Over the last several months, a young man from Perry has exhibited his skills in a statewide competition, coming very close to earning a spot on the national stage.

Back in December, Drake Levan participated in the local Elks Hoop Shoot contest at Perry Middle School, sinking the most free throws in the 12-13 boys age group. That performance landed him a trip to the northwest district finals in Jefferson on February 1st, where he once again outpaced the competition en route to a first place finish. The stage only got bigger from there, as Levan travelled to Grinnell this past Saturday for the state finals. It was there his journey ended, though, as he finished tied for fourth place in his division.

The Perry Elks Lodge, number 407, said they were very proud of Levan as he represented them at the state level in the Hoop Shoot. They pointed out, to make it that far is no small feat, and it’s the farthest any Perry competitor has made it in several years. The Elks Hoop Shoot takes place each winter, with kids ages 8-13 seeing who can make the most of 25 free throw attempts on a standard basketball court. The levels start with local, moving then to district, followed by state, regional, and national competitions.