Four Okaloosa County schools brought home top finishes from the 2026 National Archery in the Schools Program State Archery Tournament, held March 14 at the Alachua County Sports and Events Center in Gainesville.
Meigs Middle School won the Middle School Division championship with a team score of 3,192, topping second-place Tampa Bay H.E.A.T. Middle School Division of Brandon, which scored 3,177.
Choctawhatchee High School earned second place in the High School Division with a score of 3,244, behind first-place Tampa Bay H.E.A.T. High School Division of Brandon at 3,282.
In the Elementary Division, Liza Jackson Preparatory School placed second with 2,531 points and Saint Mary Catholic School finished third with 2,516 points.
Individually, Choctaw’s Eric Lee placed third overall among male archers, scoring 285 to earn a $3,000 award. Lee also placed second in the High School Division individual competition among male archers with a score of 258.
Linkoln Updike of Meigs Middle School placed second in the Middle School Division individual competition among male archers with a score of 285.
Saint Mary’s Charlie Proctor placed second in the Elementary Division individual competition among male archers with 259 points.
The tournament is part of the National Archery in the Schools Program, an in-school program designed to teach international-style target archery to students in grades 4-12 as part of their physical education curriculum. The program is sponsored in Florida by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. There are currently 522 schools enrolled across the state.
“Programs such as NASP bring together schools, families and communities in a meaningful way,” said Bill Cline, the FWC’s Hunter Safety and Public Shooting Ranges Section Leader. “It’s about more than scores — it’s about teamwork, personal growth and creating opportunities for students statewide, both on and off the range.”
