Munford Middle on target
- Updated: May 13, 2016
Young Lions post a top-20 score in the first day of archery nationals, Darby leads all sixth-grade girls
By East Alabama Sports Today
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Taylor Darby and her Munford Middle School archery teammates were “living in the yellow” during Thursday’s first day of the NAPS National Championship.
Sixth-graders Darby, Landry Bradford and Anna Grace Jones all posted personal best scores to help their team place 20th after the first of three days of competition. The Lions scored 3162 as a team with 110 tens.
Darby shot 285 to lead all sixth-grade girls; she is fourth among all middle-school girls and 14th overall. Bradford shot 275 and Jones 268. Seventh-grader Collin Sirmon shot 274.
“My kids really showed up,” coach Jennifer Darby said. “I think the reason they shot well is because they were able to keep their nerves in check. They were very focused, found their aim point and stayed with it.
“On an archery target yellow is where you want to be. We like to say ‘you live in the yellow,’ and (Taylor) definitely lived in the yellow today. She was focused and concentrated; that’s where her arrow went.”
It was the first time Taylor Darby topped 280. She had 16 tens. She was fourth among sixth-grade girls at the Alabama State Championship in April and second in her class at the regional in February.
“I knew I shot pretty good, but didn’t know (how well) until I added it up; once I added it up I was really happy,” she said. “I was able to find my aim point at 15 (meters) and once I did I was able to relax and do what I needed to do.
“If you live in the yellow you’ll have a 270 and I had 15 over that. At 10 and 15 you have to get some in the 10 ring. That’s what my goal was – not just to live in the yellow, I wanted to be in the 10 ring more than anything.”
Bradford regularly shoots in the 240s, but he hit 11 tens and finished 14th among sixth-grade boys and 65th among middle-schoolboys. He was particular sharp at 15 meters.
Jones ended the day 24th among sixth-grade girls and 88th among middle school girls. She topper her previous best by three points and her score in last year’s nationals by more than 50 points.
“I sort of knew I would do fairly well, but I didn’t know I was going to outshoot myself,” she said. “It was very exciting considering last year I shot 211 and improved by like 50 points.
“I think everybody did well. I hope we make it to Worlds because I think we did a great job.”
NASP NATIONALS
Louisville, Ky.
Middle School Team Standings
Caudill (Ky.) 3276
Corbin (Ky.) 3269
Carl Junction (Mo.) 3267
Crane (Mo.) 3248
Webster County (Ky.) 3239
Clark Moores (Ky.) 3235
Willard (Mo.) 3231
Fairview (Ohio) 3229
Batesville (Ark.) Jr. HS 3228
Jaccendel (Ind.) 3223
Bergman (Ark.) 3219
Cotaco (Somerville, Ala.) 3209
Montpelier (Ohio) 3208
Tell City (Ind.) Jr. HS 3187
Augusta (Wis.) 3172
Powell Valley (Tenn.) 3170
Hahira (Ga.) 3169
Bullitt Lick (Ky.) 3169
Forge Ridge (Tenn.) 3167
Munford 3162
Individual Results
Julia Shepard, Corbin 289
Josie Eargle, Grand Ledge Hayes 287
Hannan Rhodes, Tell City 286
Freedom Waters, Clark Moores 285
Taylor Darby, Munford 285
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