High school rifle team places 2nd in state

Nicole Sarro, a junior on the rifle team, took aim at the bull’s-eye at the air rifle range at Memorial Junior High School.

Micah Danney/Herald

The team placed second in the state on Feb. 27. From left were senior Neil Aliventi, 17; senior Jennifer Bhatti, 17; junior Nicholas Reyes, 17; junior Nicole Sarro, 17; and sophomore Zefanyah McDonald, 15. McDonald earned the third-highest score in the state for an individual.

Micah Danney/Herald

Coach Jumell Wilson

Micah Danney/Herald

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The Valley Stream Central High School District rifle team took second place in the state championships on Feb. 27 in its first season back after a two-year-long hiatus due to budget cuts.

“Great athletes,” said coach Jumell Wilson of the five-student team that competed. “I believe it’s between their regular practice and having the [Police Athletic League] program — they get a lot of practice time in, and a lot of them take a lot of time out of their day to put a lot of effort into their passion.”

Wilson, 22, is a North High School graduate who spent three years on the team and served as its captain in his senior year. He joined because he was looking for a sport to occupy his time during the winter. He discovered he was good at it, and recognized the opportunities it presented. Wilson accepted an athletic scholarship from Morehead State University, in Kentucky, and competed there. His return coincided with the reinstatement of the district’s team, and he stepped into the role.

“I had always talked about taking the team over,” he said.

Sixty students tried out for 18 spots in September, but only 16 qualified. Putting shots in the bull’s-eye with a high-precision air rifle isn’t easy, and the sport takes considerable patience and focus. The slightest variable — a half-inch misplacement of a foot, an errant breath, a stressed state of mind — can push a shot well outside the target.

The sport tends to attract students who don’t quite fit the stereotype of an athlete, according to Blake McCauley, who coached the team from 2003 to 2013. Shooters tend to be more studious, on the quiet side and better at subjects like math, he said.

The team this year was divided into six varsity and 10 junior varsity athletes. Competitions started after three weeks of training, and the students traveled to matches twice a week through mid-February to compete against seven other teams in Nassau County. They finished at the top of their conference with a 10-4 record, then won the Nassau County title on Feb. 9.