Community support provides new home for Buckeye Trail trap shooting team

OLD WASHINGTON − Trap shooting is gaining popularity in high schools across the country so Buckeye Trail High School brought the sport to the area last season, forming a club team to gauge interest.

The early returns on the venture have been nothing but positive thus far.

With the Warriors' trap shooting squad entering this season with plenty of momentum with the team roster doubling in size for season number two.

A significant program need was realized due to tremendous support from the Buckeye Trail community.

After spending last season being 'Road Warriors,' the top of the list for needed improvements was a place to call home. Without a suitable facility, Trail was forced to travel to Newcomerstown to use the Tri-County Sportsman's Club's facility for practice and competitions a year ago.

"We were looking for a place to put a trap house all last year as we had to go to Newcomerstown," Buckeye Trail coach Devani Roe said. "We could just not find a place and just had to make the road trip each Sunday."

The need became more prevalent entering this season after the team doubled in size.

Last year, the Warriors fielded a 10-person squad in their initial campaign. Now, Roe leads a team that numbers 20 strong, as the sport seems to be catching on.

"We received a lot more interest after last year, and as our numbers grew," Roe added. "We knew we needed to find a place in Guernsey County to be able to shoot. Traveling to Newcomerstown for 20 kids was going to be even more difficult."

Cambridge FOP Lodge 10 support gives Warriors a new home

Stepping up to provide a new home base of operations for the Trail trap shooting program was the Cambridge Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 10 after the organization agreed to share its shooting facility with the Buckeye Trail trapshooting team this season.

The facility, located at 11750 Happy Dale Road in Cambridge, will now be the home for both groups.

Roe gave credit to Tom Lanning, Superintendent & Service Director for the City of Cambridge, who was instrumental in making the partnership between the groups come together.

"Fortunately, we were able to partner with the Cambridge Fraternal Police and they allowed us to share their shooting facility," Roe said. "They own the facility and still shoot and train here along with other activities. We just have to make sure our schedules don't overlap so that we can both use the facility.

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"We are greatly appreciative of them allowing us to share this facility," Roe continued. "They allowed us to build a trap house and installed our trap thrower, which was not here, along with the necessary wiring and electrical work to get it ready to go."

More community support completes new home base

With the new facility issue solved, more support came pouring in from additional community sponsors to finish the project. That included building the new trap house, other necessary modifications and the funds needed to purchase new equipment.

"We just can't thank the Buckeye Trail community enough," Roe said. "They really stepped up and provided us with the ability to give our team a new home that I think gives our kids a sense of pride in being from Guernsey County. They now have their own home, just like in basketball, football or any other sport, to host meets and they don't have to travel all the time."

Those community-minded sponsors included Scott Brown from Youth Shooting Sports Funding Foundation, Kiwanis Club of Cambridge, Southeastern Ohio Counseling Center, Buckeye Firearms, Deerassic Park, IBEW Local 71, Surgent Construction, Judy's Barber Shop, and Tom Sarchet.

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 71 of Columbus lent financial support and assisted with electric work for the trap house installation. Garen Neuhart, a member of the organization, explained his group is always looking to help the young people of the community.

"They always try to support all local youth sports in the community, from youth football to baseball," Neuhart, who has a pair of children on the Buckeye Trail team in sophomore Vada and seventh grader Van, said. "With this sport becoming more popular across the state, we wanted to lend our support to help it along.

"Both my kids shoot, and shot on the team last year and really enjoyed it," Neuhart added. "I feel this helps teach them safety with using guns, and installs self-discipline and responsibility. It's also a sport you can do until you're 70-80 years old, something that you can enjoy the rest of your life if you want."

Trail team member gets his hands dirty

Buckeye Trail team members didn't just stand back and watch their new home take shape, some jumped in and got their hands dirty to complete the project like junior Braden St. Clair, who enters his second year in the program.

"I've been on the team since day one, and I was excited about this project," St. Clair said. "I jumped in and helped set the block for the new trap house, and it was exciting to see the place come together. We are all excited to now have a place of our own. And appreciate the community coming together to help make it possible for us."

St. Clair, who also is a member of the Buckeye Trail golf team, explained the fit on the trap shooting team came naturally.

"I've been hunting since I was like 5-6 years old, and once Trail put together this team I hopped right onto it. I have always enjoyed the outdoors and this was a perfect fit," St. Clair said. "I like how you get to meet new people who kind of share your interest in shooting. And also I think it's cool to watch those clay targets explode when you hit them."

Buckeye Trail team members include juniors St. Clair, Jackson Hess and Ty McGlumphy, sophomore Vayda Neuhart, freshmen Drew McGlumphy, Trey Yanosik, Darcie Roe, Micah Cooper, Jersey Eddy, James Lawrence, Andrew Smith, Owen Ripley and Quentin Weaver, eighth graders Sam Gray, Alden Starr and Colton Shipe, seventh graders Tanner Neff, Van Neuhart, Waylan Allen and Tristan Eagon and sixth graders Trace Carpenter and Blaine McElroy.

Members of Roe's coaching staff include Dusty Roe, Tom Lanning, Steve St. Clair, Justin Sheppard, and Cory Yanosik.

Expansion plan for the future

With their new facility now secured, Roe explained plans for a second shooting field have already been discussed as a future project.

"We are so thrilled with this facility and as this sport continues to grow we would like to set up a second shooting field," Roe said. "We have the room, and we would just need to build another trap house then we could have two going at one time.

"We are just very thankful for our sponsors who have helped us make this possible," Roe added. "Everyone has chipped in and helped in so many ways, parents pitching in and getting involved. It has been a group effort and we could not have done it without all the tremendous support from our community."

KSutton1@gannett.com; X: @KSuttonDJSports; Instagram: kevinsutton_dailyjeffsports

This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Buckeye Trail trap shooting team's quick growth leads to community support