When Samuel Borgerson of Austin graduated from AHS this past spring, he thought his days of competing in shooting tournaments may be over.

But little did Borgerson know, his biggest competition was still ahead of him.

After competing with the Austin clay target shooting team since he was a seventh grader, Borgerson had given up his spot on the team this summer to focus on working a job. But when AHS clay target head coach Gus Maxfield contacted Borgerson about competing in the 2018 Sporting Clays first annual state competition on Aug. 4, he couldn’t resist.

Borgerson surprised even himself as he defeated the 2018 National Youth Clay Target champion and the 2017 state skeet champion to win the tournament, which featured shooters ages 20 and under.

“There were some pretty good shooters and some well known shooters there. We went there more for fun and then I realized I kind of had a chance at winning the thing. I just kept shooting and plugging away at it,” Borgerson said. “Winning it was a highlight. I’ve always shot for fun and I’ve won a few tournaments and won some trophies, but this was a nice surprise. It was an unexpected win.”

Borgerson hit 91 out of 100 targets two win the tournament and he actually tied with defending national troop shooting champion. Borgerson took home the title based on a  tie-breaker, since his first miss came later than his opponent’s first miss.

Borgerson isn’t sure if he’ll continue to pursue shooting in tournaments, but he knows he’ll still be making trips to the Cedar Valley Conservation Club, which is where he learned how to shoot in the first place.

“I’ll always shoot at the club. Those are the people who taught me how to shoot ever since I started in seventh grade. Without Gus Maxfield, Randy South and Scott Nelson I wouldn’t be the shooter today and that’s a fact. Those guys helped me out a lot,” Borgerson said.

Borgerson said he appreciates the time he had on the Austin clay target team and he would recommend the team to any up and coming AHS students.

“The team is a great opportunity for all kids whether they’ve shot or not before,” Borgerson said. “It’s not so much a team as it as a family. There’s a lot of hanging out and the bond becomes so close. It’s something special to be apart of it.”