Nebraska One Box Rock Crushers take state title

BROKEN BOW The Nebraska One Box Shooting Complex hosted the USAYESS Nebraska State Shotgun Championship this past weekend, which marked both the beginning and the end to the host team, the Nebraska One Box Rock Crushers’. Assistant Coach Jim Duncan stated that the season was the culmination of a strange and challenging year of limited practices and cancellations of all but one of their normal competitions. With their normal regional and national competitions cancelled, it was fortunate that the state shoot was able to be rescheduled from its normal May date and moved to the One Box Shooting Complex, where the range’s COVID-19 requirements allowed could better accommodate the gathering of over 100 shooters, family members and shoot officials attending the event.

One Box Rock Crusher Head Coach, Dave Stunkel related that this year presented challenges that he never would have imagined, but that was not much different than what teams in other sports faced this year. In a normal year, the team starts practices in February or March and the kids are also able to shoot in conference shoots in Grand Island to prepare for the big

team competitions, but this year, the team was only able to practice a few weeks ahead of the state shoot. The team was fortunate that the One Box Shooting Complex was able to begin skeet, trap and sporting clay leagues in June. Some of the kids were able to get in some additional individual practice while participating in those leagues. Although the scores were a little below what Coach Stunkel expects his shooters to be putting up by this time of year, overall, he was pleased with the

Rock Crushers’ performance with no more practice than they were able to get in. Coach Stunkel was most disappointed that the kids missed out on having a full year of competition and experience, and most of all, that his graduating seniors missed out on their final opportunity to compete on the regional and national level.

Youth shooters competed in trap, skeet, sporting clays, international trap, and international skeet events. The ages of the competitors ranged from junior high through college divisions. Winners

were crowned in individual, squad and team competitions. In addition to numerous Rock Crushers from Custer County, youth from across the state including McCook, Lincoln, Elwood, Norris, Kearney and several more competed in the event.

This year marked the sixteenth state championship for the Rock Crushers under the coaching of Dave Stunkel and he looks forward to things returning to normal by next year and the return to national competition. The Rock Crushers are coached by Dave Stunkel,

Blaine Uphoff and Jim Duncan. The Rock Crushers also wanted to make a point to thank all of their supporters and especially the Nebraska One Box Pheasant Hunt organization for all that it does to add to the team’s success. See the Custer County

Chief website at www.custercountychief.com for the results and more photos.

Tim Conover The Nebraska One Box Rock Crushers State Champions pictured above from front row left are John Leiting, Jackson Hason, Tegan Woodward, Micaiah Barber, Kellin Nelson, Caleb McFate, Kaela Hinze, Gus Dunbar; Back Row: Samuel Duncan, Assistant Coach Jim Duncan, Mason Pillard, Cody Nelson, Lucas Bell, Travis Woodward, Josh McFate, Jacob Uphoff Grant Reynolds, Max Werner, Zach Hinze, Head Coach Dave Stunkel; Not Pictured: Cort West and Zach Smith.

Tim Conover Nebraska One Box Rock Crusher Assistant Coach Jim Duncan and his son Samuel Duncan who shoots for Hastings College get ready for the second day of shooting.