February 1, 2019 

The Granbury Marine Corps JROTC rifle team claimed second place in the small-bore category and sixth place in the air rifle category at the 2019 U.S. Army National Junior Air Rifle Championship on January 23-26, 2019, at Pool International Range Complex in Fort Benning, Georgia. 

Hosted by the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU), juniors between the ages of 14-18 from around the country competed for national titles in three divisions – sporter, precision, and small-bore – under the watchful eye of the USAMU’s world-class shooter/instructors. 

The second-place team was composed of Philip Becker, M’Leah Lambdin, Clarissa Layland, and Makenzie Sheffield. Allison Henry placed in the top eight, making the finals and ending with a seventh place finish overall.   

Meanwhile, the air rifle squad included Becker, Henry, Layland, and Sheffield.  Becker qualified for the finals and placed seventh overall. 

“Our shooters did great on the national stage, and a majority of our cadets had a personal best during the competition.  I am very pleased with that accomplishment,” commented Lt. Col. Scott Casey, the Senior Marine Instructor and rifle team coach.  “This was some of the toughest competition we have faced in two years.  Having a JROTC air rifle team finish second only behind a team from the Olympic Training Center that practices 50m small-bore regularly is huge." 

The team will next compete in the U.S. Marine Corps Service Championships on February 7-9 in Phoenix. 

Pictured are (left to right) M’Leah Lambdin, Makenzie Sheffield, Clarissa Layland, Philip Becker, and Allison Henry.