ANDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (Feb. 26, 2018) – The Peoria High School duo of Connor Jacob of Peoria, Illinois, and Samuel Smith of Dunlap, Illinois, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 16 pounds, 8 ounces to win the rescheduled 2017 FLW High School Fishing Tennessee Open tournament on Norris Lake. The win advanced the team to the 2018 High School Fishing National championship, held June 26-30, on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.
According to post-tournament reports, the duo caught their fish cranking Orange Craw-colored Rapala DT6 crankbaits, fishing early by the dam and on the north end of the lake.
A field of 47 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Anderson County Park in Andersonville, Tennessee. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top four teams on Norris Lake that advanced to the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Peoria High School, Peoria, Ill. – Connor Jacob, Peoria, Ill., and Samuel Smith, Dunlap, Ill., five bass, 16-8
2nd: Corbin High School, Corbin, Ky. – Cole Hicks, Gray, Ky., and Nicholas Yeager, Corbin, Ky., five bass, 16-3
3rd: Campbell County High School, Jacksboro, Tenn. – Hunter Richardson and Jonathan Ayers, both of Jacksboro, Tenn., five bass, 14-15
4th: Lincoln County High School, Fayetteville, Tenn. – Hunter Cornelius and Mason Moore, both of Waynesburg, Ky., five bass, 13-10
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
5th: Campbell County High School, Jacksboro, Tenn. – Austin Smith, Jacksboro, Tenn., and Noah Pierce, Lafollette, Tenn., five bass, 13-9
6th: Seymour High School, Seymour, Tenn. – Garrett Bartlett, New Market, Tenn., and Henry Bryan, Sevierville, Tenn., five bass, 13-4
7th: Karns High School, Knoxville, Tenn. – Logan Jones and Caleb Fain, both of Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 13-3
8th: Lake Cumberland Bass Club – Blake Stringer and Ragan Burton, both of Somerset, Ky., five bass, 11-13
9th: Karns High School, Knoxville, Tenn. – Josh Lee and Mason Cizek, both of Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 11-10
10th: Obion County Central High, Troy, Tenn. – Conner Terry and Matthew Cummings, both of Union City, Tenn., four bass, 11-9