White County archery teams win state honors; middle-school 3-D team heads to nationals

White County recognized its archery teams at the March 20 board meeting after the middle school’s 3-D team won a state championship in its first season.

Coach Mickey Steele said the middle-school squad and the high-school Bullseye team compiled strong tournament results this season. Steele noted two middle-school boys — Caden (Kagan) Young and Drake Goodwin — finished among the top 10 individual 3-D male competitors in the state. The Bullseye team placed fifth out of 30 teams statewide in the traditional 2-D competition.

Steele told the board the program expanded in recent years with community sponsorships that supplied targets and equipment; the middle-school 3-D team practiced regularly and this year set and repeatedly surpassed internal scoring goals.

The board and staff congratulated the archers and coaches and approved a field trip request earlier in the meeting for the White County High School archery team to compete at NASP nationals in Louisville, Ky., in May. The team will seek to qualify for the NASP world championship in Myrtle Beach, S.C., later in the season.

Why it matters: The program highlights extracurricular success and provides students opportunities to attend state and national competitions. Travel approvals allow teams to compete out of state and represent the district.

What’s next: The teams will attend nationals in May; board members invited the teams and coaches to remain for the full meeting if desired.