On February 10, junior Brendan Kressler competed at the Northeast Pennsylvania Scholastic Rifle League (NEPARL) State Individual Qualifying Match, achieving a combined score of 383 out of a possible 400 points, and tying for eighth place. This success granted him the opportunity to represent Southern Lehigh at the Pennsylvania State Scholastic Individual Smallbore Rifle Championship, held on February 11.

“It was definitely a huge milestone to pass,” Kressler said. “I felt excited yet nervous at the same time.”

NEPARL, which consists of high schools including Berwick, East Stroudsburg North, East Stroudsburg South, Emmaus, Freedom, Liberty, North Pocono, Salisbury, Stroudsburg, and Southern Lehigh, has teams compete using .22 caliber bolt-action rifles to shoot at a USA-50 Target. Shooters are given 15 minutes to complete the target. Post season concludes with the NEPARL All-Star Tournament and State Individual and Team Championships.
Senior Lisa Croissette placed fourth in the All-Star Tournament, and Croissette and Kressler placed second overall for the team competition.

“This year I felt I was way more consistent with my scores. I also felt more relaxed when shooting, so the stage fright went away. As a senior, I feel like the All-Star Tournament was the perfect send off for me,” Croissette said. “I’m also really proud that Brendan went so far in the state tournament since he showed superior skills from his freshman year. Now that he’s had more time to improve, I firmly believe he could go all the way next year and take it all.”

To wrap up the season, Southern Lehigh ranked fifth out of tenth in NEPARL, with a total of five wins and four losses.

“The team as a whole definitely plans to continue to improve throughout the years,” rifle team coach Mr. Robert Gaugler said.