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At first glance, a Rogersville Trap Shooting practice looks like any other trap shooting practice.
“We practice twice a week,” said Head Coach Kevin Boyer. “We practice in the evenings.”
However, a little digging tells a different story.
“After about three or four Sundays of losing the whole Sunday afternoon, I said it makes sense, we’ve got 100 acres here,” said Dave Williams.
With a grandson shooting for the team, Williams would drive to Bois D’Arc every Sunday to watch him shoot. So Williams came up with an alternative.
“The only thing we had to buy were the machines that throw the trap,” Williams said. “Other than that, everything was volunteered, the labor [was volunteered].”
With the help of several volunteer sub-contractors, Williams, who is a contractor himself, built the team a trap range right in his backyard.
“[It] shows a lot about who he is as a person and how much the community cares about us,” said Noah Boyer, Rogersville Class of 2020.
With that support, several Wildcats have gone on to become All-Americans.
Yet, the biggest accomplishment came early this month.
“The big feather in our hat came just a couple weeks ago when we won the national championship,” Kevin Boyer said.
Defeating roughly 275 other schools, the Wildcats captured the top spot in the nation.
“Oh my gosh, it was definitely the peak of my shooting career, you know it’s the best we’ve ever done,” said Rae Woods, Branson Class of 2020.
Woods shot for the Rogersville team but attended Branson High School.
“It’s one of those things that as a team you get rolling and you don’t realize how good you’re doing until you get done,” Noah Boyer said.
When they got done, the seniors realized they had reached the end of their high school careers.
“It went by too fast, really,” said Grant Boswell, Rogersville Class of 2020. “I’ve been shooting since seventh grade with them and it didn’t feel like it should be the end but it was.”
However, it’s not the end of the Rogersville program, which hopes to keep growing and keep winning.
“You know, when you win the nationals, everybody is looking at you now,” Williams said.
That’s just the way these Wildcats like it.
