Fagan is on target for Marion's archery team

     The question came from members of the Marion High School archery team, after Tyler Fagan shot some arrows during a team practice in February 2021.

     “How can we get him on the team?”

     This school year, he is. And the 16-year-old from Monticello has made a strong impression, becoming the only member of the team to qualify for state competition in both the Bullseye (shooting at a target) and 3D (shooting at a stationary animal decoy) divisions.

     He continued his success at the state tournament, held March 5-6 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. Fagan totaled 271 out of a possible 300 in Bullseye, and 262 in 3D, both best on the team.

     His mother, Devin Fagan, said they got hold of the coach when they learned about the program.

     “We got a hold of the coach,” Devin said, “and he’s like, ‘Yeah, come check us out.’ ”

     Tyler, a sophomore who is home-schooled through the Marion Home School Assistance Program, has enjoyed archery since he was shooting arrows as a first-grader in Cub Scouts.

     “And then I did it every year at summer camp,” he said. “And then when we enrolled at Marion and found out I could join the team, I decided to.”

     Fagan can’t quite explain what he enjoys about the sport, only that he does.

     “I just like being able to shoot the bow,” he said.

     He attended practices on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and competed in tournaments on Saturdays, December through February.

     His best regular season meet was at Cedar Rapids Prairie Feb. 11, where Fagan recorded his first 50 – a perfect round – and a best total score, 281, both in Bullseye.

     Next up is a trip to the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) national tournament, set for May 12-14 in Louisville, Ky. He qualified by posting a combined score of 530 or better in both Bullseye and 3D (combining the top two scores of the season in each).

     He attributes his success to “how long I’ve been shooting bows.”