Photo Provided PICTURED ARE some of the members of the St. John Central archery team. In front, from left, are Johnny Adams, Rowdy Adams and Brandon Teufel. In back are coaches Chad Adams, Tim Teufel and Athletic Director Bubba Kapral.

BELLAIRE — At St. John Central Academy, an up-and-coming sport is hitting the bullseye among students.

The Fighting Irish recently added archery to the list of available options for students, and the early returns have been impactful for the Belmont County school. The school has 10 archers taking aim in practices, under the guidance of coach Tim Teufel.

Teufel, whose son, Brandon, is one of the team’s top shooters, has found this new venture an enjoyable and positive experience.

“I am not surprised, but I know this is something that my boy wanted and that helped bring some of it on,” Teufel said.

Teufel is learning right along with the boys, but his team is made of shooters who are familiar with a bow in their hands. Along with Brandon, a sophomore, the team consists of avid hunters Rowdy (sophomore) and Johnny Adams (eighth grade).

“The technique is different from how you normally shoot a bow, but they are familiar with using one and have been awesome at helping some of the others,” Teufel said.

It has shown.

Johnny Adams has been showing right from the start that St. John Central Academy has a program that could shoot straight to the top. He has claimed two medals this season so far, including a victory at Wheeling Central. He placed third at Cameron.

Other members of the team include Teufel’s other son, Matthew, as well as newcomers Levi Hunt and Chris Davis.

“We are very proud of our team’s success so far, but definitely not surprised,” St. John Central Academy Athletics Director Bubba Kapral said, “One of the big reasons Mr. Teufel, Mr. (Chad) Adams and myself started this program is that their sons are accomplished hunters, so it was a seamless transition.

“Brandon, Rowdy, Matthew and Levi have all experienced success. Johnny, however, has taken it to another level. He already has two medal performances in major tournaments on his resume.

“The reaction has been better than we could have ever imagined. The camaraderie amongst teammates is super, and we have more and more students wanting to start shooting bows. Our numbers are growing by leaps and bounds. It makes it very convenient that we have our own archery range in the Greenhouse.

“Archery brings another sport that both our boys and girls can participate in. They don’t have to be overly athletic to participate in. Archery also brings added visibility and credibility to the academy. We are the only school on the Ohio side of the river to offer archery. It is likely to become an OVAC-sponsored sport next year. Archery has also spawned a large amount of excitement throughout our hallways. And the beauty is, our archery program will only continue to grow and expand in the near future.”

The team will travel to John Marshall for a tournament Feb. 24.

“This has been fun, working with my friends and something that we love doing,” Brandon Teufel said. “We want to build on this success and try to earn more medals.”