Valley Bass Wins MLF High School Fishing Open Tournament on Lake Havasu

LAKE HAVASU CITY, Ariz. (Feb. 6, 2023) – Arizona’s Valley Bass team of Jeff Giffen of Phoenix, Arizona, and Dylan Mladick of Buckeye, Arizona, brought three bass to the scale Sunday weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces, to win the MLF High School Fishing Tournament at Lake Havasu in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. For their win, the Valley Bass duo now advance to the 2023 High School Fishing National Championship.

The top team that now advances to the 2023 High School Fishing National Championship was:

1st: Valley Bass – Jeff Giffen and Dylan Mladick, three bass, 8-9

Rounding out the top 10 teams were:

2nd: Chandler High School, Chandler, Ariz. – Trevor Fredrickson and Nolan Smith, two bass, 6-14
3rd: Lake Havasu High School, Lake Havasu City, Ariz. – Alfredo Guiterrez and Steven Strosnider, two bass, 4-13
4th: Lake Havasu High School, Lake Havasu City, Ariz. – Steven Brady and Daniel McCoy, two bass, 4-12
5th: Oakdale High School, Oakdale, Calif. – Donnie Graham and Mason Polhemus, one bass, 3-10
6th: Oakdale High School, Oakdale, Calif. – Oscar Centeno and John Vierra, one bass, 2-9
7th: Deer Valley High School, Glendale, Ariz. – Cohen Biggar and Shane Riley, one bass, 2-1
8th: Oakdale High School, Oakdale, Calif. – Troy Cox and Zane Ravalin, one bass, 1-10
9th: SoCal Junior Bass Anglers, Poway, Calif. – Connor Dreas and Tyler Parks, zero bass, 0-0
10th: Lake Havasu High School, Lake Havasu City. – Brayden Bernard and Christian Kee, zero bass, 0-0

MLF High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and TBF Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams at each Open event, along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships, will advance to the 2023 High School Fishing National Championship. The 2023 MLF High School Fishing National Championship will be held on the Mississippi River in La Crosse, Wisconsin, June 20-24, and is hosted by Explore La Crosse.

The High School Fishing National Champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2023 MLF Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers.