Photo Provided The John Marshall archery team earned third place at state last week. Pictured are, front row from left, Shaye Nolan, Trixie Calissie, Ava Hawkins, Kira Sako and Mara Tharp. Back row, Jillian Whitlatch, Alexa Bigford, Coach Russ Howard, Griffin Draughon, Coach Nate Lilley, Brandin Lilley, Brendan Carroll, Coach Scott Gemensky, Chris Evans, Kenny Arrick, Michael Games, Clay Howard and Cruz Logsdon.

Continuing a string of recent success, the John Marshall archery team placed third at last week’s state tournament held in the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center.

The Monarchs have placed third each of the last three times they have competed in the Convention Center, also taking bronze in 2018 and 2019 (the 2020 event was canceled due to COVID and the 2021 event was held virtually).

Coach Russ Howard said the team had their sights set a little higher this year, but they are still happy to bring a trophy back to Glen Dale.

“We missed second place by four points,” Howard explained. “At the beginning of the season, we knew we could be pretty good, we knew we could compete for a state title. It was just going to be a matter of what weekend and how we showed up that day.”

JM finished four points behind Herbert Hoover, who came in second, while Shadyside took the team titles.

“We’ve finished in that position three times now, we just can’t get over that hump,” Howard said. “I thought maybe we could this year, but we had a good season, I’m not disappointed.”

Leading the Monarchs this season was a large pack of seniors. For the boys, it was Chris Evans and Kenny Arrick.

“Chris Evans and Kenny Arrick have just been like a rock for us,” Howard said. “Kenny’s been good ever since he’s been in middle school. He’s been a very good shooter for us.”

Howard said Arrick has had chances to win a state title, but some bad luck over the years has prevented it. He finished top among JM’s individuals, placing 10th overall.

For the girls, the seniors are Trixie Calissie and twins Bethany and April Schaber.

“They’ve been with me since middle school. When they started, they were terrible, just terrible,” Howard said with a chuckle. “But they worked hard and they’ve become very consistent and very good for us.”

Other shooters that made the trip to Charleston were Maddison Hughes-McKinney, Brandin Lilley, Kyle Wright, Brendan Carrol, Clay Howard, Shayne Nolan, Ava Hawkins, Kira Sako, Mara Tharp, Killian Whitlatch, Alexa Bigford, Griffin Draughon, Michael Games and Cruz Logsdon.

The Monarchs’ season also may not be over quite yet. With their team score in Charleston, Howard said they might have a chance to compete at the national competition held in Louisville, Kentucky. That competition will be held over three days in mid-May and the participating teams will be announced on April 14.

Along with this run of success, the Monarchs also enjoy high participation. Howard estimated there are 65 students involved with the high school team and 24 of them were able to make the trip to Charleston and compete in the state tournament.

“I see a lot of people getting into it because just about anybody can shoot a bow,” Howard said. “That doesn’t mean you’re going to be good at it, but anybody can do it and there’s something to be said just about having the ability to be a part of a team.

“Everybody has an equal chance to compete. They all get the same amount of shots, whether you’re the best shooter on the team or you’re the worst shooter on the team.”