Mitchell High School Trapshooting Team Celebrates Season Achievements

MITCHELL — Following a commendable performance at the 2026 South Dakota High School Clay Target League state tournament, the Mitchell High School trapshooting team recognized its standout athletes with season-end awards on Monday evening. The team’s achievements at the state competition featured freshman Hadleigh Wilson, who secured two state titles in the trap varsity female and skeet junior varsity female categories.

Thanks to Wilson's impressive contributions, the Mitchell team ended up in third place in the varsity trap standings. Other key contributors to the team's success included Chance Henkel, Mason Fosness, Brooke Ver Hey, and Devin Henkel. Additionally, sophomore Trinity Wilson claimed the title in the skeet varsity female division, while sixth-grader Haley Hauck finished third in the trap novice female category.

This year, a total of 36 students from Mitchell participated in the state tournament, competing across both trap and skeet events. Mitchell belongs to Class 2A, which consists of over 450 competitors from 16 schools. In the South Dakota High School Clay Target League, class designation is based on participation numbers rather than school enrollment, with Class 2A schools required to have at least 40 students involved in their clay target programs.

The following are the season-end award recipients for the Mitchell Area Youth Shooters: Sportspersons of the Year were awarded to Trinity Wilson and Chance Henkel. Notable performance awards included High H.S. female (trap) awarded to Trinity Wilson, and High H.S. male (trap) given to Chance Henkel. In skeet, Mason Fosness was recognized as the High male with Trinity Wilson also winning High female.

Further accolades included the Most Improved Shooters, with William Hays, Ryker Kaupp, and Eddie Kee all showing significant advancements in their scores. Letterwinners, defined as shooters averaging 38 or higher out of a possible 50, included several talented athletes across both trap and skeet disciplines.