CNHI
TIFTON —
Wednesday, Jan. 30, the TCHS air rifle team went shoulder-to-shoulder with Worth County and shot 1,107 to Worth’s 1,094, improving Tift’s record to 3-1 for the season.
Tift’s score improved several points over the previous match, when they suffered their first loss to Colquitt County.
Worth has one of the top four averages in the area, and Tift’s squad never breathes easy when shooting against this team.
In the prone position, Tift eased past Worth by five points, but Worth gained six points on Tift in the kneeling position. Tift’s victory came from strong standing scores as they outshot Worth in the standing position by 14 points.
“We put a lot of emphasis on standing because that is the most difficult position. Many teams are weak there,” said Coach Julie Rucker. “If we can outscore a team by ten points in standing, we can win the match.”
Worth shot a solid standing score, but they didn’t have any shooter in the 90s while Tift’s Brooke Hester and Hannah Rucker both exceeded that mark.
“Brooke and Hannah consistently give us scores in the 280’s every match, and I feel confident that they will continue to post those numbers for us,” said Rucker.
Hannah Rucker was Tift’s top shooter with a 285 while Hester posted a strong 283 to lead all Tift shooters. Shelby Gates (275) and Sarah Willis (264) finished out the top four for Tift.
“I have seen much growth in our team over the course of the season, from August through January. Right now we are searching for two shooters who can step up and consistently shoot in the mid-270’s or higher in order to be competitive at the state level,” Rucker said.
Worth’s top shooter for the evening was Spencer Tucker with a score of 281.
