Harris County High School Wins TBF High School Fishing Georgia State Championship at West Point Lake

LAGRANGE, Ga. – The Harris County High School duo of Cal Culpepper and Mason Waddell, both of Hamilton, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday, Feb. 12, weighing 12 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the 2017 TBF High School Fishing Georgia State Championship tournament on West Point Lake in LaGrange, Georgia. The win advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.

A field of 79 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from the Highland Marina in LaGrange. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The top eight teams on West Point Lake that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship were:

  1st:        Harris County High School – Cal Culpepper and Mason Waddell, both of Hamilton, Ga., (five bass, 12-10)

  2nd:      Pickens High School – Hunter Parker, Jasper, Ga., and Daniel Parnes, Talking Rock, Ga., (five bass, 12-2)

  3rd:       Greenbrier High School– Jacob Blumling and Coleman Johnson, both of Evans, Ga., (five bass, 11-11)

  4th:       Marietta High School – Foster Dubroc and Caleb Straight, both of Marietta, Ga., (five bass, 11-6)

  5th:       Westside High School – Mathew Jones and Justin Padgett, both of Cumming, Ga., (five bass, 11-5)

  6th:       Mount Paran Christian School – Joshua Bennett and Andrew Bennett, both of Kennesaw, Ga., (five bass, 10-0)

  7th:       North Forsyth High School – Glenn Worley, Dawsonville, Ga., and Paul Marks, Cumming, Ga., (five bass, 9-10)

  8th:       Pickens High School – Chandler Adams, Dawsonville, Ga., and Michael Cain, Jasper, Ga., (five bass, 8-15)

Rounding out the top 10 teams were:

  9th:       Fannin County High School – Dalton Tankersley, Morganton, Ga., and Zack Nicholson, Epworth, Ga., (five bass, 8-15)

  10th:     Harris County High School – Dylan Price, Fortson, Ga., and Noah Lee, Midland, Ga., (five bass, 8-10)

Complete results and photos from the event can be found at HighSchoolFishing.org.

The 2017 TBF High School Fishing Georgia State Championship was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.

In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest high school bass tournament, the 2017 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2016 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.

Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.

About FLW

FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

 About The Bass Federation

The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.

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