Emmaus finishing in the top five at states this season wasn’t necessarily a surprise; it’s the fourth straight year, all under head coach Peter Chromiak, that the Hornet rifle team has finished in the top five.

But placing second as a team might have been a bit unexpected as that was the their top finish in over a decade.

Emmaus secured silver with a team score of 973, only behind champion Woodland Hills, which scored a 978.

The last time Emmaus finished this high was in 2002, also coming in second place under coach Bob Johnston. It’s also been the highest finish for an Eastern Division team since the Hornets took second back in 2002.

“I am very proud of my team’s accomplishments and growth over the last four years that I have coached the Emmaus rifle team,” Chromiak said. “There are 40 teams across the state, and each year only nine of those teams qualify to compete at the state level.”

The Hornets were paced by Amber Ziegler’s score of 197, followed by a 196 score from Jacob Baia. Tucker Danish, Lindsey Miller and Sydney Jones all shot a 194 to round out Emmaus’ top five scorers that were used in calculating the final team total.

As one of the more rounded Emmaus teams in recent memory, a number of others were on the cusp of the state’s top shooters as well. Jessica Licker, Alex Baksa and Emma Ramos all shot a 193, while Jeff Alexander (189) and Gabi Holmes (178) also represented the Hornets positively.

“I am beyond thrilled that we were able to secure a second-place victory this year with our team score of 973,” Chromiak said. “To be honest though, I had my sights set on first place this year. The team started the season in very good shape by scoring high team scores at practices.”

Chromiak credits the support of the school, athletic department, community and parents for the team’s success, as well as the Hornets’ home range of Unami Fish and Game, where these shooters have practiced for many hours over the past couple of months.

But much of the credit has to hinge on the shooters themselves and what they were able to accomplish, both as individuals and a team.

“Unami Fish and Game provides us with an excellent facility to practice and hold matches,” Chromiak said. “We are very grateful to have Unami as our home range, as we have had three home ranges in the last four years. Unami has the best conditions for high school competition.

“You also need a team with 10 or 11 very good shooters. With 10 good shooters, you can achieve higher team scores because you can usually count on at least five of the 10 shooters delivering high scores at any given match. We practice five evenings a week and shoot a lot of targets over the course of the season.”

A bunch of Eastern Division teams have placed in the top three at states in recent years, including East Stroudsburg South this year just behind Emmaus. But other than Emmaus (2014), Southern Lehigh (2011) and Berwick (2004) taking third place once each over the past 13 years, it’s been the state’s western area schools holding down the top three places since Emmaus took silver in 2002.

“The western teams have been traditionally difficult to defeat because of their year-round interest in the sport of small-bore rifle,” Chromiak said.

Additionally, Danish placed eighth in the state in the individual rifle competition with a score of 389. Licker (386) placed 16th, Baksa (381) came in 28th, and Baia (380) placed 31st.

“Tucker is one of my co-captains along with Jessica,” Chromiak said. “Tucker rapidly became a good shooter over the two years he has been with the team. Tucker finished seventh this year out of the top 20 shooters for the NEPARL.”

Emmaus finished the regular season 9-0 with an average score of 483.7 out of a possible 500 points. The Hornets then defeated East Stroudsburg South, 971-970, for the league championship.