DAILY LEADER / Photo Submitted / The Lawrence County Cougars captured their third straight AIMS State Championship in 4A competition in Jackson.

The Lawrence County High School Archery Team won their third consecutive archery title and finished their season undefeated for third straight year.

The Archery in Mississippi Schools (AIMS) state championship is a three-day event held annually in the Kirk Fordice Equine Center in Jackson. On April 15th, the Cougars won the tournament with a score of 3,395 out of a possible 3,600, out pacing Mendenhall High School’s 3,310 to bring home their third state championship.

According to the team’s coach, David Barber, this marks three years of improvement, dedication, and positive results. Prior to winning the State Championship, the Cougars also captured the South State title.

“We competed in six major tournaments this season, winning grand champion in each one. This says a lot about our kids.”

To win this year’s championship, the team had to defeat Mendenhall High School. “I knew Mendenhall would be a challenge from the start of the season, they are fed by the best middle school program in 1-A competition, Simpson Central. Every year they seem to load up on talent.”

Barber said Archery is the fastest growing sport in the nation. There were over 3,300 competitors at the State Championship in Jackson this year. Archery is a co-ed sport. A team can have up to 24 members on it and the top 12 are scored in an event. However, the top 12 must include at least 4 archers of the opposite gender. Many students that can’t participate in other sports find a place they can excel in when they join the archery team.

Although this is their third straight championship, The Cougar team still has plenty of youth on it and will return a veteran squad next year. The team will lose three seniors this year, Lance “Bubba” White Jr,, Jayde Pennington, and Himawari Sagami.

Sagami, a foreign exchange student, has been wonderful addition to the team. “White and Pennington are two of our team leaders and we will miss their leadership.”

Following their championship win, the Cougars announced their intentions of competing on the national stage. After receiving bids to the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) National Tournament for three seasons, the Cougars accepted this year’s bid.

“We have experienced much success, but we still have unfinished business in Kentucky.” This year’s Cougar squad set several records, only to break them on later dates. The Cougars’ high score of the year was 3,425 and their score at the State Championship tournament (3,395) was the highest ever shot in a state competition.

“Our team is a 3,400 team. There’s only five teams scoring above 3,400 in the country and we’re one of them,” said Barber. “At the State Championship, they announced us as a top ten team in the national rankings. I believe we’re a top five.” LCHS will compete in the National Championship in Louisville, Kentucky on May, 9 at 1:15pm.

The Cougar team should continue to click on all cylinders next year. “We’ve added some exceptional talent from our feeder programs.”

Topeka-Tilton has a first class archery program headed by John McDonald. Many of the students that participate have already been exposed to the fundamentals of the sport before they reach the High School. This year, Topeka-Tilton clinched the 2A middle school championship.

In addition to Topeka-Tilton’s success, Rod Paige Middle School placed third in 2-A and New Hebron placed third in 1A at the championship. Gary Anderson and Vicki Cox head up the programs at Rod Paige Middle School and New Hebron Attendance Center.

This year’s squad is led by junior Blayke Turnage. “Blayke has carried our team for the past three years. His average score each season is above 290.”

In addition to Turnage, Devin Battle, Elliott Moreman, Marc McNeese, Konnor Battle, and Zack Wilson are some of the top scoring males. The top females on the team are Kirstie Lawrence, Alisa Promise, Jade Barkley, Cheyenne Powell, Lacala Renfrow, and Samantha Rayburn.

Barber said this archery program wouldn’t be successful if it weren’t for public and administrative support. Superintendent of Education Tammy Fairburn is extremely supportive of the program, as is LCHS Principal Darrell Turner and Athletic Director Cory Keyes. “It’s awesome to see your administrators in attendance supporting the team and our kids really appreciate the support we get from the administration.”