GADSDEN, Alabama (May 22, 2018) – The Tuscaloosa County High School fishing duo of Jace McNutt and Jon Hayden Raper brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 16 pounds, 6 ounces to win the 2018 TBF/FLW High School Fishing Alabama State Championship on Lake Neely Henry.
A field of 30 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from the Coosa Landing in Gadsden. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top three teams on Lake Neely Henry that qualified for the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Tuscaloosa County High School, Northport, Ala. – Jace McNutt and Jon Hayden Raper, five bass, 16-6
2nd: Sylvania High School, Sylvania, Ala. – Hunter Hill and Riley Johnson, both of Henegar, Ala., five bass, 13-11
3rd: Hillcrest High School, Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Hunter Porter, Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Peyton Trimm, Northport, Ala., five bass, 13-3
Rounding out the top 10:
4th: Sand Rock High School, Sand Rock, Ala. – Colton Cash, Leesburg, Ala., and Jayce McKnight, Sand Rock, Ala., five bass 12-12
5th: Sylvania High School, Sylvania, Ala. – Andrew Smart, Pisgah, Ala., and Dawson Campbell, Henegar, Ala., five bass, 12-6
6th: Fort Payne High School, Fort Payne, Ala. – Ashton Brown, Fort Payne, Ala., and Joseph Angel, Mentone, Ala., five bass, 12-0
7th: Fort Payne High School, Fort Payne, Ala. – Lane Clark and Brandon Davis, both of Fort Payne, Ala., Mentone, Ala., five bass, 11-11
8th: Sand Rock High School, Sand Rock, Ala. – Brody Robison, Collinsville, Ala., and Levi Cox, Gaylesville, Ala., five bass, 10-11
9th: Alexandria High School, Alexandria, Ala. – Jacob Brown, Glencoe, Ala., and William Bearden, Ashville, Ala., five bass, 9-13
10th: Cherokee County High School, Centre, Ala. – Hunter Bailey and Kallie Jolly, both of Centre, Ala., five bass, 9-6