Clay Target 2025: Park Rapids turns its fate around to claim team crown

A year ago, the Park Rapids Clay Target Team encountered some rough spots during its postseason. In late June, the Clay Dusters finished 16^th in the 40-team field at the Minnesota State High School League State Tournament. 

A couple of weeks later, Park Rapids was the top Minnesota team to finish in the U.S. Clay Target National Championship, but there wasn’t much revelry. Park Rapids finished in sixth place, one target away from fifth place, which would have meant time on the awards stand with medals and a trophy. 

“Last season was very much a motivator going into this season,” Park Rapids coach Jodi Walsh said. “They could have taken what happened last year as a kick, but they channeled that into positivity and enthusiasm for this season.”

That positive approach paid off handsomely in the form of a state championship on Friday, June 20 at the Minneapolis Gun Club in Prior Lake. Park Rapids finished with a score of 486, three better than Spring Grove, the runner-up. Lakeville South, the state champion a decade ago, was third with 479.

During the first rotation of the team competition, those three teams were separated by just a handful of targets. The state title was a three-team race and the drama only heightened because they were some of the last teams to finish. 

“The second part of the team competition was intense,” sophomore Silas Carter said. “We shot really well. We just had to clear our minds and focus on one bird (target) at a time. It’s exciting to shoot well and come out on top.”

Joining Carter in scoring for the Clay Dusters were Avery Kapaun, Wyatt Koskela, Zachery Paurus and Frank Southerton. 

“This team was caring and motivated all season,” Walsh said. “I’ve not seen that level with them before. Their approach this season was to take a breath before you pull and get one bird at a time.”

In the individual competition, there was a three-way tie for the Open Division State Championship between Lakeville South’s Mitchell Kelvie, LeSueur-Henderson’s Marcus Berger and Fairmont’s Ethan Madsen. Each had perfect scores of 100. 

Kelvie, who will be a senior next school year, was the only competitor in the field to shoot a perfect 100 in the team competition and then mirror that during the individual portion. 

“It was a first,” Kelvie said. “I had never hit 100 before, and to do it twice in the same day, is pretty cool. What a place for it to happen!”

Foley’s Delayna Rife, who has graduated, won the Female Division with a score of 98 and a reverse run of 51. Benson’s Miranda Klassen was the runner-up with a score of 98 and a reverse run of 25. Klassen’s sister, Ava, was third with a 98 and a reverse run of two. 

“Coming into this tournament, I wasn’t so sure of how I would do,” said Rife, the runner-up a year ago with the exact same school. “But once I got to the line, everything cleared and worked out really well.”

With her prep career ending, Rife was grateful and reflective on the opportunity she had through Clay Target. 

“There are plenty of other girls who might feel like they are alone without an activity to pursue,” she said. “My advice is to just focus and know that whatever you are doing, is right for you.”

Briefly

• In more than 300 million trigger pulls by 150,000 since Clay Target began in 2012, there have been no reported accidents. 

  “That is a tribute to everyone keeping safety first,” said John Nelson, President of the Clay Target League. “We have a community that is firmly engaged in keeping things safe, fun and competitive.”

• Lakeville South’s Ruby Folkestad brilliantly played the National Anthem on her violin during the opening ceremony. She finished seventh in the individual competition.