By Ralphine Major
At the July event held in Ohio, he became the 2020 Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) National American Skeet Champion, Men’s Senior Division! Pandemic aside, Hunter Raley is “on target!” He shot a perfect score of 200/200 in skeet! The rising Gibbs High School junior won in a sudden death shoot off against another shooter who shot a 200. Hunter was recognized as the High Overall American Skeet Shooter across all athletes competing!
Hunter’s work is not limited to the shooting range. He was named to the National All-Scholastic Team which recognizes the top student athletes in the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) Scholastic Clay Target and Scholastic Action Shooting Program for their achievements in the classroom, on the range, and in their communities. He was also named to the Tennessee All-State Skeet Team, which takes the top five shooters’ scores at Nationals to compete against other states. Tennessee took second place in the Skeet state competition, and each athlete will receive a belt buckle as their award. Last year, Hunter was all-scholastic and, on the Tennessee, All-State Team for sporting Clays; he was on a three-man squad that won first place in Skeet and third place in Sporting Clays in the Open Division. How awesome that he is a part of that team for a second year and in a different discipline. In 2018, Hunter won first place in Sporting Clays in the Intermediate Advanced Division. Now, accolades at the National Level is quite an achievement for this young athlete!
Hunter has deep roots in the Gibbs Community. His parents are Stephanie (Spitzer) Raley and D. J. Raley, both Gibbs graduates. He is the grandson of Les and Judy Spitzer and Darrell Raley, all Gibbs graduates, and Sandy (Shrader) Beggs, a Halls High School graduate. Les and Judy have appeared in past Focus columns. Les was a member of Coach Bob Dagley’s outstanding basketball team, and Judy was a cheerleader. Congratulations, Hunter! You represent what is great about America’s youth today! Good luck for next year!
Words of Faith: Hunter attends Loveland Baptist Church, and his favorite Bible verse is John 15:12 (KJV): “This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.”
