Bob Jones AFJROTC Marksmanship Team members are Cadet Captain Hannalyn Wilks, from left, Cadet SrA Nikolai Fadairo, Cadet Captain Nicholas Valentin and Cadet MSgt Minh Nguyen. CONTRIBUTED

MADISON – Shooting their highest score this season, the Air Force Junior ROTC (AFJROTC) Marksmanship Team at Bob Jones High School edged out East Paulding AFJROTC of Dallas, Ga. by 787 to 780 in the National Air Rifle League.

With their second consecutive win, Bob Jones stands in fifth place in their division with a 2-3 record. Nikolai Fadairo led Bob Jones by shooting a 207.

Other team members are Hannalyn Wilks, Nickolas Valentin and Minh Nguyen. Retired Chief Master Sgt. Ellis Clark coaches the team and instructs aerospace science at Bob Jones.

“The National Rifle League’s competition is a very convenient way for our cadets to participate in competitions against other schools,” Clark said. “Our competitions are held at Bob Jones. We set up our marksmanship range in the school’s band room, as there is no other location in the school conducive to using air-rifles safely.”

Bob Jones Marksmanship Team arrives at school at 6 a.m. to set up and shoot, in accordance with National Rifle Association’s air-rifle competition rules. “Our cadets use 10 minutes to set up, 20 minutes to fire in the prone position and then transition to the standing position wherein they shoot for 20 minutes,” Clark said.

Finally, after another five-minute transition, the team shoots for 15 minutes in the kneeling position. “The entire process, to include setup and breakdown of equipment, takes nearly two hours,” Clark said.

After shooting, they use the Orion scoring system to scan targets and send scores to the Orion results center. “The center compares our scores against the school we are competing against,” Clark said.

In upcoming competition, Bob Jones AFJROTC will compete against South Panola AFJROTC from Batesville, Miss. South Panola currently has a 3-2 record.

Bob Jones competes in the AFJROTC Champions Division of the Orion National Air Rifle League. Sponsored by the Orion Scoring System, the league is a national team league for high school teams and junior rifle clubs.

The match is modeled after Olympic Rifle competitions but adapted to high-school age athletes.

For more information, visit orionscoringsystem.com/AirRifleLeague.