Thursday, February 20, the Stroudsburg Rifle team, led by Tom and Patti Weiss, took their top three shooters, Gavin Dunkelberger, ’25, Isabella Lisnik, ’25, and William Tonnies, ’25, to the Rifle State Individual competition in Hellertown, Pennsylvania. These marksmen have had a successful season, consistently being the top scorers of their team, paving the way for Stroudsburgs’ 8-2 record.
Dunkelberger, the top shooter on the team, shot 100 consistently throughout the season and entered states with experience in postseason competition. With a state run in his junior year, an All-Star appearance, and consistently leading the team in scoring, he was prepared to make a deep run in states. Dunkelberger left with a third-place medal, marking the highest placement in his career and the highest on the team.
Lisnik placed ninth in the Individual qualifiers and had something to prove this year, as this was her first state appearance. She showed up big, placing 31 in the state, a huge achievement for the senior.
Tonnies entered the competition coming off a great performance in the qualifiers and hoped to carry that heat into states. He shot his way to place 33 in the state, continuing to show the Mountaineers’ dominance.
Under pressure, the team is known to stay calm. Enduring multiple nail-biting finishes, each shooter on this team is comfortable with being put in uncomfortable situations, as noted by Coach Weiss, “One thing that I have noticed and am amazed by is that most of the shooters were not fazed by the pressure to win, they came in, did their job and supported each other no matter what”. The Mountaineer rifle team has a family-like bond, which is only one of the secrets to their season.
To say the least, Stroudsburg’s season was successful. An 8-2 record, two All-Stars, three state placers, and Dunkelbergers’ top three finish in Pennsylvania proves it.
Most of the top shooters on the team are graduating, creating space for the next generation of marksmen to step up and represent Stroudsburg High School. “They are going to be hard to replace. We are losing 11 seniors this year, 9 of those seniors were regular varsity shooters and many, if not all, took score.” Weiss stated, “We are going to miss them terribly and will have to focus on rebuilding next year”.
