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Young Anglers Catch Monster Bag to Rally for Win

19 teams of young anglers traveled form across the state, to compete in the Junior Division of the B.A.S.S Nation Florida High School Series State Championship. The event took place on the Kissimmee Chain, hosted by Camp Mack on June 21st and 22nd.

Lately, the Kissimmee Chain has been on fire with big fish being caught on a daily basis. The team of Chase Dimotta and Jonathan Jones grabbed the day 1 lead with a 17.01-pound, 5 bass limit. Brett Pearson and Erik Van Dyke sat in 2nd place on day 1 with their 11.11-pound limit. Noah Johnson and Jonathan Spraill caught 9.76 pounds on their way to 3rd place. Brent Randall and Shawn Odor, Jr. were in 4th place thanks to their 9.43-pound limit. SammyJay Acree and Bryson Temples rounded out the Top 5 for day 1 with 6.61 pounds.

The Kissimmee Chain didn’t disappoint on day 2, as the day ended with a few shifts in the leaderboard. Russell Butler and Jonathan North moved up from 6th place to 5th, catching 9.49 pounds on day 2, giving them a 2-day total of 17.62 pounds.

SammyJay Acree and Bryson Temples topped their day 1 weight by more than 5 pounds, catching 13.71 pounds. Their 22.11-pound, 2-day weight landed them a 4th place finish.

Grady Yelvington and Jacob Eaton made a big jump from 9th place to 3rd place, thanks to their 15.60-pound limit on day 2. The 3rd place team weighed 23.26 pounds over 2 days.

Day 1 leaders Chase Dimotta and Jonathan Jones caught a 12.23-pound limit on day 2, giving them 29.24 pounds over 2 days. Unfortunately for them, it wasn’t enough to hold off the team of Bryce Goff and Roger Weigel, Jr.

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Bryce Goff holds up his 9.22-pound Big Bass

One day 1, Goff and Weigel, Jr. sat in 7th place with a 7.91-pound limit. Things drastically turned around for the young team on day 2, and for the better. The young team, captained by B.A.S.S. Southern Open Champion Van Soles, brought in a staggering 22.84-pound limit to show off to the crowd gathered at Camp Mack. Their bag, anchored by a 6-pounder and a 9.22-pound giant, gave them a 30.75-pound, 2 day total. “To be 10 pounds down, and have over a 22-pound bag, I just knew that it was going to take that today to win this thing,” stated Goff in the post tournament interview. To catch their monster bag, the champions flipped Gambler Ugly Otters in and around grass lines in Lake Kissimmee.

Congratulations to all the teams who participated in the event. A special thanks goes out to all the people who volunteered their time and efforts into making this event happen. Without people willing to invest in programs to keep our youth on the water, the sport we all love so much will start to fade away.

If you’d like to get involved for next season, or would like more information on how to start a club at your school, contact State Youth Director Jeff Brooks at 561-271-0252 or visit http://www.floridafederationnation.com/youth.php.

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