From left are Wisconsin 4-H shooting sports state .22 pistol champion Alexander Erickson with his modified Smith & Wesson 22A with a Vortex Sparc red dot sight; Big Shooters Club President Bo Glasheen; and state .22 rifle champion Vandan Pezzullo with his Savage Mark II FVT rifle.

CHANNING — Members of the Big Shooters 4-H team from the Sagola Township Sportsmen’s Club earned a pair of state titles while also claiming three of the top five positions in the .22 rifle division in Wisconsin’s 2024 rankings.

Vandan Pezzullo placed first in .22 rifle and Alexander Erickson claimed the No. 2 spot. Erickson, meanwhile, earned top honors in the .22 pistol category. Bo Glasheen held the fifth position in .22 rifle.

Shooters and archers from all counties competed at many events throughout the year across the state. Participants were ranked not only on performance, but also attendance at numerous events. The Big Shooters team participates in Wisconsin 4-H for Florence County. Only members 14 and older are eligible for a state ranking.

The top four shooters in each category are invited to represent Wisconsin at the National 4-H Shooting Sports tournament in Grand Island, Nebraska, in June.

The state title for Erickson was his fourth in rifle or pistol categories in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Other Wisconsin rankings for Big Shooters members included:

— Grace Swank, eighth, in .22 rifle.

— Glasheen, fourth, and Pezzullo, sixth, in .22 pistol.

— Erickson, fifth, and Glasheen, 14th, in air pistol.

— Swank, eighth, Glasheen, 10th, and Pezzullo, 11th, in air rifle.

— Erickson, 17th, in trap shotgun.

There is also a hunting skills category where participants are challenged to identify tracks, bones, foliage, and other criteria. Erickson placed ninth; Glasheen 16th; Pezzullo 18th; and Swank 29th.

The Big Shooters Club participates at the Sagola Township Sportsmen’s Club in Channing on the first Sunday of each month. Youth who are ready travel throughout Wisconsin to competitions and events. Youth participants from 5 to 19 years of age are challenged to learn safety and eventually train for competition.

The areas that are used are: archery, air rifle, air pistol, .22 rifle, .22 pistol, shotgun, muzzleloading, BB gun and hunting skills.

For more information about the Big Shooters Club, go online to stsportsmen.com or contact coach Tony Erickson at 906-396-1119.

The Big Shooters Club would like to thank its many sponsors for their support: Sagola Township Sportsmen’s Club, U.P. Trappers, Boy Scout Troop 532, Eastern Dickinson County Sportsmen’s Club, Blagec Brothers, Wildlife Unlimited of Dickinson County, MarketPlace Foods and Super One Foods.