February 18, 2020
Granbury Marine Corps JROTC rifle team members captured the Marine Corps Service Championship for the third year in a row on February 14-16, 2020, in Anniston, Alabama.
The top team was composed of Granbury High School students Philip Becker, Allison Henry, Clarissa Layland, and Ashton Arlington, finishing with a 30-point lead over the second-place team to advance to the all-service national competition next month.
The seniors on the squad made the finals featuring the total eight shooters, with Becker winning first individually by 13.2 points followed by Henry in third and Layland in fourth.
A second GHS team placed seventh overall. Members were Alexis De La Pena, Sunnee Schumann, Kaylynn Slaughter, and Caroline Martin. Based on individual scores, Schumann and Slaughter will advance to nationals to compete as individuals. Granbury was also represented by Tye Foster as an individual shooter.
“The Pirates were laser focused this past weekend, and I am super proud of this team and their accomplishments,” commented Lt. Col. Scott Casey, the Senior Marine Instructor and rifle team coach. “This is the first time in the history of the Marine Corps for a team to win the Service Championships three times in a row. That is an amazing achievement.”
The event was a 3×20 air rifle event, meaning competitors fire 20 record shots from three positions ( prone, standing, and kneeling) over the two-day contest.
High school cadets from Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force JROTC (Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) meet on the firing line to complete a journey that has been months in the making. Over 9,000 junior shooters participated in the 2019 CMP Postal Competition in October with the highest-scoring shooters in each branch qualifying for the JROTC National Service Championships this month.
“I am very pleased with our seniors’ performance as they anchored the team this year. It was fun watching them,” Casey stated. “Just as exciting is the group of three freshmen who outpaced the best in the nation. Schumann, Arlington and Slaughter finished 10th, 12th and 16th respectively out of a field of over sixty shooters. This is exceptional and is a true testament on how well they shot under the pressure at a national match.”
The GHS team will next host the Air Rifle Junior Olympics on February 20-22 at GHS.
Pictured is the championship team of (left to right) Clarissa Layland, Ashton Arlington, Allison Henry, and Philip Becker. In back is Lt. Col. Scott Casey.
