Correction: In last week’s coverage, it should have stated that Spring Grove placed third at the Class 4A state championships.
Spring Grove brought home the (all classes) state runner-up trophy from the 2025 MSHSL State Clay Target Championships at Prior Lake on June 20, the nation’s only clay target tournament recognized by a state high school athletic association. With five individuals each shooting 100 times for each team, the Lion trap shooters hit 483 out of 500 airborne targets, just three behind state champion Park Rapids (486) and four birds better than third place Lakeville South (479). Those three teams had separated themselves during the first rotation (first 50 shots), making it a three-team race with all three being among the last squads to close the competition. Lion head coach Christopher Bjerke noted the Lions’ 483 team score would have won state last year.
In the separate individual session for All-State shooters, three Journal-area marksmen had qualified by having one of the state’s top 100 regular-season averages. Among 101 of those All-State shooters in this final state event, Cameron Miner of Kingsland had an exceptional showing, tied for 11th by hitting 98 of 100 flying clay targets. Two-time All-State Holdyn Willford of Lanesboro tied for 34th by blasting 96 birds out of the sky (after scoring 97 in 2024). Christian Bjerke, who had previously scored 99 for Spring Grove during the team competition, had 95 successful shots to tie for 45th during the individual session. It was quite a challenge for Bjerke, who competing in both team and individual events, had to fire 200 shots within a short amount of time. The state’s top three individuals each scored a perfect 100.
It has been a season-long battle between Park Rapids and Spring Grove. Rapids had edged out the Lions for the championship of Conference 5 in Class 4A during the five-week regular season. Then in the postseason, on a rainy, windy day, Park Rapids (483) won the Class 4A state championship with Spring Grove (473) third among 38 Class 4A squads statewide. Their team scores placed both among the top 40 qualifiers (among 325 teams, all classes), and it was on to the MSHSL overall state shootout at Prior Lake.
At MSHSL, Bjerke, a junior, led the Lions with a near-perfect 99, followed by freshman Tyler Turner at 97. Freshman Izaak Morken and senior Isaac Vick each blew apart 96 birds and 2023 All-State senior Garret Waldenberger 95. Freshman Roland Bjerke was schedule to compete, but due to an equipment issue and with team success the main goal, opted instead to be an alternate.
For Spring Grove, it was the seventh state appearance in the last nine MSHSL tournaments (pandemic canceled 2020). Most recently, the Lions finished 27th in 2023 after placing 29th in 2022. Their highest finish had been ninth in 2017. Next up for Spring Grove is the July 9-13 national championship tournament at Mason, Mich.
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