Burning River 120 AAFTA Grand Prix Match September 11-13, 2026

11 hours ago

8 min read

(Match Report by Tyler Patner) September 21, 2026

The 2026 Burning River Grand Prix, like most of this year, has flown by! That means another FT season is nearing its conclusion. And I think I speak for all of our members at Northeast Ohio Airgunners when I say that we really enjoyed having everyone for this year's event. One of the hallmarks of field target is the camaraderie among the shooters. While it’s a competitive environment, it’s also extremely supportive and friendly. I would like to think that we have built a club that fosters that kind of experience, for new and experienced shooters alike.

I want to thank Anne and Ashley Reily for their continued support and hospitality. For those that don’t know, the Reily’s allow us to use their amazing property for matches. We are fortunate to call their property home, and anyone who has shot with us over the years likely recognizes the awesomeness of the courses and venue as a whole. Another word of thanks is needed for our club members that spend their time and energy helping setup, paint, tear down, weed eat, clear brush, lubricate targets, run strings, and all of the other things that make our matches run. We have a fantastic group of dedicated shooters that continue to impress me when it comes to their willingness to put the time in to making our courses and venue as good as it can be for these big matches.

We had 42 shooters registered for this year's match, which is down from years past, but likely the result of the match being just a few weeks after the Pyramyd Air Cup and a few weeks before the AAFTA Nationals. 22 of those shooters were registered for the pistol match, which is quite a few, and it’s always good to see a strong pistol turnout. Our pistol course was set to a 35T and featured 10 lanes. The course was set on the first half of our rifle course in the woods, which means shooters get a reprieve from the sun and a reduction in temperature, but that same canopy that keeps them protected and cool creates some dark targets. The top of the field seemed unphased by the darkness and the overall difficulty of the course, with Brandon Michaud taking the top spot with an impressive 38/40! Jeff Swartz was two shots behind him to secure second place, and Nathan Thomas just one more back to take home third place.

Turning our attention to Saturday’s rifle match, there was a lot of talk about potential rain in the early afternoon. Thankfully, it did not look like much rain, but the threat of water tends to get into shooters' heads more than it probably should. We split the shooters between our woods and field courses, with Hunter shooters (PCP and Piston) exclusively in the woods (and more likely covered in the event of rain) and all other classes took to the field. The morning was quite beautiful, and we were able to get things kicked off promptly around 9:15 after our shooters meeting. Before we talk about the weather, let’s talk about the courses.

The field course was set at a 34.03T, with 17 targets over 40 yards. Longer targets tend to cause most shooters, the most issues on a given course, and we like to build them long. 15 of those targets were over 45 yards, and a lot of them were in wide open spaces. Normally, this creates an added challenge as some wind can be expected on the field course, but not this time. I would say there was next to no wind for the vast majority of the day, at least nothing requiring shooters to hold outside of kill zones.

The woods course was even LONGER! A number of new target placements has really enhanced our ability to stretch things out in the woods, and it’s been a lot of fun to experiment with. 20 of the targets in the woods were over 40 yards and the Troyer was a 34.91T, officially making it our most difficult course ever! Just like in the field, 15 of those targets were over 45 yards. Throw in a few mid-length (35-44 yards) reduced KZ targets, and both courses presented very difficult challenges.

We made it about 8 lanes through the field before the sky darkened and small drops of water began to find their way down. Thankfully, it was far from torrential, and relatively mild. It picked up for a few minutes, but our members had strategically set up a few pop-up tents along the course for shooters and scorers to take shelter under. With no cold lines in the field, and only one in the woods, things progressed quickly and the rain wasn’t too impactful for anyone. As shooters came back to the clubhouse, they were treated to a fried chicken lunch with a bunch of sides.

Ryan Spanagel led the way with an impressive 57/60 in Hunter PCP. He held a two-shot lead over Greg Vaughan, and a three-shot lead over Jeff Swartz. 6 of the 18 Hunter PCP shooters were at 50/60 or better, so there was definitely the opportunity for some to make up ground in the field on Sunday. In Hunter Piston, Greg Shirhall had an impressive lead over the division, shooting a 48/60. With his next closest competitor, Hector Medina Gomez, on a 37. And from the field, Tyler Patner and Lucas Marusiak were dead locked at 55, with Keith Walters just one behind in WFTF PCP. In WFTF Piston, Nathan Thomas turned in an impressive 52, followed by Jeff Paddock just two shots back.

Shooters chowed down and we held our raffle and 50/50 drawings. Thanks to Pyramyd Air for their generous donations as always. We appreciate the continued support of field target. With the drawings concluded, a number of our members jumped into the field and woods to repaint targets and ensure things were ready to go for the morning. Keep in mind, it was still raining at this point, so not only was it a bit more difficult to get things painted, but our guys also came back a bit waterlogged.

It rained for a few more hours, but thankfully, Sunday looked clearer than Saturday was. About 15 of us met up that evening at the Cowboy Bar and Grill for dinner and chatted about the day’s events and all things FT related. It’s always great to catch up with friends we only see a few times each year and share a meal and a few cold beverages.

We arrived at the range Sunday morning to lots of fog that quickly cleared out as the temps rose. But what stuck around was the humidity! Once that sun started poking through the clouds, it got warm and sticky in a hurry. We held a brief shooters meeting after chronographing everyone for the day and sent folks on their way. As is typical, we paired the top shooters in each class together for some added pressure.

In the woods, I would say the wind only poked through the trees once or twice on the day. In the field that may have been a very different story. Things progressed smoothly throughout with only a single cold line for the day. Can’t ask for much better than that in my experience. The sun did poke through the clouds and tree canopy on a few occasions, creating some interesting contrasts in the woods. I am certain the shooters in the field were feeling the direct effects of the sunlight and it showed in the water consumption for the day. As everyone came back in from their respective courses, it was clear we would have at least one shoot-off. In fact, it ultimately turned out that there would need to be two. As we set up the targets for the shoot-off (1.5” KZ at 52/3 yards), a dark cloud appeared just off the top of the treeline surrounding the property. I remarked to Jeff that the forecast didn’t call for rain until 5-6PM, and it was not even 1PM yet. As the cloud moved over us, the skies opened. Unlike Saturday, this rain was heavy and unrelenting. Pools of water began to appear around the clubhouse and we quickly decided that shoot-offs would need to take place from under cover in order to get our guests on the road at reasonable times. So, we raced into the rain, grabbed targets, ran strings and staged our shoot-offs from under the safety of a roof.

First up, for 3rd place in WFTF PCP, Keith Walters squared off against Lucas Marusiak. Both shooters posting 106/120 for the weekend, did not have the best of days in the woods, but they steadied themselves to try and take down this far target in the wind and rain. Keith was able to take it down on his first attempt, and Lucas was not able to match him. Congrats to Keith on a well-earned 3rd place finish!

Up next, Brian Wagner and Hector Medina Gomez tied on 71 in Hunter Piston for 2nd place. It should be noted that any 50+ yard target is a tough target, regardless of the conditions. But to take that on while rain and wind are doing god knows what to your pellet, adds a lot to the challenge. Both shooters failed to hit the target on their first two attempts. On the third attempt, Brian struck first, finding the kill zone to drop the target. Hector, not to be outdone, found the third attempt to be the charm as well, dropping his target moments later! Both shooters elected to stay seated, and continue on from their normal positions. It was another two or three rounds before either found the kill zone again, but just as they did before, when one dropped it, the other rose to equal the result. The shoot-off went on so long, the rain actually stopped! Another round or two of misses from both, until finally, Hector was able to drop his target and Brian could not match. Well done to both on a very entertaining shoot-off and congrats to Hector for his 2nd place finish in Hunter Piston.

We distributed awards to all of the winners and place finishers, enjoyed some pizza together, and said our goodbyes. Another Burning River 120 was in the books and it seems a good time was had by all, even those that got a little wet. Challenging courses, great camaraderie, and a fantastic setting for a fun weekend of field target.

Ryan Spanagel held on to his lead from day one to take the Hunter PCP title, finishing one ahead of Jeff Swartz, with 109/120. Greg Shirhall maintained his dominant lead in Hunter Piston with an 84/120. Ron Guiliano posted the top score in Open PCP with a 110/120. Tyler Patner shot a near-perfect 59 on day two for the match high score of 114/120, followed by Bill Rabbitt on 107, jumping ahead of Keith and Lucas. And Jeff Paddock proved that consistency is king, posting two 50s for a 100/120 total that put him three shots ahead of Nathan Thomas for the WFTF Piston title. Well done all!

I want to thank everyone that attended the match and spent your weekend with us. We appreciate your continued support of the event and the club. It is a pleasure to host you all, and I am already looking forward to having you back in 2027. For everyone at NOA, we hope to see you there!

Until then, stay safe and we will see you on the lanes.