PROSPERITY, S.C. (May 3, 2017) – The South Florence High School duo of Tommy Floyd of Coward, South Carolina, and James Gibbons of Timmonsville, South Carolina, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 19 pounds, 3 ounces, to win the 2017 TBF High School Fishing South Carolina State Championship tournament on Lake Murray in Prosperity, South Carolina. 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 53 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Dreher Island State Park in Prosperity. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top five teams on Lake Murray that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: South Florence High School – Tommy Floyd, Coward, S.C., and James Gibbons, Timmonsville, S.C., (five bass, 19-3)
2nd: Union County High School – Hunter Enlow, Union, S.C., and Creed Fowler, Jonesville, S.C., (five bass, 14-15)
3rd: Woodruff High School – Nick Collier and Austin Lanford, both of Woodruff, S.C., (five bass, 12-11)
4th: North Augusta High School – Kyler McKie and Michael Burch, both of North Augusta, S.C., (three bass, 11-12)
5th: Woodruff High School – Justin Greene and Caleb Ownby, both of Woodruff, S.C., (five bass, 11-11)
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
5th: Spring Hill High School – Grant Tomlin, Chapin, S.C., and Wes Grindstaff, Irmo, S.C., (three bass, 10-14)
5th: Woodruff High School – Cole Gore, Enoree, S.C., and Clayton Caldwell, Woodruff, S.C., (five bass, 10-12)
5th: Gilbert High School – J.T. Vining and Tucker Veronee, both of Gilbert, S.C., (four bass, 10-5)
9th: South Florence High School – Cole Drummond, Effingham, S.C., and Piercen Lynch, Timmonsville, S.C., (four bass, 9-1)
10th: Woodmont High School, Piedmont, S.C. – Austin Davis and Auston Bennett, (five bass, 7-13)