Some archers lined up and drew for the last time as high school students while others shot their best hoping for even better next time around.

Archery competed in the school year’s last tournament May 8. They competed in the same manner as states in which they had a day where parents were welcome to attend. The shot in the middle school gym.

From there, the team’s scores were submitted to the NASP judges (National Archery in Schools Program). They were then ranked against other student archers from across the country.

The archery team placed 50 out of 247. Beaver Area’s three-top archers in this tournament were seniors Rebecca Leith and Connor Stewart, and freshman Amara Stewart.

Although Connor Stewart placed second on the team itself, he stated, “Personally, I was disappointed with my score (281). I left a lot of points out there that I shouldn’t have.”

This was Connor Stewart’s last year in high school archery which definitely affected his abilities in his last tournament.

“At the end it was very challenging to keep composure because I knew I wouldn’t shoot again,” Stewart admitted, “so I continually had to recollect my thoughts and focus on shooting.”

Another archer who had some trouble in this last tournament was junior Mason McCarty-Cogis.

“Nationals went fairly well for the team,” McCarty-Cogis explained, “not so much for me.”

Parents were invited to watch and scores were recorded virtually. Although this year was definitely a tough one due to covid-induced modifications, the archers still shot their best! For the senior archers, you will be missed! We can’t wait to see what the archery team will bring next year.

“This year was rough,” said Coach Russ Sabo, “but I am proud of this team for all that they have done this year.”