Right on target
BUTLER TWP — Sporting one of the largest rosters in the WPIAL, the Butler rifle team is returning to state competition today.
The Golden Tornado placed fourth at the WPIAL meet last week — thus qualifying their team for the state meet — while seniors Matthew Corlew and Luke Montag placed third and fifth individually.
The top four teams and 15 individuals advance to the state meet. Butler was scheduled to compete late this morning at the Frazier Simplex in Dormont.
Butler head coach Eric Beveridge was working the state tourney Tuesday as it is a two-day event.
“We still have people competing today for the last couple of spots on the team we're taking down there,” Golden Tornado assistant coach Matthew Hutchinson said Tuesday. “We've got 42 on the team — 21 varsity and junior varsity.
“Sometimes we have intra-squad competition that involves both squads. It helps make everybody better.”
Each qualifying team can enter 10 shooters at the state meet with the top five scores counting as the team score. Joining Corlew and Montag on the Butler squad were Michael Rugader, Brendan LeFevre, Chase Runyan, Patrick Atchison, Tiffany Carlson, Alexandra Arbanas and Jason Hansotte.
Corlew is captain of the team. Like Montag, he has been on the rifle squad for four years.
“I was playing football and a friend of mine on the team said we should try out for rifle,” Corlew said. “I tried out, made the team and never left it.”
Corlew also plays tuba in the matching band and plays on the Tornado boys volleyball squad.
But rifle is his favorite activity.
“No question,” he said. “Whether you're big, small, anything ... Everybody gets a fair shake here.”
Hutchinson agreed.
“It's all about concentration, focus, repetition,” the coach said. “You do the same thing 30 times, exactly the same way every time.”
Achieving perfection is difficult under such a scenario, but Montag did just that.
He was one of seven shooters in the entire WPIAL to receive the Dave Cramer Perfect Shooting Award this season. That honor is given to any rifle team member in the league who put up perfect scores throughout section competition this season.
Montag became the first Butler athlete to ever win the award.“Yeah, I'm pretty proud of that,” Montag said. “This sport is all about focus and confidence. There's not much margin for error.”Montag pointed out that by dropping just one point during the WPIAL meet last season, he finished around 35th individually.“That's how stiff the competition is,” he said.“It's brutal,” Corlew agreed.While Corlew decided to try rifle with a friend as a freshman, Montag comes from a long list of family members who engaged in the sport.“My cousin, my mom, her two brothers, my grandfather ... They all competed here,” he said.An avid hunter as well, Montag said hunting has not helped his skills on the rifle team. He believes it's the other way around.“You have to be much more precise and accurate competing in rifle than you have to be shooting a deer,” he said.Rifle is a team sport — another element that has kept Corlew involved.“As captain, I help the others sight their shots,” he said. “I help them get better just like they help me get better.“We're all in this together.”The scores from the western site of the state meet will be combined with those from the east to determine the final state standings.
