MADISON – Members of Air Force Junior ROTC or AFJROTC at Bob Jones High School maintained their winning streak by edging out Knob Noster High School in Knob Noster, Mo.

Bob Jones’ latest success occurred with the 2023 National Air Rifle “New Shooter” League. This league meet gave the Bob Jones cadets their third win in a row.

Bob Jones’ score was 860.5, compared to the 858.4 final for Knob Noster.

Elizabeth Lee led the Bob Jones students by shooting a score of 219.8. “The remaining, contributing members from Bob Jones were Aaron Chen, Taylor Turpin and Carson Drake,” CMSgt. (ret.) Ellis Q. Clark said. Clark coaches this group of students and works as Aerospace Science Instructor at Bob Jones.

Overall, Bob Jones is ranked 44th in the league. They have compiled a 4-1 record.

Knob Noster was led by Grace Mitcheltree, who shot a 238.1. The other contributing members were Janelle Kent, Riley Morgan and Emily Beach. Knob Noster High School is named for its hometown in Missouri. Their coach is Timothy Newcomb.

Knob Noster’s overall ranking is 45th. Their record stands at 2-1.

Next on the schedule, Bob Jones will compete against St. Stephens Navy Junior ROTC or NJROTC from Hickory, N.C. Currently, St. Stephens NJROTC has a 3-2 record. Knob Noster will compete against Stewarts Creek Army Junior ROTC or AJROTC from Smyrna, Tenn. Stewarts Creek AJROTC currently has a 3-2 record.

These two teams are competing in the National Air Rifle “New Shooter” League. Sponsored by Orion Scoring System, the league is a national team league exclusive to athletes in their first year of competition.

Teams are from high schools and junior rifle clubs throughout the United States. During 10 weeks, each team competes in eight games. Weekly, each team is paired with another team with a near-equal skill level.

In each game, teams compete in a “Three-Position Air Rifle Match.” The match is modeled after Olympic Rifle competitions but adapted to high-school age athletes.

Each athlete will shoot 10 shots in three different shooting positions: prone, standing and kneeling. Each shot is worth a maximum of 10.9 points. The sum of points scored in the 30 shots is the athlete’s total. The team score is comprised of the best four athletes from each team.

For more information on the league, including complete standings, visit national-leagues.com/new-shooter. To view Bob Jones’ team page, visit orionresults.com/team/LeagueTeam.aspx?TeamID=215.