Thursday, October 1, 2026
For Luke DeViney, 14, drawing a bow offers a reprieve. Recently, it brought the Granbury High School freshman two first-place medals at a state archery competition.
“I love archery because it’s therapeutic, and it distracts me from the everyday life of being a teenager,” DeViney said.
DeViney won his division in both the 900 competition and the state 3D shoot at the Texas Field Archery Association’s state championships at Cinnamon Creek Ranch in Roanoke Sept. 19-20, according to his father, Steve DeViney.
Competing in the youth age group’s Modern Bow Hunter division, DeViney shot a personal-best 761 score out of a possible 900 points. The division had 16 competitors, his father said.
The 900 event’s name refers to its perfect score; archers shoot 30 arrows at each of three distances, for 90 arrows total.
The separate 3D competition presented a different challenge. On Saturday, DeViney worked through a course of 28 foam animal targets, scoring 461 out of a possible 560 points to take first place in his division.
During the weekend, he shot more than 150 arrows, his father said.
DeViney has practiced archery for about two years, following his father, who began about five years ago. Their interest grew from hunting deer. The family enrolled Luke in 4-H to develop his archery skills. It wasn’t long before competition followed.
“He got pretty good at it,” Steve said.
Luke belongs to the 4-H Archery Sharpshooters club, though the state championships were separate from 4-H. His earlier successes included winning a 4-H tournament in Glen Rose last year and finishing second at a Granbury 4-H tournament, his father said.
The state competition also was a shared outing for father and son. Steve competed in the senior division of the 900 event while Luke competed in youth.
The family moved to Granbury from Stephenville about three years ago. Now, DeViney has two more medals to bring home.
