Competition and camaraderie mark youth shooting championship in Big Lake
Athletes from around the state gathered at 7th Summit Shooting Park for the competition.
What you need to know:
- Young shooters from across Alaska competed in the YESS state championship, testing their skills in trap, skeet and sporting clays events, with the final competition held in Big Lake.
- Participation was down to 45 shooters this year because several Southeast teams could not attend because of travel costs. The championship highlighted both competition and camaraderie, with athletes from around the state supporting one another on the course.
- Palmer Moose YESS captured the grand champion team title with 1,810 points, while Logan Williamson of Palmer Moose was named Highest All-Around Shooter with 424 points.
- Short on time but need the local news scoop? Get free weekly news in your inbox for Mat-Su, from Mat-Su.
BIG LAKE — Dozens of young shooters from across Alaska gathered last week for an annual shooting sports state championship to test their skills in various shotgun disciplines.
The sun shone in competitors’ eyes as they navigated the winding birch forest sporting clays course at 7th Summit Shooting Park in Big Lake on Friday during the final day of the Youth Education in Shooting Sports, or YESS, competition. Stations were designed to simulate real-life hunting scenarios, with clay pigeon target throwers set to mimic various flight patterns.
The field was considerably smaller this year, with 45 shooters compared with 70 in 2025. Southeast teams were unable to attend because of travel costs previously offset by a National Rifle Association grant that they did not receive this year, said Lindy Moss, who administers the Alaska YESS program.
Despite the cost of travel, several shooters from Ketchikan, Sitka, Petersburg, Tok and Soldotna made their way to Southcentral Alaska with family and coaches in tow to compete against other shooters.
The championship event started with trap and skeet competitions Wednesday and Thursday at Birchwood Recreation and Shooting Park in Chugiak. Many athletes shot their personal bests during the week.
Finishing their week of competition on the Big Lake course was like coming home for both Mat-Su athletes and those who traveled from other regions, Moss said.
“When they come to 7th Summit, they get to take a deep breath and relax a little bit and really enjoy the background and the environment,” she said. “And they know they’re home. This definitely is home for them.”
Moss said that preparing the grounds at 7th Summit for this year’s championship was no small undertaking.
A late spring and muddy conditions made accessing the course and setting the stations difficult, she said. Hosting this year’s championship was made possible through the efforts of several individuals, athletes and their families who set the course, moved equipment and maintained the grounds to make the tournament happen.
Last week’s championship was the third state sporting clays competition that 7th Summit has hosted since opening in late summer 2023. Since then, organizers have made major developments, including clearing land for an education center and plans to build two trap houses this summer.
7th Summit gives Alaska teams a home base to use, care for and expand for the next generation, Moss said.
“I think it’s really important for them to have a place to shoot that is safe, that is affordable,” Moss said. “When you have ownership in something, it changes your entire perception. They know that they have ownership of this park. Therefore, they have stewardship of this park also.”
Friday’s competition started with a safety briefing as shooters prepared to break into squads to compete on the course.
Coaches split off with the squads and traveled from station to station along the wide track road that cuts through the property. Coaches operated the clay pigeon throwers and kept track of scores.
No matter how they performed, squad members greeted each other with fist bumps when stepping off the line. Athletes buzzed around the parking lot during lunch, eating, chatting and laughing in the sun. The Redington Jr/Sr High School team even brought its own grill for an official tailgate party.
AKYESS varsity shooters and Palmer Moose teammates Brody Mattingley and Wiley Devilbiss said the camaraderie among shooters from different teams is what keeps them coming back every year.
“Good to see people, good to hang out with friends,” Devilbiss said.
Both grew up in the sport, having started shooting at a young age. They plan to keep shooting until they graduate and look forward to each season, they said.
“I’ve been doing it since I was little,” Mattingley said. “It’s just fun. I like doing it. It’s the only sport I’m really good at.”
Palmer Moose head coach Russ Grandel said he enjoys seeing his athletes interact with shooters from across the state.
“The camaraderie with the kids, not just within their teams, but with all the other teams, they like getting together, they like seeing the people in the Southeast,” Grandel said. “It’s just a fun time to get together.”
Grandel has coached the Palmer team for seven years, including his son Isaac, who today serves as an assistant coach. He said watching his shooters progress, work through challenges, take instruction and finally hit the clay bird is what makes it all worthwhile.
“[I] just love seeing the kids do well and actually seeing the kids listen to instructions and then getting it,” Grandel said.
The judges named Palmer the grand champion team for this year based on the top five individual scores, with a total of 1,810 points.
Moss and her husband, Neil, will host summer sessions for new shotgun athletes on Monday evenings from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at 7th Summit. The program provides shooters with a jump-start on shotgun basics before the next competitive season starts in September. Shooters are required to be registered with USAYESS and can contact Moss with questions at alaskayess@yahoo.com.
7th Summit Shooting Park will be open to the public on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Sundays and weekdays by appointment. More information is available at 7thsummit.org.
AKYESS 2026 Championship Results
Highest All-Around Shooter (HOA): Logan Williamson, Palmer Moose Youth Education in Shooting Sports, 424 points.
Highest All-Around Shooter Runner-Up (HOARU): Lloyd Pehrson, Redington Huskies YESS, 398 points.
Highest-Scoring Lady Shooter (High Lady): Shelby Burton, Redington Huskies YESS, 294 points.
Grand Champion Team: Palmer Moose YESS, 1,810 points.
Varsity Team Champions: Colony Knights YESS, 1,073 points.
Intermediate/Novice Team Champions: Ketchikan Junior Shotgun League, 764 points.
Highest All-Around (HAA) and Highest All-Around Runner-Up (HAARU) by division and gender:
Men’s Senior Varsity
- HAA: Tyson Reid, Devil’s Thumb Shooters (Petersburg), 365 points.
- HAARU: Liam Hepler, Colony Knights YESS, 363 points.
Women’s Senior Varsity
- HAA: Serena Helms, Devil’s Thumb Shooters (Petersburg), 263 points.
Men’s Junior Varsity
- HAA: Brody Mattingley, Palmer Moose YESS, 330 points.
- HAARU: Oren Laret, Wasilla Warriors YESS, 323 points.
Women’s Junior Varsity
- HAA: Emma Hindman, Peninsula Shooting Stars (Kenai and Soldotna), 284 points.
- HAARU: Vivian Forester, Houston Hawks YESS, 239 points.
Men’s Entry Division
- HAA: Nash Cole, Colony Knights YESS, 378 points.
- HAARU: Xoran Kaiser, Houston Hawks YESS, 306 points.
Women’s Entry Division
- HAA: Cara Scott, Wasilla Warriors YESS, 233 points.
- HAARU: Rayna Reynolds, Palmer Moose YESS, 188 points.
Intermediate Division
- HAA: Sawyer Bastian, Sitka Shore Shots, 379 points.
- HAARU: Xander Duntley, AK 49’s, 300 points.
Novice Division
- HAA: Grayson Combs, Tok Wolverine Trap, 270 points.
- HAARU: Maddox Blackard, Tok Wolverine Trap, 234 points.
-- Contact Kyle Wilkinson at contact@matsuentinel.com