Archery teams from area schools will shoot in qualifier meets for the Indiana state tournament on Saturday.
Northeastern Middle/Senior High School will be among teams competing at the Monroe Central qualifier at Monroe Central Elementary School, Parker City. It starts at 8 a.m. with the final flight at 4 p.m. in Monroe Central Elementary School, Parker City. Shooting along with Monroe Central and Northeastern will be teams from Blackford County Jr./Sr. High School, Driver Middle School, Monroe Central Elementary and Jr./Sr. High, Southern Wells Elementary and Jr./Sr. High, Union City Jr./Sr. High, Union Jr./Sr. High (Modoc), and Wes-Del Elementary and Jr./Sr. High.
Hagerstown, Lincoln, Tri and Union County archers will compete in the Tri qualifier at Tri Jr./Sr. High School, Straughn, starting at 10 a.m. with the final flight at 12:30 p.m.
Between the state qualifiers and the state tournament, teams will keep practicing and competing.
Northeastern won both the middle and high school divisions at the Northeastern Shootout home meet on Jan. 11. Northeastern’s high school team scored 3,245 points. In the middle school division, Northeastern Team 1 scored 2,941 points and Team 2, 215 points. Archers from Lincoln and Union City shot as individuals.
Northeastern senior Aerriana Johnson led all scorers to take first place in the high school division. She shot 286 points out of a possible 500, including 18 bullseyes. Annie Hickel took second place with 284 points and 18 bullseyes. Rounding out the top five female finishers were Northeastern shooters Haylee Brown, 283 points and 20 bullseyes; Regan Haynes, 276 and 13 bullseyes; and Bailey Berhalter, 268 points with eight bullseyes.
In the high school division, Northeastern senior Noah Willett scored 283 points and 15 bullseyes to lead male shooters. Northeastern’s Dakota Booker placed second with 276 points and 10 bullseyes; Nikolai Leedom of Union City placed third with 256 points and nine bullseyes; Northeastern took fourth and fifth, with Ayden Alcorn scoring 255 points and 11 bullseyes and Kevin Muckridge, 253 points and nine bullseyes.
In middle school shooting, Coleson Burdette of Lincoln Middle/High School scored highest with 274 points and 11 bullseyes. Reid Kerns of Union City Jr./Sr. High School scored 267 and 10 bullseyes. From Northeastern, Hunter Thomas scored 265 and nine bullseyes for third; Caleb Byrum, 246 points and three bullseyes, fourth; and Spencer Smith, 243 points and seven bullseyes, fifth.
For middle school female shooters, Northeastern’s Hailey Garwood scored 263 with nine bullseyes, and Addison Schubert scored 259 and 10 bullseyes for second place. Andi Lakes of Lincoln scored a 259 with seven bullseyes to win third place. Northeastern’s Makenna Burdette scored 254 and eight bullseyes for fourth place and Miranda Collins, fifth, with 243 points and five bullseyes.
The top-scoring teams and individuals from qualifier meets will be eligible to compete at the Indiana state tournament on March 8 in Indianapolis. Qualification is based on scores and will be determined by mid-February. Qualifiers from that tournament will be eligible for regional competition at Louisville, Kentucky, May 8-10, and may qualify for the National Archery in the Schools Program national tournament in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, June 5-7.
A version of this article will appear in the January 22 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.