For the first time in school history, the Benjamin E. Mays High School riflery team advanced to the GHSA State Championship meet, which was held at the Ware County Shooting Sports Center in Waycross, Ga., on March 15, 2025.
Out of the top 17 high school riflery teams in the state, Mays finished in seventh place at the State Championship.
“That was a big accomplishment because Mays had never advanced that far, and the kids were very excited,” Mays riflery coach Dexter Jimerson said. “I’m really excited for the team because they worked very hard, long hours. It required a lot of sacrifice from the kids. I let them know how much I appreciate them as the head coach and the school appreciates them. The school supported us 100%.”
The team went 14-1 in regular season matches, and Jimerson knew the team had a strong chance of reaching the state playoffs if they could average 1100 points in their competitions. Once the playoffs began, the team had to defeat Madison County and St. Vincent Academy to advance to the championship meet.
Riflery is a co-ed, team sport where shooters compete by taking 10 shots from three positions: standing, kneeling, and prone (lying down). In the state championships, shooters compete in a 3×20 format and take 20 shots from each position.
The team of Shaniyah Johnson, Nikya Smith, Dontavious Hopkins, Ariel Thompson, and Darian Hendricks combined for a team score of 2,244 to secure the seventh-place finish.
| School | Kneeling | Prone | Standing | Individual-Total | Team-Total |
| Mays High School | 756-28 | 776-47 | 712-15 | 2244-90 | |
| Shaniyah Johnson | 191-8 | 196-15 | 182-4 | 569-27 | |
| Nikya Smith | 190-9 | 197-12 | 178-5 | 565-26 | |
| Dontavious Hopkins | 189-7 | 190-8 | 177-3 | 556-18 | |
| Ariel Thompson | 186-4 | 193-12 | 175-3 | 554-19 | |
| Darian Hendricks | 187-8 | 185-5 | 179-1 | 551-14 |
Shaniyah Johnson, a junior in her second year on the Riflery team, was the Top Shooter for Area 8 this season and finished 31st in the state as an individual competitor. She was also selected as the March Athlete of the Month for Mays High School.
“The whole time she’s been shooting, she’s been outshooting everybody,” Jimerson said. “The thing about Shaniyah is she’s disciplined, motivated, determined, and when she comes to practice, she’s focused.”
After the team’s success at the state championship meet, Jimerson said more students have been asking about the Riflery team and how they can join. Not only is it another opportunity to take part in a varsity sport, but there are also opportunities to earn partial scholarships through riflery.
Riflery is not strictly for Junior Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (JROTC) members, and any student with a completed sports physical can try out for the team.
“Riflery is a very small but unique and disciplined sport,” Jimerson said. “I challenge the kids to get involved because riflery is a very unique sport. It teaches you a lot because you have to be focused.”
The coach shared that the team had a great experience at the state championship meet, and he’s already looking forward to next season. Jimerson and his team learned a great deal from other teams at the championship meet and took note of how they could improve for their next trip to the state championship.
“It was a privilege and an honor to advance to the state championship because it’s not easy,” Jimerson said. “I’m just excited because we put Mays on the map, and kids are coming out of nowhere asking about the Riflery team.”