Heading into Saturday’s NASP State Finals at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, Sullivan freshman Drake Grable knew he needed to make an adjustment to his equipment if he wanted to compete for a state title.
With the help of his father Alex, who is also one of the Golden Arrow coaches, Grable was able to find a solution.
It turned out to be the right move.
Grable recorded a score of 293 in the 3D competition which tied Castle’s Isaac Kaiser for the individual state championship. Both archers finished with 23 of 30 shots within the 10-point scoring circle.
The state championship was Grable’s second in his archery career, matching his title from 2020.
So what adjustment did Grable make prior to Saturday’s final?
“We had to change my rest which holds the arrow,” the freshman explained. “I was worried that it would break during the tournament. It was shooting completely differently and I couldn’t find where to aim.
“Dad suggested we try and fix it and we were able to bend it back to normal and it was shooting like before.”
But there was still work to be done.
Heading into his final round of five arrows, Grable trailed Kaiser by a single point, 244-243. Grable placed his final five arrows in the 10-spot for a perfect score of 50. It was his first perfect round of the tournament.
“My previous round was not that good, so I knew I needed a 50,” the freshman said. “I was just hoping I could do it.”
Behind Grable’s lead, Sullivan placed fifth in the team standings in the 3D event with a team score of 1,679.
Castle won the closely contested team title with a score of 1,688 — one better than Madison Consolidated. Jennings County and Evansville Reitz finished just ahead of Sullivan with scores of 1,681 and 1,680, respectively.
A total of 15 complete teams competed in the event.
Connor Freels finished second on the Arrows with a score of 283 which was good for 11th in the boys standings in the field of 143 shooters. Brayden Grimes (278) and Damien Graham (277) also placed in the top 20 by finishing 16th and 18th, respectively.
Jayme Adkinson was the top girls shooter for the Arrows. The freshman finished with a score of 276 which was good for 15th in the girls standings out of 117 archers.
Kayla Metcalf rounded out the scoring for Sullivan with a score of 272 earning her a 24th-place finish in the girls standings.
In the Bullseye competition, Sullivan placed sixth in a field of 28 complete teams.
The Golden Arrows finished with a score of 3,316 which was just six points behind Evansville Mater Dei for fifth place.
Castle claimed its fourth state title in the last six years with a score of 3,405 — 15 points better than Batesville.
Madison Consolidated (3,337) and Reitz (3,331) placed third and fourth, respectively.
Sullivan was led by Madie Davis. The sophomore scored a personal best 285 which included 19 shots in the 10-spot. Davis started her tournament with a perfect score of 50.
Davis’ total was good for 10th in the girls standings among the field of 292 shooters.
“I would like to give a special mention to Madie,” Grable said of his teammate. “She had a great tournament and she has really come a long way.”
Adkinson (284) and Kimberly Monroe (283) finished closely behind their teammate. Adkinson’s score was good for 18th while Monroe placed 22nd.
Grimes was the top boys shooter in the bullseye event. The senior shot a 278 which was the same score as Grable.
Kayla Metcalf, who scored a 281, fired two perfect rounds — both at 10 meters.
Freels (272) and Ethan Garrett (253) also shot perfect rounds.
Dugger Union did not qualify as a team but had a pair of archers in the tournament.
Senior Keira Bledsoe competed in both the Bullseye and 3D events. Bledsoe shot a 281 in the Bullseye event and a 267 in 3D.
Jordyn Smith recorded a 267 in Bullseye.
In the Middle School team standings, Sullivan placed second in the 3D competition and fifth in Bullseye.
SMS finished just nine points behind Jennings County in 3D.
Jove LeDune paced SMS with a score of 281 in 3D shooting. The score was good enough for second in the boys individual standings for the SMS sixth grader.
Sophia Lambert also shot a 281 for SMS and placed fifth on the girls side.
The two archers also led SMS in Bullseye shooting. Lambert’s score of 280 was good for 10th in the girls standings, while LeDune’s score of 277 was good for 24th in the boys.
Both shooters recorded a perfect round of 50 with their final five shots at 10 meters.
Rural Community Academy sixth grader Asher Grant recorded a score of 268 in Bullseye shooting.
In the elementary division, Sullivan placed third in Bullseye — out of 23 teams — and third out of 11 in 3D shooting.
Ranger Short led the SES Bullseye shooters with a score of 275 — good for fourth among 306 shooters in the boys division.
Jaysa Griffith was the top shooter for the SES girls team with a score of 270. The fifth grader placed fifth among 245 shooters in the girls division.
Hudson Reed paced the SES 3D shooters with a score of 257 which was good for 10th among 122 archers in the boys division.
Griffith once again paced SES girls with a score of 241, good for seventh out of 85 girl shooters.
Collin Pope of Dugger Union recorded a score of 252 in Bullseye, while RCA fifth grader Lindon Gorgas shot a 237 in Bullseye.
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