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Smothers brothers win top awards at state competition


Lane Riggs

Staff Writer

What began as competition between brothers paid off this month as Utopia residents Riley and Jett Smothers each won the American highest-overall award in their respective age divisions of the 2019 Texas 4-H state shotgun shoot.

Further, 11-year-old Jett won the international highest-overall award and was named shotgun shootout champion and gunsmoke champion at the event, which took place July 17-20 at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio.

Seven hundred competitors were divided between the competition’s four age divisions, split as follows: junior, for third-, fourth- and fifth-graders; intermediate, for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders; senior 1, for ninth- and 10th-graders; and senior 2, for 11th- and 12th-graders.

Riley, 17 years old, who competed amongst 170 other high schoolers in the senior 1 division, shot his first 100 straight – a score reflecting zero misses. His combined score of 199 for his events won him the American highest-overall award.

Jett – who also shot his personal best, a 45 of 50, in the junior division – won the international highest-overall award and  American highest-overall award. He was named the shotgun shootout champion and gunsmoke champion.

The boys and their parents, Jena and Ronald Smothers, are excited about the win.

“It’s the first time we have won at state so it feels really good,” Riley said.

“It is really cool as brothers that they both left as state champions in American skeet and American highest-overall award champions,” Jena added.

Riley started competing in the 4-H shotgun competitions in 2015, with Jett following in 2017.

Riley started after he stopped rodeoing, as he was looking for another sport to join.

Jett had a different reason.

“I joined because of my brother,” Jett said. “I wanted to beat him.”

The brothers now shoot with the Frio County Claybusters and practice daily; most practices take place in Utopia, but the boys make a once-a-week trip to Pearsall.

Similarly, both boys shoot with a 12-gauge Caesar Guerini shotgun.

At the competition level, the brothers can compete in international trap, modified trap, American skeet, American trap, whizbang and sporting clays.

Additionally, the boys compete nearly every weekend from April until July, both in 4-H and charity events.

During charity events, they usually compete against youth teams but occasionally will compete with adults.

Looking forward, both boys said they want to earn scholarships, and Riley hopes to shoot while attending college at Angelo State University.

Regardless, Jena said she is proud of their accomplishments.

“Their father and I are extremely proud of them. We have seen the hard work they’ve put in,” she said. “It’s all them. We just support them, but it is so exciting to watch and see them win at state.”

Riley is an incoming junior and Jett is an incoming sixth-grader at Utopia Independent School District.

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Jena SmothersBrothers Jett (left) and Riley Smothers hold up the medals they earned at the 4-H state shotgun shoot competition held last week in San Antonio. Riley started competing in 2015 and Jett followed in 2017.

Jena SmothersBrothers Jett (left) and Riley Smothers hold up the medals they earned at the 4-H state shotgun shoot competition held last week in San Antonio. Riley started competing in 2015 and Jett followed in 2017.

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