Last weekend, the top teams who qualified from the 2016 B.A.S.S Nation High School Series Qualifiers, took to the waters of Lake Okeechobee for the Florida State Championship. Three spots into the 2016 National Tournament on Kentucky Lake were up for grabs, and big bags were brought to the scales of Roland Martin’s Marina over the two days of competition.
There was also a Junior Division that competed, a stepping stone to learn the ropes of tournament competition so that these young anglers are prepared when entering the high school series.
Day 1
Day 1 of competition yielded solid Lake Okeechobee bags for both the High School and Junior teams.
Austin Chism and Jackson Williams, from Auburndale High School, held the Day 1 lead with a 23.14 pound bag.
Brad Powell and Erik Van Dyke, from Marion County High School, brought in a 19.39 pound bag that landed them in second place for the day.
Parker Klump and Grady Yelvington, from Riverdale High School, took the third spot with a 17.48 pound bag.
Chase DiMotta and Evan Wieber, from George Jenkins High School, brought in a 16.35 pound bag to take fourth place.
Marcus Hatchett and Shaun Joens, from Chiles High School, were tight on the heels of DiMotta and Wieber, with a 16.13 pound bag to round out the top 5.
Roger Weigel and Jeff Worthy
Jeff Worthy and Roger Weigel sat in second with a 15.95 pound bag.
Breyden Marquis and Andrew Anderson held third with 13.26 pounds.
Claude Loften and Dylan Murrell sat in fourth place with 12.54 pounds, and Will Boyd and Shaun Odor Jr. rounded out the top 5 with 12.49 pounds.
Day 2
Lake Okeechobee can yield some monster bags, so the top spots can change in an instant. These young anglers quickly learned that lesson as the leader board was shaken up after the second, and final day of competition.
Austin Chism and Jackson Williams claimed the top spot, and a berth into the 2016 BASS Nation High School National Tournament on Kentucky Lake, by backing up their Day 1 lead with a 16.24 pound bag. Their overall total for the weekend was an impressive 39.38 pounds.
Brad Powell and Erik Van Dyke also maintained their spot at the top of the leaderboard with a 10.48 pound bag that kept them in second place. The team also yielded a berth into the 2016 BASS Nation High School National Tournament. Their overall weight for the weekend was 29.87 pounds.
Fisher Omans and Logan Wright, from Seminole County High School, made a huge jump from outside the top 10 to capture third place with their 18.49 pound bag, giving them an overall weight of 28.71 pounds.
Christian Greico and Sebastian Greico, from the Homeschool Hawg Hunters, took the fourth place spot with their 12.30 day two bag to bring their overall total to 28.19 pounds. Additionally, with this tournament finish, the team was able to secure enough points to become the first Florida High School Team of the Year, earning them a berth into the 2016 BASS Nation High School National Tournament.
Bo Warren and Jonathon Day, from Marion City High School, rounded out the top 5 with an overall total of 27.60 pounds.
The top spot in the Junior Division was taken by Jeff Worthy and Roger Weigel with their day 2 bag weighing 13.80 pounds to give the team 29.75 pounds for the weekend. They earned a spot in the 2016 BASS Nation Junior National tournament.
Connor Williamson and Owen Heron dropped into the second spot, with their 11.11 pound bag, giving the team 28.95 pounds for the weekend.
Claude Loften and Dylan Murrell jumped up one spot into third place with their 15.80 pound bag. The team had 28.34 pounds for the weekend.
Sammy Jay Acree and Fisher Cusic made a big jump from seventh place into fourth with their 13.08 pound bag. The team finished with 24.96 for the weekend.
Will Boyd and Shaun Odor Jr. kept their spot in fifth with their 10.41 pound bag, giving the team 22.90 pounds for the weekend.
