Bandys High School wins Southeastern Conference Championship

Brother-and-sister duo Chelsey Queen and K.J. Queen of Catawba, N.C., won the High School Fishing Southeastern Conference Championship on Lake Wylie. Eight teams from across the region were competing and the Queens, representing Bandys High School, won the tournament with a five-bass limit weighing 10-7.

The Queens beat their closest competitor, TL Hanna High School out of South Carolina, by a mere 14 ounces.

“We stayed shallow all day, mostly targeting docks and rip rap with floating worms and jigs,” said K J Queen, a junior at Bundys. “But it was more tough than anything today.”

Fishing Lake Wylie is not new for the brother-and-sister team from North Carolina. They both had won tournaments on Wylie in the past, each fishing with their dad.

“I couldn’t ask for a better partner than my brother,” said Chelsey Queen a graduated senior of Bandys. “It can be painful and stressful (referring to her brother’s earlier comment) but we motivate each other and work well together as a team.”

After winning several tournaments during high school, the older Chelsey Queen was recruited by Bethel University in Tennessee and is now attending college on a bass fishing scholarship.

High School results:

1st: Bandys High School – Kristopher Queen and Chelsey Queen, both of Catawba, N.C., five bass, 10-7

2nd: TL Hanna High School – Hampton Anderson and Eli Roland, both of Anderson, S.C., five bass, 9-9

3rd: Murray High School – Ian Heskett and Chaz Lucas, both of Murray, Ky., five bass, 9-9

4th: Baconton High School/Westwood Academy – Kyle Parks, Albany, Ga., and Tyler Classon, Baconton, Ga., five bass, 8-6

5th: Thompson High School – Austin Herring, Alabaster, Ala., and Colby Yessick, Maylene, Ala., four bass, 7-9

6th: Oliver Springs High School – Dustin Mayton and Hayden Everett, both of Oliver Springs, Tenn., three bass, 4-8

7th: Pine Ridge High School – Trevor Brown, Deltona, Fla., and Austin Murray, Deland, Fla., one bass, 3-6

8th: Potts Camp High School/Hickory Flatts High School – Garrett Riles, Potts Camp, Miss., and Preston Wilkinson, Hickory Flat, Miss., one bass, 1-11

High School Fishing Tournaments are open to all ninth, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students, including home schooled students that are members of the Student Angler Federation. The winning team from each state championship advances to a High School Fishing Conference Championship. Boats are provided upon request at all Conference Championships. The winning team from each Conference Championship will receive trophies and commemorative jerseys, and advance to the 2013 High School Fishing National Championship, held in conjunction with the National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship in the spring.

Each member of the winning National High School Fishing Championship team will receive a $5,000 scholarship to use at the University of their choice. Teams participating in the conference championships and National Championship will also receive a travel allowance to help offset their expenses.