Comfort High senior takes shooting title

COMFORT — One thing you can say for sure about Comfort High School senior Allie Esser — she has her sights set on winning.

That’s a gunsight, by the way. Esser outshot 467 competitors to claim the title of 2026 Civilian Marksmanship Program Texas 3PAR State Champion.

Esser also helped anchor the Texas Hill Country Shooting team to a qualification for the CMP National Championships, which will be in July at Camp Perry, Ohio.

According to sponsors, the Texas Hill Country Shooting program has established itself as one of the nation’s premier youth rifle teams.

Over the past nine years, THCS shooters have won 11 national championships through CMP, USA Shooting and the Army Marksmanship Unit.

Esser, daughter of David and Melissa Esser of Kendalia, began her shooting career at age 12 with the Kendall County 4-H shooting program under head coach Fred Stehling. She joined the Texas Hill Country Shooting team a year later and has been one of the program’s top competitors ever since.

Her Kendall County 4-H team is the two-time reigning State Indoor Smallbore Rifle Champion, according to a release.

In June, Esser will again anchor the team alongside fellow THCS shooters Adlin Schnell of Boerne and Briley Sralla of Johnson City as they defend their title.

The acclaim continues to mount for Esser, coaches said.

She recently qualified for USA Shooting’s Junior Olympics in both air rifle and smallbore rifle. The event is April in Anniston, Alabama, and features the top 21-and-under shooters in the nation.

This will be Esser’s second year competing in the event, widely considered a gateway to the Olympic Games.

Texas Hill Country rifle coach Ron Haffner said he has no doubt about Esser’s ability to compete at the next level.

“I have sent 17 shooters to Division I rifle programs over the past 10 years and Allie Esser has what it takes to compete at the college level,” Haffner said. “She is that good. I have college coaches coming up to me at competitions asking about her future all the time.”

After July’s national championship, Esser will conclude her competitive rifle career and begin a new chapter.

She plans to attend Tarleton State University in Stephenville this fall, majoring in construction management.