MOULTRIE — The Colquitt County High Junior ROTC rifle team got off to a shaky start in last weekend’s National JROTC air rifle championship at Fort Benning, but finished strong to take second place.

The Colquitt County team, made up of seniors Yohann Brinson, Jessica Corona, Victoria Dampier and junior Shontae Robinson, shot a two-day total of 4,589, just seven points behind national champion Shelby County High of Shelby, Ky.

Colquitt County had three of the top 11 shooters among the 58 in the who took part.

Like Colquitt County, the Shelby team also is a Marine Corps unit.

The championships brought together the top Army, Navy and Marine Corps Junior ROTC programs in the country.

Teams qualified at east and west championships last month.

Colquitt County finished eighth in the National Championship last year with a score of 4,407.

But with a team that is undefeated in high school competition, has won the area championship and is a favorite to win the state high school championship, Colquitt County was expected to perform well.

And it did.

Colquitt trailed after the first day, but came on strong the second day, despite having Brinson shoot while ill with a stomach virus.

“The kids shot real strong,” said Gunnery Sgt. Emmett Bryant, the team’s coach. “It was a good, strong match. There was some incredible shooting.”

Colquitt trailed Shelby County by 10 points after the first round of the two-day competition, largely because of lower-than-usual scores in the standing, or off-hand, position.

On the second day, Colquitt and Shelby tied on both the standing and kneeling positions and Colquitt got three points back in the prone position.

But those were not enough.

“That was two days of intense shooting,” Bryant said.

After each round, the top eight individual scorers are brought back to fire 10 more rounds in the standing position.

Corona qualified the first day and averaged a 97.7 for seventh place in the first day’s finals.

Dampier and Robinson qualified for finals after the second round, with Dampier finishing second.

Dampier finished fourth overall. The Georgia High School All-State shooter had a two-day total of 1257.1, including a 100.1 in the finals.

Robinson shot a 98.9 in the second-day finals and had a two-day total of 1247.9 for 10the place.

She is the only junior among the Colquitt County top four.

Corona turned in a two-day total 1,246.7.

Brinson, who was ill the second day of competition, still managed to score a 1,134 for 30th place.

Megan Smith of the Navy ROTC program at McEachern High, placed first individually with a 1,259.55.

She reached the finals both days with a 99.3 and 99.8.

Shelby County’s Kent Wilcox was second individually with a 1258.5.

Whitney Daggs of Georgia’s Newton High School, was third with a 1,258.2. Daggs qualified for finals both days.

Newton High School also is a Marine Corps unit.

Colquitt County’s Amanda Thompson came in first place in the second-day competition among alternates, shooting a 564.

“That’s an outstanding thing for up-and-coming shooters,” Bryant said.

Lt. Col. Paul Nagy, who heads the Colquitt County Junior ROTC program, said he is proud of they way the team has performed all season.

“The kids have done well,” he said. “We began back in August. This is a long, long season and some people don’t appreciate that.

“But these kids have really earned it.”

Bryant and the top four shooters will leave for Fort Benning again on Friday to prepare for Saturday’s Georgia High School state championships.

Equipment will be re-certified on Friday and competition will begin at about 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.

All four Colquitt County shooters qualified for the state match individually by shooting a 290 or better in a match this season.

The team qualified by winning the area championship and defeating Rutland High in the state sectionals.

Colquitt County has shot school record scores of 1,163 in each of its last two high school matches.