Jacob Johnson Wins National Skeet Championship

Jacob Johnson ended his final season with the Lowell Red Arrows Clay Target Team at the top of the podium. It’s the last sport on the calendar, club or school program, each year. The national tournament takes place during the month of July in Ohio each year.

Johnson, a 2026 Lowell High School graduate, won the individual national championship in American skeet at the Scholastic Clay Target Program National Championships in Marengo, Ohio. The future Emmanuel University Lion (Georgia) broke all 200 targets during the competition before surviving a four-person shoot-off for first place.

Johnson began shooting with Lowell’s program in sixth grade after developing an interest in hunting and target shooting alongside his father, not unlike many others within the program.

“I went hunting with my dad quite frequently in fifth grade, and I thoroughly enjoyed it,” Johnson said. “My dad would take me to Qua-Ke-Zik Sportsmen’s Club, and we would shoot skeet and trap on the weekends.”

When his father asked whether he wanted to join the Lowell Clay Target Team, Johnson did not need much convincing.

“I obviously said yes since it was a lot of fun,” Johnson said.

A dominant senior season

Johnson opened his final season at the Rockford Invitational, held at Madison Square Sportsmen’s League. He shot a perfect 50-for-50 in skeet and a 73-for-75 in trap, placing first individually in both events. His squad also won both competitions.

Johnson continued placing first throughout the invitational schedule, with his only exception coming when his younger brother, Isaac Johnson, finished one target ahead of him.

At the Southwest Conference Trap Championships in May, Johnson broke 97 of 100 targets to win the individual title. His squad also finished first by two targets.

A few weeks later, Johnson won the Southwest Conference skeet championship with a perfect 100-for-100 performance. He also placed second in sporting clays after shooting a 90-for-100. Lowell won the squad competition in both events.

Johnson continued his success at the Michigan SCTP State Shoot in June.

He finished tied for second in skeet after shooting 198-for-200, one target behind Isaac Johnson’s state championship score of 199. Lowell’s squad placed second in the state.

Johnson then won the individual state championship in sporting clays with a score of 181-for-200. Lowell placed third as a squad.

In trap, both Johnson brothers broke 196 of 200 targets. Isaac placed fourth individually, Jake placed fifth and Lowell finished fifth as a squad.

Perfect at nationals

Jacob Johnson - 2026 SCTP National Champion in American Skeet

Johnson saved his best performance for the national championships.

Over two days and 200 skeet targets, Johnson did not miss once. His perfect score placed him in a four-person shoot-off for the national championship. Skeet, or clay pigeons, travel at speeds of 45 to 50 miles per hour. It’s an impressive feat.

The shoot-off required competitors to shoot true pairs at stations three, four and five on the skeet field. Johnson was randomly selected to shoot first, which was exactly where he wanted to be.

“If I just kept breaking pairs, I put the pressure on the others,” Johnson said. He was up against a pair of brothers out of Otley (IA), Dylan and Hunter Uitermarkt, as well as Kory Taylor out of Pennsylvania. He also beat out current Emmanuel Clay Target competitor Aaron Dudek who finished with a 199.

Johnson broke both targets at the first station. Three competitors remained after one shooter was eliminated.

He broke another pair at station four, leaving two competitors. Johnson and the remaining shooter then continued matching one another through stations five, four, three and four again.

“Neither of us had missed yet, and the pressure was building,” Johnson said.

The two shooters returned to station five. Johnson broke both targets. His competitor missed one.

“The shoot-off was over,” Johnson said. “I had just become a national champion.”

Johnson shook his competitor’s hand before celebrating with his teammates, friends and family.

“I would have been more than happy with a second-place finish, but I really wanted to finish first,” Johnson said. The next highest Michigan competitor was Brennen Mathewson out of Bellevue, along with Lowell’s Adam Serne. Serne competes with the Kent County Orange Crushers, a team separate from the Lowell Clay Target program. His brother Isaac finished in that pack as well. Lowell graduate Lannie Wester competed in the collegiate division not far behind.

Johnson also competed in sporting clays and trap at nationals, shooting 171-for-200 in sporting clays and 190-for-200 in trap.

Representing Michigan

Jake and Isaac Johnson also represented Michigan as members of the state’s All-State teams in skeet, trap and sporting clays.

Each state team consists of the five athletes with the highest scores from that state’s championship competition. Jake and Isaac became the first athletes in Michigan SCTP history to qualify for all three All-State teams in the same season.

The Michigan All-State skeet team went on to win the national championship, breaking 981 of 1,000 targets. Johnson competed alongside Isaac Johnson, Serne, Rhys Stewart and Michael Fitzner of the Fudd Dusters Shotgun Team.

Johnson credited his parents, coaches and friend Dewey for helping him reach the national level.

“My parents are the foundation of my success,” Johnson said. “They support me every day, even when I’m not performing the best.”

He also thanked Dewey for teaching him how to shoot and helping both Johnson brothers develop into elite competitors.

“I want to thank my coaches from the Lowell Clay Target Team for their support every week throughout the shooting season,” Johnson concluded.