EVANS CITY — Evans City’s youth trap team has gone to the state tournament and performed well before.

But not like this.

The quintet of Hunter Szymanski, Jack Noftz, Ryan Ball, Anthony Armen and Eric Busa recently combined to hit 492 out of 500 targets in the AIM portion of the state championships in Elysburg.

“We’ve never had a group of kids shoot that well before at a state meet,” coach Tim Green said.

Actually, no one has.

The 492 of 500 marked a state record for the Academic, Integrity, Marksmanship portion of the championships.

That took place July 12. The Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) portion was held that Saturday.

Evans City’s Black & Gold No. 1 team — the organization had three teams compete at states — now advances to the national youth trap competition Aug. 3-5 in Sparta, Ill.

“We’ve entered numerous teams in the state meet over the years and any of them that finish in the top three of their division, we take to nationals,” Green said. “We’ve taken as many as five teams before.”

Evans City draws as many as 35 to 60 kids each year for its youth trap league, which competes each Monday for seven weeks, beginning in the first week of April.

From these kids, the coaches recruit to form the Evans City competitive team. Tom Schoeffel started the youth league in 2006. Tim and Andy Green took over in 2008. Now Tim’s wife, Bea, is involved as well and Chuck Armen joined as a coach this year.

“These kids form a bond,” Armen said. “They walk out on to that field and it’s like someone flicked a switch. I had a terrific time just watching them.”

Danielle Green, 20, the daughter of Tim and Bea Green, competed individually at the state meet and took first place in the college division. She is now in Colorado Springs at the Olympic trials.

“Danielle has been shooting since she was 7,” Tim Green said. “Most of the kids we get in this program stay with it. They’ll join us at age 11 or 12 and stay all the way through high school.”

Individually, Busa shot his first 100, took second in the Junior division, first in handicaps with a 98 and third in doubles.

Noftz also shot 100, took first in the Sub. Junior division, third in handicaps and second in doubles.

The Evans City No. 1 team shot 481 birds to place second in the SCTP portion.

Evans City’s Black & Gold No. 2 team — Drew Dengler, Michael Iman, Gunner Watson, Steven Vazquez and Brandon Hoffman — shot 455 birds in the SCTP portion to finish 10th and 471 to finish fourth in the junior gold division in the AIM portion. The Black & Gold No. 3 team — Michael O’Donnell, Zach McVicker, Hunter Cain, Josh Reeb and Michael Dowling — shot 442 birds to finish 13th in SCTP and finished 15th in the junior division of the AIM portion.

There were 22 teams at the state championships overall.

Green said some former Evans City youth trap team members went on to serve in the Armed Forces.

One attained a shooting scholarship for college.

“There’s a lot of tradition here,” he said. “We get a lot of support from the Evans City Sportsman’s Club and we do our own fund-raising.”

When the youth league season ends, many of the kids shoot in Amateur Trapshooting Association events throughout the summer.

“They stick with it,” Green said. “It’s not like they’re at the club all the time or constantly in competitions. We practice once a week and that’s it.

“It’s simply a sport that they enjoy.”

And happen to be very good at.

“The team’s success shows how good our youth league is,” Armen said. “My son has been involved for four years now and absolutely loves it.

“All of these kids just make each other better.”