2022 Nebraska One Box Rock Crushers USAYESS National Championship Results:
NEBRASKA ONE BOX ROCK CRUSHERS REPEAT AS NATIONAL CHAMPIONS AT THE 2022 USAYESS
JUNIOR CLAY TARGET CHAMPIONSHIPS IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.
The Nebraska One Box Rock Crushers shotgun team competed in the USAYESS (USA Youth
Education in Shooting Sports) Junior Clay Target National Championships in San Antonio, Texas June 16
through the 19th. The team claimed their second consecutive National Title and the bragging rights to
“Back-to-Back National Champions”. The Rock Crushers took the team title in 2021 and previously in
2016, with Runner-up honors in 2017 and 2018 and a Third-place finish in 2019.
In the high overall team competition, the top five individual scores from each team for 100
target events in American Skeet, American Trap and Sporting Clays are tallied to determine the top all-
around shooting teams. Out of 1,500 possible targets, the Rock Crushers put up a team score of 1,388,
which was 8 targets ahead of the second-place Carroll Clay Target Team from Lewisville, Texas. The
Marcus High School Target Team of Texas came in third with a score of 1,363.
The Rock Crushers held a narrow 1 target lead after the first event of the team competition
which was American Skeet. The team posted an impressive team skeet score of 483/500, missing only
17 targets. Team members contributing to that score were Jacob Uphoff, Zach Smith and Cody Nelson,
who all shot 98/100, with Blane Frizzell putting up a 95 and Zach Hinze chipping in a 94. As might be
expected, those scores were also good enough for each of those boys to take home individual awards in
the event as well. Uphoff, Zach Smith and Cody Nelson ended up with one of the highlights of the
weekend in a 4-way tie for first in Senior Men division, and after an exciting shoot-off, Uphoff claimed
the Gold, Smith the Silver and Nelson the Bronze medals and a 1-2-3 Rock Crusher finish. Hinze also tied
for Champion in the Junior Varsity age group and was the winner of his shoot-off. Frizzell was able to
take home the Bronze in the Intermediate age group. Also placing individually in Skeet was Rock Crusher
alum, Max Werner took the Bronze medal in the collegiate division with a 93. In the squad competition,
the Senior Men squad of Uphoff, Zach Smith and Cody Nelson also with Lucas Bell and Mason Pillard
claimed a Gold medal; the mixed squad of Hinze, Micaiah Barber John Leiting and Kellin Nelson took
home a Bronze and Frizzell, Eli Smith, Teagan Woodward and Hudson Werkmeister earned a Silver.
In Sporting Clays, Elijah Smith took champion honors in Intermediate Men with an 89/100 and
Teagan Woodward came out on the short end of a shoot-off for third after posting an 84. Jackson
Hansen outshot 40 other shooters in the Junior Varsity division with an 85 and took home his Gold
medal. Max Werner claimed the Silver medal in the Collegiate division. The Intermediate squad of
Witten Painter, Frizzell, Eli Smith, Woodward and Werkmeister, and the Varsity squad of Uphoff, Pillard,
Lucas Bell, Zach Smith and Cody Nelson both took the Gold.
On Sunday, the boys went into the final team event, American Trap, trailing the Carroll Clay
Target Team by 2 targets. On the team level, the Rock Crushers bettered the Carroll team by 10 targets
to secure the Championship with Zach Smith (99/100), Zach Hinze (95), Jake Uphoff (94), Tegan
Woodward (94) and Hudson Werkmeister (92) combining for a team score of 474, which was also good
for second place in the team standings. Smith’s 99 was good for a tie for first, losing a shoot-off to settle
for the Silver. Hinze also got a Silver in the Junior Varsity division and Teagan Woodward the Bronze in
the Intermediates.
Zach Smith returned to San Antonio this year to defend his individual high overall title from
2021 and ended up in a close race with his teammate, Jacob Uphoff, battling for the title. In the end, it
came down to the difference of a single broken target, with Uphoff claiming the 2022 Senior Men’s
individual title, breaking 286 of 300 targets and Smith right behind with a score of 285. In other
individual final standings, Max Werner finished third in the Collegiate division with a 268, Zach Hinze
finished one spot out of the medals in Junior Varsity in fourth with a 265; and Blaine Frizzell, Elijah Smith
and Teagan Woodward finished 4 th , 5 th and 6 th respectively in the Intermediate division. Woodward,
Werkmeister, Witten Painter, Eli Smith and Frizzell were the only Rock Crusher squad to medal in the
event, taking home Silver medals for second place.
The Rock Crushers also competed in several other events that did not count towards the team
title race.
On Thursday, the team competed at Kerrville, Texas in the International Skeet and Trap events.
In International Bunker Trap, Blaine Frizzell was Champion and Eli Smith third in Intermediate, Zach
Hinze was second in the Junior Varsity and Jacob Uphoff tied for first but lost in a shoo-off to settle for
the Silver medal.
In International Skeet, Jacob Uphoff topped all shooters with a 44/50 to take honors in Senior
Men, with Zach Smith taking third with a 37. Zach Hinze won the Junior Varsity race with a 39, and
Blaine Frizzell and Witten Painter took first and third respectively in the Intermediate division. Max
Werner was the Collegiate Champion.
In Skeet doubles, Blaine Frizzell took the Bronze in Intermediate, Zach Hinze lost the shoot-off
after tying for first in Junior Varsity and took the Silver, Jacob Uphoff and Max Werner were also the
Champions of their age groups.
Eli Smith was the Intermediate Champion in Super Sporting, as was Jackson Hansen in Junior
Varsity. In the Collegiate division, Max Werner took the Silver.
In Trap Doubles, Eli Smith and Hudson Werkmeister finished second and third respectively. Zach
Hinze finished second in Junior Varsity and Max Werner was second in Collegiate.
In other individual competitions, in the “East vs. West of the Mississippi” competition, Zach
Smith and Jacob Uphoff both had top 5 finishes; Hudson Werkmeister finished second in the Clay Delay
Challenge. In the Buckle races, Blaine Frizzell was Runner-up in the Junior division. Jacob Uphoff was
Runner-up in the Varsity buckle race finishing two rocks behind Miss Georgie Seagraves of Texas, the top
target breaker of the 3-Sport competition, which was good proof that the girls can compete toe-to-toe
with the boys in the shooting sports.
This year marked the nineteenth year of the Rock Crushers competing on a national level under
head coach Dave Stunkel. 32 teams were represented from across the country in the competition,
including teams from Nebraska, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, Florida
and Texas.
The 2022 USAYESS Championship continued Coach Stunkel’s string of the Rock Crushers taking
home at least one award every year in national competition in which they have competed. As has
become common for his teams, this year, Coach Stunkel’s boys placed in numerous team, squad and
individual events.
It was the final competition for Cody Nelson, the lone senior on the team. Coach Stunkel stated
that the team looks to be very competitive again going into next year and with another year of
experience under their belts, the Rock Crushers should be able to make a strong run towards another
title next year if things go well.
The USAYESS National Championship competition capped off another successful year for the
Nebraska One Box Rock Crushers. In addition to their success at Nationals, the team also finished as
USAYESS Nebraska State and Regional Champions with numerous individual and squad victories at those
competitions. The Rock Crushers also wanted to make a point to thank all of their supporters in the
community, Dick Phillips and especially to the Nebraska One Box Pheasant Hunt organization for all that
they do to contribute to the team’s success.
The Rock Crushers are coached by Dave Stunkel and assistant coach, Jim Duncan.
