Minutemen Challenge: EVCA Archers Hit New Heights

EDGEWOOD, NM – The Estancia Valley Classical Academy played host to a massive display of precision and focus this past Friday and Saturday during the Minutemen Challenge archery tournament. With 250 archers representing 20 schools across the region, the competition was fierce, but the local EVCA squad rose to the occasion, racking up a staggering number of personal bests and bullseyes.

ECVA’s middle school team finished second, the elementary school team was third and the high school team was fourth.

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Leading the Pack: Top Performers

The weekend was defined by high-scoring consistency, with several archers finding their rhythm early. Dean Cillessen led the charge for the Minutemen, firing a 270 with 10 tens, securing a personal best and the #1 rank for 7th-grade boys.

Close on his heels was Carson Rose, whose 269 (10 tens) earned him the top spot for 5th-grade boys and the overall #1 rank in the Elementary division.

The Precision Specialists: Most Tens

In archery, the “Ten” count (arrows landing in the smallest center ring) is the ultimate tiebreaker and a mark of elite accuracy. Grady Schultz turned heads in the high school division, recording a tournament-high 14 tens on his way to a 268 score—a new personal best that placed him as the top 10th grader in the field. Schultz’s targeted a perfect 50 score on one of his competitions.

Notable “Ten” Counts:

• Grady Schultz: 14 Tens
• Dean Cillessen: 10 Tens
• Carson Rose: 10 Tens
• Austin Leeto: 10 Tens
• Archer Martin: 9 Tens
• Grayson Huston: 9 Tens

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A Wave of Personal Bests

The story of the weekend wasn’t just about the podium finishes; it was about individual growth. Over 30 EVCA archers walked away with new Personal Bests (PB), proving that the team’s hard work in the range is paying off.

Archer	Score	Division Highlight
Archer Martin	268 (PB)	6th Grade Boys Rank: 2
Henry Fuchs	266 (PB)	8th Grade Boys Rank: 2
Austin Padilla	258 (PB)	7th Grade Boys Rank: 3
Dezmond Romero-Pina	255 (PB)	6th Grade Boys Rank: 3
Baylor Pennington	248 (PB)	7th Grade Boys Rank: 6
Olivia Marsalis	238 (PB)	11th Grade Girls Rank: 10

The Middle School Team #1 showed particular depth, with nearly every member contributing to the team score with either a personal best or a top-10 divisional ranking.

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Rising Stars in the Elementary Division

The future of EVCA archery looks bright as the elementary squad held their own against older competition. Nikolas Griego (222, PB) and Koshua Keever (184) showed great poise, while Coulter Carman and Casey Lightner both hit new personal bests in the 4th-grade bracket.

On the girls’ side, Emilia Gonzales (141) and Hailee Murillo (113) led the elementary charge, with Murillo notably landing 3 tens during her round.

EVCA Female Archery Results

Archer	Score	Tens	Result	Division Rank
Lily Baldonado	244	3	—	10th Grade: 4th
Harley Brown	239	3	—	8th Grade: 4th
Olivia Marsalis	238	5	Personal Best	11th Grade: 10th
Abigale Broughton	237	7	—	9th Grade: 9th
Jennifer Koehler	225	5	—	12th Grade: 9th
Haylin Hammer	213	4	Personal Best	8th Grade: 9th
Miabella Landey	209	3	—	7th Grade: 6th
Braelyn Eddy	193	2	—	11th Grade: 11th
Dejah Sanchez	192	4	Personal Best	6th Grade: 6th
Hailey Butler	178	2	Personal Best	8th Grade: 10th
Wynona Mares	163	3	Personal Best	8th Grade: 11th
Temperance Fuchs	163	1	—	6th Grade: 9th
Analeia Gonzales	144	1	—	9th Grade: 14th
Aveleen Davis	143	1	—	7th Grade: 9th
Emilia Gonzales	141	1	Personal Best	5th Grade: 11th
Liliana Scandura	118	1	Personal Best	7th Grade: 10th
Hailee Murillo	113	3	—	4th Grade: 8th
Paisley Radley	105	0	Personal Best	4th Grade: 9th
Paisley Love	104	2	—	7th Grade: 11th
Hadley Love	98	1	Personal Best	5th Grade: 13th
Anarkia Kong	96	1	Personal Best	7th Grade: 12th
Ember Ratliff	95	1	—	4th Grade: 10th
Kaitlyn Sanchez	82	1	Personal Best	7th Grade: 13th

EVCA Male Archery Results

Archer	Score	Tens	Result	Division Rank
Dean Cillessen	270	10	Personal Best	7th Grade: 1st
Carson Rose	269	10	—	5th Grade: 1st
Grady Schultz	268	14	Personal Best	10th Grade: 1st
Archer Martin	268	9	Personal Best	6th Grade: 2nd
Henry Fuchs	266	7	Personal Best	8th Grade: 2nd
Grayson Huston	265	9	—	8th Grade: 3rd
Austin Leeto	264	10	Personal Best	12th Grade: 2nd
Uriah Cruz	262	8	—	9th Grade: 3rd
Austin Padilla	258	7	Personal Best	7th Grade: 3rd
Brave Tidmore	257	8	—	7th Grade: 4th
Dezmond Romero-Pina	255	8	Personal Best	6th Grade: 3rd
Kyle Adams	252	6	—	9th Grade: 6th
Baylor Pennington	248	7	Personal Best	7th Grade: 6th
Isaac Hasler	243	7	Personal Best	11th Grade: 3rd
Hudson Tedford	237	4	Personal Best	9th Grade: 9th
Tyler Serrano	232	8	—	8th Grade: 8th
Asher Eddy	227	2	—	8th Grade: 9th
Oliver Schewebach	226	7	—	7th Grade: 11th
Mason Davis	224	4	—	8th Grade: 10th
Nicolas Tedford	224	3	Personal Best	11th Grade: 6th
Nikolas Griego	222	4	Personal Best	5th Grade: 6th
Elijah Ramos	212	3	Personal Best	12th Grade: 8th
Corbin Wagner	207	6	Personal Best	10th Grade: 8th
Mason Tuck	202	3	—	8th Grade: 11th
Mason McCarty	198	2	—	8th Grade: 13th
Austin Brown	195	4	Personal Best	7th Grade: 12th
Landry Hendrickson	188	2	—	7th Grade: 14th
Koshua Keever	184	3	—	5th Grade: 10th
Tristyn Jensen	172	0	—	7th Grade: 15th
Coulter Carman	148	2	Personal Best	4th Grade: 8th
Casey Lightner	146	2	Personal Best	4th Grade: 9th
Zachary Farmer	143	1	Personal Best	4th Grade: 10th
Noah Encinias	115	0	Personal Best	5th Grade: 16th