Arlington High School Trap Team Background

Shooting sports have seen phenomenal growth over the past several years with 8,300 youth participating in 2006. This growth is attributed to the efforts of the Scholastic Clay Target Program, state wildlife agencies, firearms industry sponsors and a growing reputation as one of the safest scholastic sports in the country.  The Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program is a program of the Tennessee Wildlife Federation in cooperation with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

Before being registered on a team, each student must successfully complete the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s hunter education class which teaches shooting fundamentals and firearm safety.  They must agree to abide by the academic and physical fitness guidelines of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association. The sport is sanctioned by the American Trap shooting Association and supported by the Friends of the National Rifle Association.  The discipline required by shooting sports builds students’ confidence and improves their focus and concentration, which carries over to the classroom. The ultimate goal of involving young people in shooting sports is to instill in them a commitment to safe firearm handling, teamwork and leadership.

Thanks to the efforts of Bill Cox of Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission and State Representative Ron Lollar (also of the Shelby County School Board) a trap program broke onto the scene throughout the Shelby County School system in the fall of 2005.  Arlington High School’s Kermit Simons quickly mustered his resources and launched the inaugural “Arlington Trappers” trap shooting team.  None of the original participants knew much about trap shooting and most of the students came to their first practices with a field gun.  Though naive, that first team had talent and the drive to become the best they could be. 

Less than five months after their first practice, the Arlington Trappers roared to a third place finish at the SCTP Tennessee State Championship.  From a statewide pool of 1,564 shooters in five divisions only 532 qualified to compete at the state level.  Twenty six Senior Novice squads, each made up of five shooters, shot it out at the June 24 and 25, 2006 meet in Nashville at the Tennessee Clay Target Complex. Leading the way for the Trappers’ team were, Matt Holt, Matt Eley, and Keaton Irving who took the high individual scores with each shooting 190 out of a possible 200 targets.   Matt Holt, Matt Eley, Curtis Robinson, Matt Segerson, Cody Cochran, Taylor Garrison, and Keaton Irving had 25-straight runs while Curtis Robinson broke 50 in a row.  The two squads’ remarkable performance qualified them to advance two squads to the Scholastic Clay Target Program National Championship in Sparta, Ill., that August.

More than 1,600 youth trap shooters from 26 states converged on the new $50 million, 1,500-acre World Shooting and Recreational Complex in Sparta, Ill., for the SCTP nationals held during the Grand American World Trapshooting Championship. The competition was the largest in SCTP's six-year history…and Arlington High School was there! With four top-three teams, Tennessee had the competition's highest medal count, claiming the national championship in the rookie division and placing third in the rookie, junior novice and senior novice divisions.  Arlington High School Trappers Senior Novice first squad scored a 940 of 1000 targets, just seven off of first place to tie for third with Shelbyville Central High School, also from Tennessee.  Since both teams were absent for the deciding shoot-off, third place was awarded to Shelbyville Central through a coin toss, officially placing Arlington in fourth.  The Arlington first squad was made up of Matthew Holt, Matthew Eley, Andrew Reed, Curtis Robinson, and Matt Segerson.  Alternate Matt Lollar busted 188 targets out of 200. Impressively, Arlington’s second squad also saw a top ten finish, scoring 933 to place ninth.   Shooting on the second squad were Brandon Barker, Cody Cochran, Keaton Irving, Taylor Garrison and Johnny Newman.  Alternate Eric Bence shot 178.