Bethel Park marksmen hit the bullseye
Bethel Park rifle coach Jude Dressler has every reason to brag about the shooters on his team. They certainly are”‘talented,” not to mention distinctive.
For starters, there is Freddy Mach. A sophomore, he secured the silver medal during the WPIAL individual team championships.
Mach shot a 200-18x to finish runner-up to McGuffey’s Riley Dunn (200-19x) during the finals held Feb. 9 at the Dormont-Mt. Lebanon Sportsmen’s Club in Canonsburg.
“Freddy was amazing,” Dressler said. “He’s a unique kid.”
Mach is one of three members of the team involved in scouting. He plays the tuba in the marching and symphonic bands. He also throws the javelin on the track team.
Additionally, Mach was born in Japan. He is fluent in the language because travels to the island country every few years to visit his mother’s relatives.
“I really enjoy it there. The food and the society,” said the 16-year-old son of Maki and Michael Mach. “The people are a lot nicer and quieter in Japan.”
Peace plays a part in Mach’s success on the rifle range.
“You focus on your breathing and you need to be relaxed,” he said in order to shoot well.
Practice also helps. During the four months of the season, Mach shoots at least one to two relays five days a week. He also has participated in shooting matches well working on attaining scouting’s rifle shooting and marksmanship badges.
“Scouting helps you get used to the guns and learning how to operate firearms in a safe and proper way,” he said. “Definitely, scouting has helped me. It’s taught me how to use things in every day life and how to survive.”
Mach hopes to survive the next round of competition. The top 16 finishers in the WPIAL qualified for the state championships. After local results are compiled, they will be compared to two other regions in the state and winners will be announced on Feb. 20.
“My goal is to not shoot badly,” he said. “I’ll take my time, wait to pick up my rifle and focus on taking large deep breathes.”
Coach Dressler anticipates Mach will have a great career on the range. As a freshman, he competed during the district championships before finishing as the WPIAL runner-up. During the match, Dressler pointed out that Mach finished a “whiff of a hair” behind Dunn.
“She’s Olympic quality and going to school in Georgia to shoot,” Dressler remarked. “She’s top-notch. Phenomenal.
“Freddy has shot well and has had perfect scores in the past so he can do it. On any given day, anything can happen. The key to Freddy’s success is his mental game. He’s able to relax and calm himself.
“His future is bright,” Dressler continued. “If he wants to pursue the sport, he has the ability to get there. He’s a great kid and he has leadership ability all around.”
Though he is has two years of high school eligibility remaining, Mach has mapped out goals for himself. Academically, he hopes to attain better grades, improve his rifle scores, qualify for WPIALs in track and attend a good college. Mach would like to study at a college in Pittsburgh and major in pathology.
“He’s going to be a success,” predicted Dressler.
As a team, Bethel Park experienced a successful season. The Black Hawks finished 12-2 overall and they placed fourth in the WPIAL team competition. They were runners-up to Trinity (10-0) in the Section 11 standings. Both defeats came against the Hillers this winter.
“I’m real proud of this team,” Dressler said. “It’s been a wonderful group.”
In addition to Mach, the team featured two additional Eagle Scouts. Owen Chaffin was the team’s No. 1 shooter. A captain, he shot a 199-13x during the WPIAL championships but did not qualify for the state competition. Lindsay Shaffer, though she finished in the top 30, and AJ Huber also did not gain state berths.
Gianni LaMolinare, however, made the cut. He placed 13th overall with a 200-15x score. The top 16 finishers advanced out of District 7 to compete in the state finals.
”Gianni is a natural,” Dressler said. “He has the ability to put everything aside. Block out everything completely in his mind. Focus and shoot.”
Though he’s a senior, LaMolinare was a first-year member of the team. He is an Eagle Scout like Chaffin.
”Gianni has done an amazing job,” Dressler said. “His experience as a scout has really helped him.
”In my opinion, all three of them have benefited from scouting because they have a lot of experience shooting in competitions. They compete against one another at Jamborees. I’ve told them I’d take any one else they know in the troop that wants to join the team.”
The remainder of the squad, said Dressler, is comprised of a “wonderful group” of shooters.
Among them are: Landon Bateman, Kyleigh Baux, Adam Calhoun, Ben Campbell, Traeton Clark, Wesley Fuccaro, Kyle Kasievich, Tanner kellgren, Arabella Kennedy, Seth Nguyen, Jack Paxton, Julian Pelissero, EJ Reick, Isabella Rusiski, Christian Tabler, Kate Tabler, Katharine Tena, Dan Torres, Noah Wickberg and Sydney Zuber.
Jude Dressler took a break from coaching rifle for good reason. To raise his family.
He was the Bethel Park High School head coach but then he and his wife, Laurie, had their first child, Sydney, in 2008. Savannah, their second daughter, followed.
Dressler returned to the helm two years ago. His teams have finished among the Top 5 teams in the WPIAL the past two seasons. They were section co-champions with Trinity in 2022 and section runners-up this winter. The Black Hawks have won 22 matches and have advanced shooters to both the WPIAL and state finals.
“I’ve always enjoyed shooting and once my two girls got older – they are in high school now – I decided to get back into it,” Dressler said.
Dressler has a solid background in the sport.
Though he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Duquesne and California respectively, Dressler also served as a paratrooper in the 82nd airborne. He’s also a member of the Library Gun Club.
Dressler has been an educator at George Washington Elementary School in Bethel Park for 30 years. He is a Peters Township resident.
Dressler attributes BP’s success, in part to his assistant. Cody Wolfe competed for the Black Hawks 16 years ago. He was a state qualifier.
“Cody’s a big part of the team,” Dressler.
Wolfe, who married his high school sweetheart, Natalie, resides in Dormont with his two young children and dog, Pablo.
A 2009 BP graduate, Wolfe notes his experience is an asset in his role.
“Rifle is unique. A big part of shooting well is the mental aspect. Those that do well control that.
“Having been in the program four years, you are able to teach that aspect to the kids. So we harp on the mental aspect and to press forward. Have the mental fortitude to get over the hurdle if you didn’t do well at one target and move on to the next. We try to instill that in our shooters,” Wolfe said.
JT Westwood of Mt. Lebanon was one of the Top 16 medalists during the WPIAL individual rifle championships held Feb. 9 at the Dormont-Mt. Lebanon Sportsmen’s Club in Canonsburg.
He shot a 200-15x to finish 12th overall in the competition and advance to the state finals.
Two of Westwood’s teammates finished in the Top 20 although they did not earn WPIAL medals or qualified for the state competition. Dominic Nicotero (200-13x) and Sarah Jamison (200-12x) placed 17th and 19th respectively.