Butler sophomore Jackson Jungling captures WPIAL rifle title with perfect score
Jackson Jungling’s hot streak did not cool off. Not even close.
A sophomore on Butler High’s rifle team, Jungling shot a perfect 100 in all 10 of the Golden Tornado’s section matches this season. In Thursday’s WPIAL individual championship, he topped a field of 82 shooters with a perfect score of 200-20x at the Dormont-Mt. Lebanon Sportsmen’s Club.
It marked the first time Butler rifle claimed an individual district title since Kayla Fry in 2007 and third in program history.
Fry, who also shot a 200-20x, shared the title that year with two others, but Jungling beat out Hempfield’s Brooke Fanala and Armstrong’s Riley Wasson, who both shot 19x.
An “x” is a bull’s-eye in competition.
Last year, Jungling was an alternate for Butler in the team championship and did not compete in the individual round.
“It was a matter of maturing and focusing,” Butler coach Eric Beveridge said of Jungling’s improvement. “He had a positive attitude about it and knew he could win.
“I’m glad we have him for two more years.”
Jungling was one of two WPIAL shooters to receive the David Cramer Award for his flawless effort during section matches. The last time he did not shoot a perfect score in competition was during a non-section match in December. After that, he said he “got in a groove.”
“I’ve been perfect in practice since then, too,” he said. “Aside from practicing with the team, I also shoot once a week at the Butler City Hunting and Fishing Club in East Butler. Darrell Filges is the instructor for the youth league out there and has helped me a lot.”
Two other Butler shooters extended their individual seasons with strong efforts Thursday — Rachel Katsko (4th, 200-18x) and Alyssa Miller (16th, 200-15x). Jungling and the Tornado had already advanced to the PIAA Rifle Team Championships with Tuesday’s third-place finish at the WPIAL team finals.
“To have three of the top 16 in the WPIAL, that’s pretty good,” Beveridge said. “We did very well.”
Butler will compete as a team in the state championship Tuesday at the Dormont-Mt. Lebanon club. Jungling, Katsko and Miller will shoot individually Thursday.
“I’m excited and humbled to accomplish so much as a sophomore,” Jungling said. “I’m looking forward to doing well at states.”
