Wisconsin Teens Win National Trap Title

Fall River High School's trap team won a national championship by the thinnest margin possible — one clay target.

Driving the news: Competing at the 2026 USA High School Clay Target League National Championship in Mason, Michigan, Fall River posted a team score of 485 out of 500, beating four schools tied at 484 for second place.

By the numbers:

• Nearly 3,000 student-athletes competed across 469 high schools nationwide
• 485/500 — Fall River's winning score, 97% accuracy under championship pressure
• 4 schools tied for runner-up: Fort LeBoeuf (PA), Beaver River Central (NY), North Ridgeville (OH), and Dodgeville (WI)

The schools they beat represent some of the strongest scholastic trap programs in the country — Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio all field competitive high school clay programs. That Fall River also edged out fellow Wisconsin school Dodgeville makes the win sharper. Two programs from the same state, separated by one bird.

The big picture: High school clay target shooting is one of the fastest-growing scholastic sports in the country. The USA High School Clay Target League now runs programs in dozens of states, and tournaments at this scale — nearly 3,000 competitors from 469 schools — would have been unimaginable a generation ago. These are serious athletes training in a serious discipline.

The bottom line: One target over nearly 3,000 competitors. That's not luck — that's a program that does the work.