Owen Stauch with his rifle and medal at the Shooting Sports Junior Olympics. (Photo provided)

WATERFORD – With two top three finishes in a recent rifle competition, Owen Stauch is something of a sharpshooter at the age of 16.

Owen is a junior at Waterford High School, where he has a 3.9 gpa. He also has his sights set on a career in the civil or mechanical engineering fields after graduation.

He is the son of Bob and Jennifer Stauch of Waterford.

Recently, Owen placed in the top three in two shooting sports in the Junior Olympics at Anniston and Talladega, Alabama, from April 8 to 13. He placed second in air rifle and third in small bore (.22 caliber).

Owen was the only member of his Fort Harmar Rifle Club junior rifle team at the competition. In 2025, he was joined by a club alumna, who is a member of the rifle club at West Virginia University.

Last year, Owen finished in the top 20 small bore category and top 30 in the air rifle.

Owen shot at qualifiers for the event at Akron University.

“You have to shoot a certain score to automatically qualify,” he said.

He won the state for air rifle and small bore to qualify automatically. He said those who shot below the automatic score are invited based on their scores and other factors.

Stauch is one of five members of the club. At 16, he has one more year to compete in the under 18 category.

Stauch began shooting at age 12.

“My dad told me one of the school lunch ladies told him she thought I’d be good at shooting,” he said. “Her daughter was in the rifle club.

“Before this, I was in 4-H shooting sports. We did the small bore and archery.”

Scott Steinel, coach of the Fort Harmar Rifle Club, said at the collegiate level, shooting is the only varsity sport with direct competition between men and women. Steinel said the events are summer Olympic events and the rifles they use are the same as those used in the Olympics.

He added the United States has won several Olympic gold medals in the shooting events at the summer games and the West Virginia University club is the top club scholarship rifle team in the country.

Steinel said if Owen shoots on a college varsity team with a scholarship, he will be the fifth shooter from the Fort Harmar Rifle Club to do so.

Owen has been considering where he wants to go to continue shooting and his education.

“I have several schools in mind. I keep talking to them and see what they have to offer,” he said. “I have looked at Kentucky, Akron, Murray State and Memphis. I have also looked at WVU.”

In the past year he said he has been interested in studying civil or mechanical engineering when he goes to college.

Owen said he is undecided as to what role shooting will have in his life after college.

Jeffrey Saulton can be reached at jsaulton@newsandsentinel.com.