Stella Maris Academy’s trap shooting program began with four athletes, no senior class and virtually none of the infrastructure established teams take for granted.
Four seasons later, the Sentinels have grown into a program that can attract as many as 25 to 30 shooters, produce individual state contenders and win a division championship at one of the largest high school shooting competitions in the country.
Head coach Rolf Flaig believes the program is only beginning to show what it can become.
“It’s already been a fun journey,” Flaig said.
The journey began during the first year of Stella Maris’ new high school, when the academy included only junior high students and a ninth-grade class. The trap shooters competed initially as a club team while the school built its academic and athletic programs from the ground up.
When Stella Maris entered official high school clay target competition it was one shooter short of the five required to qualify for team competition at the Minnesota Trap Shooting Championship.
“We have grown considerably since then,” Flaig said.
Assistant coach Brandon Kime joined the staff during the program’s second year, helping Flaig recruit, teach and develop a roster dominated by younger shooters. Participation eventually climbed into the 25-to-30-athlete range, giving Stella Maris enough depth to field shooters across novice, junior varsity and varsity competition.
That growth produced its most significant result last spring at the Minnesota Trap Shooting Championship in Alexandria when Stella Maris won the Class 2A novice team championship with a score of 322.
Carter Evavold-Bolf led the Sentinels and finished fourth in the individual Class 2A standings. Hannah Kime and Evelyn Henderson also emerged from the competition as important members of a young group Flaig expects to anchor the program’s next stage.
The Alexandria championship brought together more than 350 high school teams and more than 8,000 athletes for nine days of competition. Each shooter completed 100 targets, with the same score used for individual and team standings. Teams competed against schools with comparable participation numbers in novice, junior varsity and varsity divisions.
Stella Maris, winning a division championship represented a substantial step forward.
The Sentinels remain exceptionally young. Stella Maris graduated its inaugural senior class last spring, but only one senior departed from the trap team. Flaig expects this fall’s roster to include approximately three or four seniors.
Two of the team’s three captains, Joe Gannucci and Christopher Gannucci, are expected to return. Their experience will be important as the coaches continue moving younger shooters into larger competitive roles.
Trap shooting’s coed format also has helped Stella Maris build its roster without separating athletes into boys and girls teams. Every shooter faces the same targets and competes under the same scoring system.
That gives Kime, Henderson and other young female shooters the opportunity to contribute directly to the Sentinels’ overall team score. It also places every roster member in competition for the same lineup positions and individual honors.
The challenge this fall will be converting the program’s increased participation and Alexandria success into consistently stronger scores throughout the roster. Trap rewards repeatable mechanics, concentration and the ability to immediately dismiss a missed target. One poor round can undo several weeks of strong shooting, while improved depth can separate competitive teams from those dependent upon one or two leading scores.
The 2026 fall season will include five competition weeks beginning Sept. 20. Subsequent rounds begin Sept. 27, Oct. 4, Oct. 11 and Oct. 18, with final results scheduled to be posted Oct. 26.
Flaig and Brandon Kime will use the weeks leading into competition to reinforce safety, shooting mechanics and the mental discipline required to produce consistent rounds. The coaches also must determine how quickly Stella Maris’ successful novice shooters are prepared to advance against more experienced competition.
“Coach Kime and I continue to work hard as we prepare for this year’s fall season and we are excited that this will be our best season yet,” Flaig said.
The program’s expectations have changed along with its numbers. Stella Maris no longer is trying merely to assemble enough shooters to compete or establish trap shooting as a viable school activity.
The Sentinels now have returning captains, increasing roster depth and a championship-tested young core. The next objective is to prove that last spring’s breakthrough in Alexandria was the beginning of something sustainable.
