Cornhusker Cup champion Mason Gerdes had a strategy for shooting in the blustery winds of the 52nd Cornhusker Trap Shoot on Saturday in Doniphan, Nebraska.

“Shoot ’em fast, shoot ’em quick right out of the trap,” the Raymond Central 11th grader said. “Just don’t let it bother you and focus on the next one.”

On a day that saw shooters battle wind gusts of more than 40 mph at the home grounds of the Nebraska Trapshooting Association, Gerdes excelled. He broke 65 of 75 handicap targets from 24 yards Saturday. Combine that with Friday’s 71 at 16 yards for a winning 136 score. Cooper Koeppen of Malcom 4-H was the next closest at 133.

“I thought I was in a pretty good position when I came back today,” said Gerdes, who has been competing at the Cornhusker since the sixth grade. “I knew I had to do something pretty good to get to the top and I went out with my head straight and shot 65 of them and ended up at the top.”

Millard West repeated as overall high school team champion with the same five shooters as last year. Peyton Anderson, Drake Pietryga, Ben Wilweding, Aiden Alward and Brandon Fish finished with a 594 out of a possible 750.

Janice Tejeda of Ashland 4-H was the ladies’ champion, while Raymond Central Gold was the ladies’ team champion and Louisville 4-H Gold was the top 4-H team.

Results from Saturday’s senior high competition are:

 Overall

Top 10 Individuals – 1. Mason Gerdes, Raymond Central Blue, 136 of 150

  1. Cooper Koeppen, Malcom 4-H Blue, 133
  2. Creedance Jankowski, Cougar 4-H Orange, 132
  3. Spencer Landers, Centura Burgundy, 129
  4. Carson Downs, Louisville 4-H Gold, 128
  5. Mike Roddy, Cougar 4-H Blue, 128
  6. Riley Brodersen, Blair Blue, 128
  7. Andrew Stadler, HTRS, 125
  8. Dillon Simpson, Karp and Krow 4-H G, 125
  9. Kaleb Thomas, Merrick County 4-H 1, 125

Top Three Ladies – 1. Janice Tejeda, Ashland 4-H 1, 124 of 150

  1. Quinn Moravec, Oak Creek 4-H 1, 122
  2. Izzy Jansen, Duchesne 1, 122

Top Three 4-H Teams – 1. Louisville 4-H Gold (Caden Smart, Brandon Williams, Gage Scholting, Carson Downs, Alex Michalski), 593 of 750

  1. Malcom 4-H Blue, 592
  2. Sidney Sharpshooters 4-H Black, 568

Top High School Teams – 1. Millard West A (Peyton Anderson, Drake Pietryga, Ben Wilweding, Aiden Alward, Brandon Fish), 594 of 750

  1. Centura Burgundy, 591
  2. Douglas County West Platinum, 588
  3. Raymond Central Blue, 587
  4. Minden 1, 579
  5. Lutheran NE, 574

Top Three Ladies Teams – 1. Raymond Central Gold (Ellianna Lamay, Jaelynn Kliment, Josie Lahm, Ayla Rech, Sophia Cadotte), 527 of 750

  1. Norris, 519
  2. Papillion-La Vista 2, 512

Handicap

Top Three Ladies – 1. Grace Harmon, Gibbon, 62 of 75

  1. Payton Kruse, homeschool, 58
  2. Destiny Frye, Sidney Sharpshooters 4-H Black, 58

Top Three Individuals – 1. Creedance Jankowski, Cougar 4-H Orange, 70 of 75

  1. Mason Gerdes, Raymond Central Blue, 65
  2. Mitchell Sell, Gibbon 1, 62

Top Three 4-H Teams – 1. Sidney Sharpshooters 4-H Black (Jayce Namuth, Sidney Allard, Destiny Frye, Hunter Wolff, David Brauer), 253 of 375

  1. Louisville 4-H Gold, 252
  2. Louisville 4-H White, 238

Top Three Ladies Teams – 1. Raymond Central Gold (Ellianna Lamay, Jaelynn Kliment, Josie Lahm, Ayla Rech, Sophia Cadotte), 225 of 375

  1. Papillion-La Vista 2, 213
  2. Norris, 210

Top Six High School Teams – 1. Centura Burgundy (Gavin Anderson, Tanner Simdon, Spencer Landers, Ashley Rose, Ryan Schweitzer) 264 of 375)

  1. Minden 1, 252
  2. Lutheran NE 2, 249
  3. Raymond Central Blue, 247
  4. Millard West A, 244
  5. North Platte Red, 242

Yardage Winners

18-19 Yards – 1. Carter Anderson, Gothenburg 1, 59 of 75

  1. Jacob Diedrichsen, Malcom 4-H Gold, 58
  2. Tanner Simdorn, Centura Burgundy, 58
  3. Lucas Williams, G.I. Central Catholic 1, 58
  4. Jadeyn Kohl, Elwood 1, 57
  5. Caden Frey, Republican Valley 4-H 1, 57
  6. Walker Behnken, Bennington Blue, 56
  7. Nathan Evans, Omaha Roncalli Gold, 55
  8. Marshal Chandler, Bellevue East A, 55
  9. Avery Drohman, Thayer Central, 55

20-21 Yards – 1. Jaxson Day, Millard West, 58 of 75 (won shoot-off)

  1. Tanner Ellis, Minden 1, 58
  2. Alex Peter, Nebraska City Lourdes, 57
  3. Devin Jensen, Papillion-La Vista South 5, 57
  4. Michael Dia, Nebraska City 1, 57
  5. Leo Higgins, Millard West, 57
  6. Ashley Wempen, Amherst, 57
  7. Jerome Caudillo, North Platte Blue, 56
  8. Ben Peters, Ogallala 2, 56
  9. Haley Yonker, North Platte Red, 56

22-23 Yards – 1. Riley Brodersen, Blair Blue, 60 of 75 (won shoot-off)

  1. Mike Roddy, Cougar 4-H Blue, 60
  2. Spencer Landers, Centura Burgundy, 60
  3. Toby Becker, Waverly Maroon, 57
  4. Cade Arnett, Arlington 1, 56
  5. Matthew Cejka, Lincoln Northeast Black, 56
  6. Colton Moorhead, South Platte 1, 55
  7. Trent Sommer, Lutheran NE, 55

24-25 Yards – 1. Cooper Koeppen, Malcom 4-H Blue, 60 of 75

  1. Carson Downs, Louisville 4-H Gold, 56
  2. Adam Meyer, Lutheran NE 2, 55
  3. Dillon Simpson, Karp and Krow 4-H G, 53
  4. Ty A. Johnson, Gordon-Rushville, 53
  5. Dylan Macdonald, Douglas County West Platinum, 52
  6. Quinn Moravec, Oak Creek 4-H 1, 52
  7. Izzy Jansen, Duchesne 1, 52

Pierson is individual champion at 16 yards at Cornhusker Trap Shoot

Mitchell Pierson of Lincoln Southeast survived an eight-person shoot-off Friday to win the individual title in the 16-yard competition at the 52nd Cornhusker Trap Shoot at Doniphan, Nebraska.

Pierson and seven others each broke all 75 targets earlier, then, in the shoot-off, the champion failed to miss.

Scotlyn Kincaid of Papillion-La Vista won the ladies’ title after a three-person shoot-off after shooting a 73 earlier. The high school team crown went to Papillion-La Vista, which broke 358 of 375 targets. Malcom 4-H Blue won the 4-H team title with a 359 and Duchesne won the ladies’ team crown with a 323.

There were 1,524 shooters competing Friday. On Saturday, competitors will shoot 75 handicap targets. The high school shooter with the highest combined score from the two days will earn the Cornhusker Cup trophy as the overall champion.

Friday’s results in the 16-yard competition are:

Top 20 Individuals – 1. Mitchell Pierson, Lincoln Southeast Zulu, 75 of 75 (won shoot-off)

  1. Vincent Kuehlthau, Papillion-La Vista Monarch 1, 75
  2. Wyatt Nelson, Elkhorn South Blue, 75
  3. Brennan Teter, Oak Creek 4-H 1, 75
  4. Trevor Lesinski, Millard South A, 75
  5. Tanner Muff, Lincoln Southwest Gold, 75
  6. Dalton Bures, Diller-Odell 1, 75
  7. Ethan Adams, Doniphan-Trumbull A, 75
  8. Cody Zalesky, 5 Clovers 4-H Green, 74
  9. Skye Hoyer, Blue River 4-H White, 74
  10. Tyler Marshall, Lincoln Northeast Black, 74
  11. Clyde Stenglein, Douglas County West Platinum, 74
  12. Hunter Gilbertson, Waverly Maroon, 74
  13. Nicholas Loxterkamp, Tri-County, 74
  14. Richard Gunn, homeschool, 74
  15. Jacob McClellan, Lincoln Lutheran 1, 74
  16. Benjamin Menking, Fremont, 74
  17. Jaxon Thoene, Broken Bow Karp and Krow 4-H, 74
  18. Andrew Stadler, Humboldt-Table Rock-Steinauer, 74
  19. Tyce Pate, North Platte Black, 74

Top Six Ladies – 1. Scotlyn Kincaid, Papillion-La Vista 1, 73 of 75 (won shoot-off)

  1. Janice Tejeda, Ashland 4-H 1, 73
  2. Madelynn Oden, Lincoln Southeast Zulu, 73
  3. Cori Combs, York, 72
  4. Haley Johnson, Gordon-Rushville 1, 71
  5. Ashley Rose, Centura Burgundy, 71

Top Three 4-H Teams – 1. Malcom 4-H Blue (Luke Beckman, Karter Kopecky, Cooper Koeppen, Griffin Anderson, Owen Savicky), 359 of 375

  1. 5 Clovers 4-H Green, 357
  2. Blue River 4-H White, 354

Top Three Ladies Teams – 1. Duchesne 1 (Calla Behney, Delaney Moffitt, Grace Nigro, Izzy Jansen, Ava McQuillen), 323 of 375

  1. Papillion-La Vista 1, 317
  2. Lincoln Southwest Pink, 316

Top Six High School Teams – 1. Papillion-La Vista Monarch 1 (Vincent Timberlake, Vincent Kuelthau, Trent Borer, Caleb Campbell, Aiden Cartwright), 358 of 375

  1. Douglas County West Platinum, 353
  2. Lincoln Southeast Zulu, 351
  3. Millard West A, 350
  4. Gothenburg, 350
  5. Norris 2, 349

Jim Carlisle Memorial Second Generation Individual (traveling trophy) – Tyler Marshall, Lincoln Northeast, 74

Happle shoots perfect 100 to win junior high title at 52nd Cornhusker Trap Shoot

Wyatt Happle of Beatrice was perfect Thursday, breaking all 100 targets during the junior high competition of the 52nd Cornhusker Trap Shoot in Doniphan, Nebraska.

It was no runaway victory for Happle shooting targets at 16 yards at the Nebraska Trapshooting Association home grounds. It was a day of high scores.

Harry Morgan of Kiewit Middle School in Omaha shot a 99. Kahne Packer of 5 Clovers 4-H of Wilber, who finished runner-up last year, took third place with a 98.

The last junior high shooter to record a perfect score was Hayden Baehr of 5 Clovers 4-H in 2015.

Sara Thiellen of Ashland 4-H won a shoot-off over Ava Schmutte of Norris, after both shot 95s, to win the ladies’ competition. Norris 1 repeated as the junior high team champion while Lincoln’s St. Joseph won the 4-H team championship and Ashland 4-H 1 took the ladies’ team crown.

On Thursday, 935 junior high shooters registered to compete, the second-highest total in the history of the event.

On Friday, more than 1,500 senior high students are expected to shoot 75 rounds of 16-yard targets. They will shoot 75 handicap targets Saturday, and the combined scores of the two days will determine the overall champion, the Cornhusker Cup winner.

The junior high results are:

Top 20 Individuals – 1. Wyatt Happle, Beatrice, 100 of 100

  1. Harry Morgan, Omaha Kiewit MS, 99
  2. Kahne Packer, Wilber 5 Clovers 4-H Green, 98
  3. Conner Parrish, Lincoln Irving MS, 97
  4. Jackson Norman, Omaha St. Wenceslaus Silver, 97
  5. Garrett Lange, Broken Bow Karp and Krow 4-H A, 96
  6. Hudson Werkmeister, McCook Republican River 4-H 1, 96
  7. Kade Brauckmuller, Ashland 4-H 1, 96
  8. Nathan Scott, Buffalo County 4-H 1, 96
  9. Trey Stoltenberg, Northwest 1, 96
  10. Logan Beaubier, Lincoln Mickle MS Black, 96
  11. Wyatt Debrie, Gibbon 1, 96
  12. Luke Grollmes, Minden-C.J. Jones 1, 96
  13. Brayden Hulquist, North Platte Adams MS Black, 96
  14. Barrett Smith, Lincoln St. Joseph 4-H 1, 96
  15. Jacob Volpp, Lincoln Pound MS, 95
  16. Boone Elam, Lincoln St. Joseph 4-H 1, 95
  17. Witten Painter, Ainsworth, 95
  18. Garrett Brandt, Papillion MS Titan 1, 95
  19. Jacob Mark, Gering Platte Valley Claybusters 4-H A, 95

Top Six Ladies – 1. Sara Thiellen, Ashland 4-H 1, 95 of 100 (won shoot-off)

  1. Ava Schmutte, Norris Ladies 1, 95
  2. Lillee Ludlow, Ashland 4-H 1, 93
  3. Karsyn Bower, Burwell Kittens, 93
  4. Reilly Forsyth, La Vista MS 1, 92
  5. Sydney Gallaway, Maxwell-North Platte, 92

Top Three 4-H Teams – 1. Lincoln St. Joseph 4-H 1 (Boone Elam, Barrett Smith, Bronson Bixenmann, Brady Bixenmann, Samuel Huck), 466 of 500

  1. 5 Clovers 4-H Green, 458
  2. Ashland 4-H 1, 452

Top Ladies Team – 1. Ashland 4-H 1 (Addison Rist, Lillee Ludlow, Ella Stofer, Riley Ruff, Ellie Porter), 411 of 500

  1. Burwell Kittens, 375
  2. Norris Ladies 1, 351

Top Six Junior High Teams – 1. Norris 1 (Maxxwel Schultz, Britton Petersen, Hayden Bauer, Todd Munk, Hunter Knoche), 446 of 500

  1. Beatrice 1, 443
  2. Centura Burgundy, 442
  3. Northwest 1, 433
  4. North Platte Adams Black, 427
  5. La Vista MS Monarch 1, 427