HAMLER, Ohio — Patrick Henry is a school synonymous with success throughout Henry County. When you look closely at the name itself, a specific sport appears: archery.
The club began 17 years ago after gym teacher Jim Creager obtained a grant from the State Division of Wildlife. He started teaching the art of shooting arrows during class to a handful of students. With aspirations of growing interest, he reached out to fellow archer Todd West.
"The people that have come out of the woodworks and the organizations that have supported what we're doing here, they see it and have showered us with what we needed," West, the team's head coach, said.
Patrick Henry competes in the National Archery in the Schools Program. Through those guidelines and competition, the team won highest scoring overall team in 2023 and state runner-up in 2024 in the elementary division.
"The last three years, we've carried over 150 kids," West said. "The nice thing about it is it's something different and something new. The kids really take to it."
Offering tutelage for kids in fourth through 12th grade, boys and girls have embraced this activity.
Brandyn Keith, 11, has proven to be among the best of the bunch.
"My brothers did it, so I did it and then my dad was the coach," he said.
Coming off a fifth-place finish at state and helping his team advance to nationals, Brandyn is now gearing up for a world tournament — the NASP Championship — on June 8 in Daytona, Fla.
"Just seeing these kids start to get it and click, then shine at a national level, is an amazing feeling," West said.
Teammates Gunner Seeman and Trevor Maas have also experienced high-level winning with second and sixth-place finishes at state competitions, respectively.
Inside an environment full of helpful coaches and excited learners, there's a lot of joy to take aim at.
"It's fun and you definitely get more friends that way," Keith said. "Aiming and making sure you have a good release."
Patrick Henry's archery team wants to help expand the sport in northwest Ohio as much as possible.
"I'd love to start seeing some Wood County and Lucas County teams start to come in," West said. "We're more than willing to help them out and get something started."
The Black Swamp Archery League has been around for a decade, offering athletic events for surrounding counties and growing the landscape of competition throughout northwest Ohio is a vision that hits home.
"What I'm really excited about is that the younger kids are going to see this and the success," West said. "They'll be inspired to come out and just fill the covert again."
When it comes to the process of growth, he adds that the Patrick Henry club provides a great target for families to get involved.
"It is interesting because each of them starts out at a certain level and they can see their progress," West said. "As the weeks and the practices stack up, they're shooting really well here."