Whittington, Ill. (Sept. 10, 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 Saturday weighing 10 pounds, 4 ounces to win the 2018 FLW High School Fishing Rend Lake Open tournament. According to post-tournament reports, Jacob and Smith caught their fish throwing square-billed crankbaits near the Rend Lake dam.
A field of 18 teams battled through heavy rains and competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Wayne Fitzgerrell Sailboat Landing. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top team on Rend Lake that advanced to the 2018 High School Fishing National Championship was:
1st: Peoria High School, Peoria, Ill. – Connor Jacob of Peoria, Illinois, and Samuel Smith of Dunlap, Illinois., five bass, 10-4
Rounding out the top 10 teams were: https://www.bassresource.com
2nd: Roanoke-Benson High School, Roanoke, Ill. – Logan Gastman and Brayden Blunier, both of Roanoke, Ill., five bass, 8-0
3rd: Nashville Community High School, Nashville, Ill. – Conner Wolters and Tanner McFeron, both of Nashville, Ill., four bass, 7-2
4th: McCracken County High School, McCracken County, Ky. – Allen Everett, Kevil, Ky., and Sarah Morehead, Paducah, Ky., three bass, 6-2
5th: West Frankfurt Community High School, Frankfurt, Ill. – Cole Levanti and Brendan Johnson, both of West Frankfurt, Ill., two bass, 6-1
6th: Nashville Community High School, Nashville, Ill. – Lilly Taft, Hoyleton, Ill., and Grant Pedtke, Nashville, Ill., three bass, 6-0
7th: Mount Vernon Township High School, Mount Vernon, Ill. – Lane Deichman and Tanner Shaw, both of Mount Vernon, Ill., two bass, 5-10
8th: McCracken County High School, McCracken County, Ky. – Hunter Valerius and Austin Braboy, both of Paducah, Ky., three bass, 4-12
9th: Pinckneyville Community High School, Pinckneyville, Ill. – Rayce Baker, Pinckneyville, Ill., and Terry Davis, Coulterville, Ill., two bass, 4-1
10th: Red Bud High School, Red Bud, Ill. – Brier Longley, Prairie du Rocher, Ill., and Ethan Mudd, Red Bud, Ill., one bass, 3-1