January 29, 2019 

The Granbury High School rifle team claimed the third-place title in air rifle at the 2020 national championships hosted by the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) at Fort Benning, Georgia on January 23-25, 2020. 

The GHS precision air rifle team included Philip Becker, Alexis De La Pena, Allison Henry, Clarissa Layland, and Kaylynn Slaughter. Also, the Pirate’s small bore squad placed fifth in the nation and with team members Becker, Henry, Layland, and Slaughter. 

In the individual air and small-bore categories, Becker made finals all three days.  During the small-bore competition, Becker fought his way from fourth place and finished with a strong showing in finals to make the podium with a second-place finish.  During the air rifle competition, he made finals on both days and ended up in fifth-place for the two-day event. 

“Our shooters dominated, and each shooter had a personal best during the three day competition,” commented Lt. Col. Scott Casey, the Senior Marine Instructor and rifle team coach.  “It's nice to start the second half of our season with a top level finish.  The team performed well in numerous areas, especially the areas we addressed during training.  We battled for a lot of our points and I was pleased the training paid off. 

The team will next compete at the USMC Service Championships on February 14-16, 2020, in Aniston, Alabama.  "Coming off a great weekend will help propel us next week in practice preparing for one of the biggest matches of the year,” Casey continued.  “The team is seeded second in the nation and it will be fun competing head to head with the best in the nation again.” 

Pictured are (left to right) Kaylynn Slaughter, Philip Becker, Alexis De La Pena, Allison Henry, and Clarissa Layland.