June 1, 2026
Mountain Home Junior Trap Team Earns 3rd Place at State Tournament
After four weeks of intense Regional competition at the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation Shooting Sports Complex in Jacksonville, the Mountain Home Junior Trap Team capped off an outstanding season with a 3rd place finish at the state tournament.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Youth Shooting Sports program hosted 64 junior and 64 senior teams, all vying for state championships, as well as individual shooters competing for the coveted Champion of Champions title. The junior teams competed on Friday, May 29th, in a 64-team single-elimination bracket, where each matchup required squads to shoot 125 clays.
Mountain Home’s junior squad—Benson Hopper, Case Hardin, Luke Hopper, Wyatt Bourg, and Austin Still—faced six challenging matches. They defeated Cossatot River FFA, Batesville Pioneers, Bald Knob, and Westside Red before a narrow loss to Jonesboro Grey in the semi-finals by a single target, 112–111. The team rebounded to claim 3rd place with a 116–111 victory over Smackover.
In addition to team success, seven junior shooters advanced to the Champion of Champions shoot-off after scoring perfect 25-for-25 in regional competition. Mountain Home’s Case Hardin joined Gauge Kuhn (Bald Knob White), Joshua Henry Semmler (Dierks 1), Chandler Waldrup (Westside Red 4), Libby Camp (Lonoke Jackrabbits), Parker Reese (Marmaduke Hounds Gray), and Sebastian Sifuentes (Jonesboro Blue) in the showdown. After 11 head-to-head stands, Case Hardin earned 2nd place in the Champion of Champions shoot-off.
This performance highlights the skill, focus, and teamwork of Mountain Home’s junior shooters, cementing their reputation as one of the state’s top trap teams.
After four weeks of intense Regional competition at the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation Shooting Sports Complex in Jacksonville, the Mountain Home Junior Trap Team capped off an outstanding season with a 3rd place finish at the state tournament.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Youth Shooting Sports program hosted 64 junior and 64 senior teams, all vying for state championships, as well as individual shooters competing for the coveted Champion of Champions title. The junior teams competed on Friday, May 29th, in a 64-team single-elimination bracket, where each matchup required squads to shoot 125 clays.
Mountain Home’s junior squad—Benson Hopper, Case Hardin, Luke Hopper, Wyatt Bourg, and Austin Still—faced six challenging matches. They defeated Cossatot River FFA, Batesville Pioneers, Bald Knob, and Westside Red before a narrow loss to Jonesboro Grey in the semi-finals by a single target, 112–111. The team rebounded to claim 3rd place with a 116–111 victory over Smackover.
In addition to team success, seven junior shooters advanced to the Champion of Champions shoot-off after scoring perfect 25-for-25 in regional competition. Mountain Home’s Case Hardin joined Gauge Kuhn (Bald Knob White), Joshua Henry Semmler (Dierks 1), Chandler Waldrup (Westside Red 4), Libby Camp (Lonoke Jackrabbits), Parker Reese (Marmaduke Hounds Gray), and Sebastian Sifuentes (Jonesboro Blue) in the showdown. After 11 head-to-head stands, Case Hardin earned 2nd place in the Champion of Champions shoot-off.
This performance highlights the skill, focus, and teamwork of Mountain Home’s junior shooters, cementing their reputation as one of the state’s top trap teams.