The team of Tristan Thomas and Dakota Crumly from East Hall High School in Georgia put together a solid five fish limit that weighed 12lb 3oz to eke out the South East Conference Championship.
The duo narrowly slipped past Alabama’s Hazel/Green High School team of Zeke Gosset and Ryan Shields who also brought in a full limit of fish that weighed in at 12lb 2oz to claim the runner-up spot. These two teams will lead a five team contingent of anglers from the SE Conference on to the High School National Championship next spring.
Rounding out the National Championship Contenders was the third place team of Blake Stephenson and Tyler Mathews from Evans High School in Georgia who brought in a limit that was just off the pace at 11lb 15oz to punch their ticket to the spring championship as well. The final two positions were claimed by a pair of South Carolina Schools as Daelyn Whaley and Carter McNeil from Abbeville High School tied for 4th place with the Berkley High School team of Eric Glenn and Nathan Mcpherson. Both teams had a limit of fish that weighed 11lb 7oz to wrap up the final two qualifying positions.
Just missing the cut and finishing in sixth place was Kentucky’s Madisonville North Hopkins High School team of Alex Tomblinson and Hunter Purdy who had a limit that weighed 11lb 2oz.
“We concentrated on fishing blowdowns almost all day” stated both Thomas and Crumly. “We used a shaky head with a Reaction Innovation green pumpkin worm to catch almost all of our fish. When asked what the key to their success was in winning the championship both anglers agreed that their belief in god and the support of their family and friends carried them throughout the day.
Fifty one teams from eight states qualified from their respective state championships or through five TBF/FLW National Opens to the Lake Lanier event which was hosted once again by the terrific staff at Gainesville Tourism. Ten percent of the qualifying field earned the opportunity to advance to the National Championship where a $10,000 scholarship awaits the winners. The location of that event will be announced shortly as the final two TBF/FLW regional events will take place in October.
Special thanks go out to the Georgia Bass Federation and their president Larry Lewis as well as youth directors Bruce Pilgrim and Ronnie White and a host of volunteers who assisted the teams throughout the day.
For final results CLICK HERE
