The Salisbury rifle team ended its season in late January. And while the Falcons finished with an 0-10 record on the range this season, their second straight winless campaign, head coach Kevin Johnson saw the winter season as a win.

Individual scores and team results are one side of the story. But a more preached aspect of the sport of rifle from Johnson has been safety from Day 1.

Johnson has taught his group of 15 Falcons, the number of shooters he takes on the team each season, the key elements of using safety while on the range. Taking the correct precautionary measures before each meet and practice comes above everything else. And this group of teenagers has followed his guidance to a tee.

“The most important aspect of the sport I teach is safety,” Johnson said. “This element is something that I preach to be practiced first, last and always when engaging in rifle or any shooting sports. It is written into the team’s rules and enforced without exception.”

Of course, Johnson would like to see his participants improve their scores over the course of the season. But as long as their participating in the sport the right way, an improved score is an added bonus for the Falcons head coach.

“I always tell my shooters that I don’t care about wins and I consider a successful season one where everyone participates safely, while maintaining a high interest of the shooting sports coupled with the continuous learning of knowledge on how to participate to the best of their potential,” said Johnson. “There is little better a feeling as a coach than seeing a shooter apply the elements and aspects you have passed to them and see their shooting skill improve and their scores rise. But for them to do it safely and with a high level of enjoyment, to me that’s a win…”

Max Kucsan led a balanced group of young and veteran Falcons this year with an average score coming in at 88. A number of others-Joe Busolits and Jacob Foehrkolb-posted averages of 84 points per match in which participants shoot at a total of 10 targets with a possible score of 10 per target. The top five players scored are counted towards team totals.

Bryce Erdman (81), Rebecca Aungst (80) and CJ Prisaznik (71) rounded out Salisbury’s top scorers on the season.

“The team continues to be in a rebuilding mode since I took over as head coach but they remained consistent throughout this year and performed as expected,” Johnson said. “I’m most impressed with the dedication of the team members. This sport is in no way an easy task to undertake. The Salisbury rifle team members continue to push forward and hone their skills. They constantly show their interest by asking me questions and wanting to better improve their technique and approach to the sport.”