Middletown shotgunner wins third state trapshooting title

The Dayton Daily News reported recently that Middletown's Pat Neff beat out 1,208 other competitors to win a singles title last week during the Ohio State Trapshooting Association state championships in Marengo.

From the story:

"It's been a while since I've done that well up there," said Neff, who also won the state singles title in 1997 and 1999. "It's probably been a few years since I broke 200 straight (targets). I haven't been doing that well for the last several years, but everything just sort of came together on that day."

Neff, a member of the Ohio State Trapshooting Association Hall of Fame, said each competitor was shooting from the 16-yard distance. Neff hit all 200 targets, but so did 25 other competitors from Ohio and other states. Neff then faced off with the 10 Ohioans remaining and hit 175 more targets to edge Pataskala’s Charles Wilson for the state title.

"It's a very prestigious event and it means a lot to me to be able to win at singles for a third time," Neff said. "There's not a lot of money in trapshooting, but I don't shoot to make a living. I shoot for the sport of it. It’s a passion that I truly enjoy."

The story goes on to list Ohio winners in other divisions, as follows:

Neff also was the Class A winner in the Joseph Charnigo doubles event and in the Doubles Championship.

Fellow Middletown sharpshooter Rife Denlinger won the Veteran class in the Jack Fishburn Doubles Marathon state event. He won the Veteran class title in doubles as well.

Franklin's Curtis Atkins was the Class C winner in the Charnigo Doubles event and Middletown's Pat Byrd won the class B Singles Class Championship and finished as the Class B High Overall champion.

Middletown's Danny Jones placed eighth among Ohio shooters in the Handicap Championship.

Mason's Velmer Falconbury earned Class C All-Around state honors. Fellow Mason shooter Clyde Findley finished fifth in the state in an event named after himself — the President Clyde Findley Handicap.

Findley is the current president of the Ohio State Trapshooting Association.

Springboro's Katie Pappayliou was the state's top finisher in the Lady category in the Dan Petroff Singles, the Doubles Class Championship and in the Doubles Championship.