Jasper, Tx (June 13-14)- 250+ HS Fishing Teams teams converged on Sam Rayburn this past weekend to compete in the 2nd annual Ford SETX HS Championship presented by Skeeter Boats. Winning a tournament, finishing in the top 50, or fishing all five qualifying tournaments would qualify teams for the championship, where over $75,000 in scholarships alone would be given away.
The weekend began with a Friday night awards banquet and tournament meeting at Brookeland HS. SETX proudly welcomed the Skeeter Boats Demo team and various other sponsors to the event. Superintendent Kevin McCugh of Brookeland ISD was excited for the opportunity to help SETX in hosting the event. The hospitality shown by Mr McCugh and Brookeland ISD is greatly appreciated by everyone involved with SETX. Thank you Mr McCugh and Brookeland ISD!
While the crowd enjoyed pulled pork sandwiches, emcee John Salamone and weighmaster Ray Beck began by thanking all of the SETX sponsors and informing the crowd that almost 1/4 of a million dollars in scholarships and prizes will have been given away at the conclusion of championship weekend, and that over 3 1/2 tons of fish had been caught during the season. The big bass of the year award went to Hunter Martindale of Jasper with a 9.42 lb bass. Hunter and his partner Chase Webb also took home the big stringer of the year award with 25+ lbs back in February. Jared Wiggins and Brett Clark of the Shelby County Jr Bass Team took home the Anglers of the Year trophy and split a $4000.00 scholarship. The rest of the top ten in the AOY race are as follows:
2nd- Hunter Muncrief and Landen McCary- West Sabine $3000
3rd- Kaygen Nevills and Bayley Roland- Hudson HS $2500
4th- Logan Wood and Josh Rowe- Nederland HS $2000
5th- Trace O'Dell and Tanner Cox- Buna HS $1500
6th- Andrew Morris and Hunter Kaemmerling- Hudson HS $1000
7th- Calvin Shoffner and Matthew McClendon- Jasper HS $500
8th- Braden Berryman and Kenneth Pickett- Kirbyville HS $200 Gift Card
9th- Jacob Knight and Brennan Johnson- Huntington HS $200 Gift Card
10th- Chandler Burgay and James Marshall- Shelby County Jr Bass Team- $200 Gift Card
When asked about this past season and what we might expect for the championship, SETX VP Tom Selman of Port Neches Groves said " One thing is for sure, our kids and captains have had to adjust and adapt to many different obstacles this past spring. High winds, high water, stained water, falling water, thunderstorms, and for this weekend, just being able to launch a boat is even a challenge with the high water closing many of the ramps on the lake." SETX treasurer Ted O'Dell, from Buna, said " Our captains have done a wonderful job keeping our kids safe in some inclement and dangerous weather. We know our kids are going to be better anglers and safer boaters in the future from the experiences they have had on the water this spring with those captains."
Day one saw the team of Andrew Morris and Hunter Kaemmerling of Hudson holding on to a slim lead with a stringer of 23+ lbs. Right behind them with 23 lbs of their own was the team of Tristan Riddle and Collin Hale of Nacogdoches Central Heights. To be in the top 20 after day one took nearly 15 lbs. Many of the young anglers reported having caught a lot of fish, but lacking in size. A lot of the more successful teams on day one reported that the wind and lack of sunshine helped their bites on Saturday.
Day two began with scattered showers across the area and unseasonably cooler temps. Those clouds soon gave way to bright sunshine and a slacking wind by late afternoon. After weighing in nearly 150 teams, the top ten teams from Saturday were "held back" to weigh last and increase the drama under the Umphrey Pavilion. When the teams arrived to the tanks, the team of Seth and Matthew Martin of Buna, who had a great day 2 on the water, awaited them in the Gopher hot seat. Team after team from the top ten "walked up" with the speakers blasting their favorite tunes, but failed to push the team from Buna out of the Gopher hot seat, but finally, the team of Clemens and Cullen from Hudson were able to bump them. Clemens and Cullen's time in the hot seat was short as the Central Heights team of Riddle and Hale took the stage and bumped them off. That left one team to weigh, the tournament leading team of Morris and Kaemmerling of Hudson HS. The team from Hudson needed about 18 lbs to claim the title, but when the scales showed just over 16 lbs, the Central Heights team of Tristan Riddle and Collin Hale of Central Heights HS claimed the Gopher Hot seat as theirs and were crowned SETX champions. Both teams congratulated each other on the Ford Championship Stage and showed excellent sportsmanship in winning and defeat. What a great bunch of kids!! Congratulations to all of our teams on a successful year. The top ten and scholarship money won are as follows:
1st- Tristan Riddle and Collin Hale- Central Heights HS- 41.69 LBS $10,000.00
2nd- Andrew Morris and Hunter Kaemmerling- Hudson- 40.44 LBS $8,000.00
3rd- Brandon Clemens and Gage Cullen- Hudson- 36.64 LBS $7,000.00
4th- Seth Martin and Matthew Martin- Buna- 36.29 LBS $6,000.00
5th- Danny Mullins and Jace Weeks- Huntington- 36.16 LBS $5,000.00
6th- Jared Wiggins and Brett Clark- Shelby County- 35.56 LBS $4,000.00
7th- Kagen Nevills and Bayley Roland- Hudson- 33.82 LBS $3,500.00
8th- Chloe West and Remmington Boykin-Lumberton- 31.92 LBS $3,000.00
9th- Beau Davis and Brennon Davis- Kirbyville- 27.86 LBS $2,500.00
10th- Trace O'Dell and Tanner Cox- Buna- 27.67 LBS $2,000.00
Top 3 Big Bass
Evan Champagne and Colt Poole- Bridge City- 8.39 lbs- Lew's Products
Jared Wiggins and Brett Clark- Shelby County- 8.24 lbs- Lew's Products
Ty Cleveland and Jackson Gore- Kirbyville- 8.13 lbs- Lew's Products
With the backing of sponsors like the South Texas Ford Dealers Association and Skeeter Boats, the SETX HS Fishing Association has emerged as the single largest HS fishing trail in the country. A huge thank you goes out to the SETX HS Fishing Association Sponsors for 2014-2015. These are the companies that make all of this possible for the kids of Southeast Texas.
Lews, Costa Del Mar, Coastal Field Services, Academy, Lowrance, Minn Kota, Rattletrap, Gopher Industries, West LTD, Bass King Clothing, Kick N Bass Scents, Clark Reehm and the Elite Angler Academy, Lake Fork Tackle/Rod Sox, and Gator Guards, Crystal Heigley and Allman Real Estate.
For full results or more information about our sponsors, please visit www.setxhighschoolfishing.com or visit or facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/setxhighschoolfishing
