Pearson, Crandon narrow Team of the Year race

James Pearson and Jeff Crandon closed the gap towards a Team of the Year title with the Crackerboys Bass Club last weekend. The duo bagged a 23.98-pound, five-bass limit at Lake Kissimmee to win their third event of a nine tournament season.

They proved why they’re always a threat to win, regardless of the body of water, by anchoring their bag with two TrophyCatch class lunkers. Their largest of 8.37 pounds earned the overall Big Bass award. They also boated a bass weighing 8.07 pounds.

Santos Solis and John Stambaugh weighed a solid 21.50-pound, five-bass limit to finish the day in second place. Billy Leal and Richie Upchurch earned a third place finish with an 18.88-pound, five-bass limit.

The team of Ford and Ford finished in fourth place with 18.25 pounds, followed by Larry Crocker and Al Hager in fifth with 17.85 pounds.

The Roland Martin Marina 2nd Big Bass award was earned by Andrew and Dennis Lee for their 7.89-pound kicker.

With the win, Pearson and Crandon moved within four points of the current Team of the Year leaders, Stephen Bishop and Dell Massie. With one event left prior to the end of season championship, the Team of the Year title is still up for grabs.

The Crackerboys Bass Club will compete at Lake Istokpoga on September 27th for the final qualifying event of the 2015 season, where anglers will not only be chasing the Team of the Year title, but also a birth to the 2016 Florida State Team Championship. The top four teams in Team of the Year points will have the opportunity to compete for a 2016 Blazer 595 Pro Elite powered by a 200 HP Mercury ProXS.

Photo: Jeff Crandon