The Blair Youth Shooting Sports range parking lot filled up with vehicles Saturday as BYSS hosted trapshooters from Omaha Creighton Prep, Omaha Marian and Omaha Duchesne.
About 100 Junior and Senior Division competitors were expected for the last shoot before the 51st Annual Cornhusker Trap Shoot in Doniphan. That state and national event begins Thursday and continues through Saturday with shooters from Nebraska, Wyoming, Iowa, Colorado and South Dakota expected to attend.
The Blair shoot, however, wrapped up the home team's regular season, which included a return to Eastern Cornhusker Trapshooting Conference competition after the 2020 season was canceled by COVID-19.
“It feels good,” Blair High School junior Weston Lupardus said. “To get back on pace and get back into trap, it's been really fun.”
He and his BYSS senior lineup — which included Dalton Nielsen, Dalton D. Nielsen, Andrew Browning and Zach Raymond — often finished near the top during weekly conference competitions, crushing clays.
“I've had some really good ones,” Browning said. “A couple poor ones, but besides that, I've been doing pretty good.”
Now, though, Blair is looking forward to its Doniphan trip. More than 2,000 students in grades 6-12 are expected at the event, according to a recent Nebraska Game and Parks release.
“We’re looking forward to returning to Doniphan for another great shoot,” shoot director Eric Javins said in the release, which noted COVID-19 protocols. “We are taking measures to make sure everyone enjoys remains safe while enjoying this great event.”
Blair's marksmen are looking forward to it, and looking forward to proving their skills.
“I'm pretty confident,” Lupardus said. “We just got to get focused and stay at that point.”
If it does, the BHS junior thinks his team could finish highly.
“I believe we can take first,” he said. “But, if we don't, we have one more year to make that happen.”
Browning, a senior, is down to his last trip, though. He said he'll enjoy it.
“It's usually a good time,” the marksmen said.
