Alpena High School came into the Arkansas National Archery in the Schools Program state tournament as the top scoring team from February’s Senior Division regional competitions.
Alpena’s balanced scoring among team members held up again Saturday, March 7, in winning a state championship by 12 points over Valley Springs High School and 36 other competing teams.
Alpena racked up an impressive 3,343 points among 12 scorers (top 4 girls scores, top four boys, and the next four scores regardless of gender) at Bank OZK Arena. But that score still was barely enough to get past Valley Springs High and its 3,331 points.
Bergman, another perennial power in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s ANASP, was third with 3,295 points, edging fourth-place Bryant Hornets by eight points, with the Acorn Tigers just five points behind Bryant with 3,282 points.
Dillon Nichols (291 out of 300 possible points), Brandi Hagan (286), Micah Anthony (287), Maelee Fultz (283), Christian Davis (283) and Tim Dickard (282) led the way for Alpena, whose lowest score among the 12 scores used was a 263. Kyle Wheeler and Chloe Tuttle both added 280 totals.
It was Alpena’s strength among its girls members that proved the difference.
Valley Springs, which had one girl and two boys among the top five scorers in their respective divisions, saw three boys score 282 or better: Adam Byler (289), Easton Henry (289) and Jackson Burkeen (282) to go with Shelby Deaton’s 290 to lead its girls scorers. Valley View’s lowest score among its 12 scored archers was a 269.
El Dorado Wildcats’ Lynley Smith was the top scorer for the day, girls or boys, with a 295 total. Her score included 25 out of 30 bull’s-eyes as she led five girls who were awarded scholarship money to apply to college. Smith and the boys top scorer, Jacob Moore of Acorn Tigers, were each awarded $2,500 in scholarship money by the AGFC from its conservation education fund. ANASP is a part of the agency’s Education Division.
Scholarship money increased by $500 increments for each place beginning with the $500 that each went to Easton Henry of Valley Springs in the boys scores and Brandi Hagan of Apena in the girls division. The rest of the top five finishers in each division were: Girls – Emilee Evers, Bergman High, second place; Shelby Deaton, Valley Springs High, third place; and Jasmine Vaughn, Cabot; Boys – Dillen Nichols, Alpena, second; Brody Webb, Acorn Tigers, third; and Adam Byler, Valley Springs, fourth.
Acorn Tigers’ Moore had one more bull’s-eye than did Nichols of Alpena, which proved to be the point different at the top of the boys scores, 292-291. Webb of Acorn scored 290 with 21 bull’s-eyes. Byler had one more bull’s-eye than his teammate Henry to win the card-off and take fourth place. Smith of El Dorado was comfortably ahead by five points, while Bergman’s Evers had one more bull’s-eye, 21, over Deaton to take second.
In lieu of an admission charge, parents and other fans were asked to donate a canned food good. Several thousand cans were collected by Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry, a partner with the AGFC, and were donated to Project Hope, a Hot Springs organization that provides meals for several recipient groups in the Spa City area.
The AGFC commissioners each contributed $100 to prize money given to the schools who brought in the most cans in the Elementary, Middle School and Senior divisions.
Complete results of the team and individual competitions can be found at https://www.agfc.com/en/anasp-app/
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