisions.

“As a team, we have worked very diligently and put in many long hours to better ourselves as shooters, competitors and fellow teammates,” said Ozark rifle team captain Elijah Glenn. “Our performance at the state championship was a reflection of our dedication to each other and our commitment to representing Ozark JROTC to the best of our abilities.”

The state meet marked the first competition of the new calendar year for the Ozark rifle team. The shooting Tigers are headed into the home stretch of their 2021-22 season, and will compete next at the CMP Army Service National Championship in Anniston, Alabama, Feb. 2-6.

Ozark rifle team at the Missouri state championships:

Team finishes:

Ozark Precision – 1st Place

Ozark Sporter 1 – 1st Place

Ozark Sporter 2 – 3rd Place

Sporter individual:

Sydney Broussard – 1st Place

Elijah Glenn – 2nd Place

Hanna McConnell –  3rd Place

Precision individual:

Karley McCall – 1st Place

Alexis Lake – 2nd Place

Brody Baumann- 3rd Place