Local cadets Kaci McCrary (left) and Taylor Harpe (right) smile during the Air Force Junior Officer Training Corps Western Regional Air Rifle Championships. McCrary took first place and Harpe finished second in the Precision Rifle Class. They are both high schoolers in the Battle Ground school district.
Prairie High School’s Kaci McCrary took first place at the Air Force Junior Officer Training Corps Western Regional Air Rifle Championships in Las Vegas.
Taylor Harpe scopes out a shot.
Cadets from the Air Force Junior Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC) programs at Battle Ground and Prairie high schools recently received high honors at the AFJROTC Western Regional Air Rifle Championships in Las Vegas.
The cadets, Kaci McCrary, a senior at Prairie High School, and Taylor Harpe, a sophomore at Battle Ground High School, placed first and second overall respectively in the Precision Rifle Class.
The competition featured 290 cadets from seven different states and represented all services. The sport requires the shooter to fire at targets 10 meters away in three different positions: prone, standing (off-hand) and kneeling.
Because of their high finishes, both McCrary and Harpe have qualified to compete in the All Service National Championships in Anniston, Alabama, March 23-25.
Kaci McCrary
A senior at Prairie High School, McCrary began shooting with JROTC as a freshman. She is now ranked as the number three shooter in the nation for AFJROTC. McCrary will graduate in June and is pursuing a career in International Business Management.
Taylor Harpe
Harpe began shooting competitively in AFJROTC last year and has quickly surfaced as a natural in the sport. Already he is the fourth ranked shooter in the nation for AFJROTC. Taylor is actively pursuing academic excellence through Advanced Placement courses with the ambition to attend a service academy when he graduates.
