ARGYLE — While the students were busy celebrating, Scot McClure was worried.

McClure, the coach of the archery team at Argyle High School, made a declaration prior to the state tournament in March that if his team won, they would go on to nationals.

He never thought of how he might fulfill that promise if Argyle pulled off the upset. After all, with a first-year team made up primarily of novices and eighth graders, it seemed a low-risk motivational tactic.

Six weeks and thousands of dollars worth of fundraisers later, 21 team members will compete today in the National Archery in the Schools Program national tournament in Louisville, Ky.

Argyle won the team title at the March 28 state tournament in Temple, dethroning more established powers such as Stephenville and Ennis in the high school division.

“Our goal was to go there and have some fun. We weren’t stressed. I think that’s why we did so well,” said junior Lucy Vachova, who won the girls individual state title. “The whole way back we were screaming.”

Argyle will have 21 archers compete at nationals, including Vachova and boys individual state champion Cory Washburn.

“Most of these kids had never touched a bow in their life,” McClure said. “We had no expectations. As a team, I said, ‘if we win state, we’re going to nationals’ — jokingly.”

Shortly after winning their state title, the team set out to turn that joke into reality. They raised several thousand dollars at a pancake dinner and auction last month to help fund the trip.

McClure launched the archery program at Argyle last year thanks in part to an equipment donation from the Dallas Safari Club. Last spring, Argyle’s Jeremy McDaniel won the boys individual state title.

McClure said McDaniel’s success helped spur interest in the program, which is part of Argyle’s outdoor education curriculum. McClure was able to assemble a full team this season with help from a few interested eighth graders, although very few of the archers had any prior experience.

Washburn, a senior, has been involved in archery for six years. But Vachova, a foreign exchange student from the Czech Republic, hadn’t even picked up a bow until a few months ago. Both finished with a 30-arrow score of 279 out of a possible 300 at state, and received $2,000 scholarships for their titles.

High school archery has only been around in Texas since 2006, when the NASP program began in the state. It since has spread to dozens of school districts who sponsor the sport for grades 4-12.

At Argyle, McClure started teaching archery as a way to introduce the fledgling sport to younger audiences. This year, the effort filtered down to the middle school, with interest high at every level.

“This program has spread so far. Everybody heard how fun the class was,” Washburn said. “I’m hoping this program stays in the school. I hope we get a lot more kids who are interested.”

McClure said archery offers an alternative extracurricular activity for students who might not be traditional athletes or artists.

“Most of these kids are not in athletics and not in band,” McClure said. “This is something for them to compete in and represent their school.”

The field at nationals will consist of more than 3,000 shooters from 29 states. But it’s unlikely McClure will underestimate his team again.

“Everybody’s just ready to go and ready to shoot,” Washburn said. “It really opened a lot of people’s eyes at state.”