MUSKOGEE, Okla. (July 28, 2015) – The Shidler High School team of Austin French and Dillon Nash brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 5 ounces, to win the 2015 Oklahoma State High School Fishing Championship tournament on the Arkansas River. The win earned the team the title of state champions and qualified the team to compete in the High School Fishing Southern Conference championship on the Arkansas River in October along with a pair of jerseys specially-designed for the Oklahoma state champions.
The duo was able to bring in the biggest bass of the tournament – a 3-pound, 11-ounce fish – which earned the team two new reels from Lew’s Fishing.
The top three teams on the Arkansas River that advanced to the Southern Conference Championship were:
1st: Shidler High School – Austin French and Dillon Nash, five bass, 14-5
2nd: Oklahoma Student Angler Federation – Jacob Keenom and Kaden Knoch, five bass, 13-8
3rd: Stilwell High School – Rhett Meyer and Brett Girdner, five bass, 11-0
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
4th: Oklahoma Student Angler Federation – Blake Capps and Jacob Dotson, four bass, 9-6
5th: Oklahoma Student Angler Federation – Taylor Hamburger and Blake Apfelbacher, three bass, 8-2
6th: Oklahoma Student Angler Federation – Jake Biram and Connor Burk, three bass, 6-1
7th: Clayton High School – Zach Bray and Landon Scarberry, two bass, 6-1
8th: Kansas High School – Rance Escarcega and Ethan Sinor, two bass, 4-12
9th: Stilwell High School – Kelen Pritchett and Daniel West, two bass, 4-10
10th: Bartlesville High School – Keagan Brady and Collin Brady, two bass, 4-5
The 2015 Oklahoma State High School Fishing Championship was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12. The top 10 percent from each TBF/FLW state championship field will advance to a High School Fishing conference championship along with the top three teams from each of the seven TBF/FLW High School Fishing Opens held this season. The top 10 percent of each conference championship field will then advance to the High School Fishing National Championship, coinciding with the TBF National Championship and an FLW Tour stop in the spring of 2016. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.