2023 Bass Fishing State Championship

MAY 20, 2023

MAY 20, 2023

GHSA BASS FISHING State Championship

GHSA BASS FISHING State Championship

CLARKS HILL LAKE

CLARKS HILL LAKE

GHSA BASS FISHING STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

WORD FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WELCOME GHSA BASS FISHING FANS

Welcome to the 2023 GHSA Bass Fishing State Championships! Today’s event is sure to be exciting as all of the schools represented are looking forward to their team achieving the title of “Champion”. However, we all know that all of our teams are outstanding and are definitely winners. This has been an outstanding season and this year’s championships will include familiar faces as well as teams that have worked hard and peaked at just the right time. Our congratulations are in order for all of the teams, coaches, administrators, students and parents who have supported the athletes through this year’s journey to the state championships.

I would also like to thank you for your support of high school bass fishing throughout the season. Your support is integral to the success of high school athletics and for the team and anglers you are here to cheer on. Good sportsmanship is expected from our athletes, and I urge you to be positive in your support of all of our teams. Let’s work together to make today’s event a great experience for all involved.

To put on an event of this magnitude takes many volunteers who have worked tirelessly to provide a “first-class” event. The GHSA staff has been working for weeks as well to ensure a special event for all involved.

Finally, I would like to thank our corporate sponsors who make it possible to put on these championships. Their advertisements can be seen throughout this guide and I encourage you to support them whenever possible. The GHSA wants to thank these exemplary companies for their involvement, we appreciate their support.

Thank you for your support and I know you are going to enjoy the best high school bass fishing anywhere!

6:15 AM - TAKEOFF

3 PM - WEIGH-IN BEGINS

Wildwood Park Ramp

3780 Dogwood Lane

Appling, GA 30802

Executive Director

Performing arts can take us anywhere, and they can bring us together. Today, they’ve brought all of us here—to play, perform and compete, together.

Let’s show the world the unifying power of performing arts!

The 2023 Georgia High School Association Bass Fishing Championship Guide is published by Score Media, a division of Score Atlanta, in conjunction with the GHSA. The guide was designed by Laura Grieve, and edited by Craig Sager II, Seth Ellerbee and Graham David. Information provided by the GHSA and photos on the cover and inside the guide are courtesy of Unforgettable Moments. For more information on Score Media, go to Scoreatl.com or call 404-246-7819.

The GHSA successfully introduced Bass Fishing as a sanctioned sport for the first time in 2021 and now qualifiers from across the state will ascend on Georgia’s largest body of water—Clarks Hill Lake in Augusta—to compete for the 2023 state title this Saturday. The third annual Bass Fishing State Championship follows a season that featured four qualifying tournaments. This statewide-circuit began at Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Ga. on Jan. 21 and then continued to Lake Oconee (Feb. 18), West Point Lake (March 18) and Lake Hartwell (April 15). Hundreds of registered student anglers competed in the four qualifiers and the duo of Hayden Reynolds and Caleb Logue opened the season with a top-finish of 21-06 pounds at Lake Seminole. Reynolds and Caleb Lougue compete for the Bainbridge Bearcats—who saw Bowynn Brown and Shane Dill take last year’s state championship with a 16-12 mark. There were 30 state qualifiers out of the 252 registered teams at Lake Seminole.

TOP QUALIFIERS

Lake Seminole saw 255 registered teams and Savannah Christian’s Matthew Gunn and Luke Gunn were the top state qualifiers with a 15-13 catch. Alexander’s Trent Hammock and Cart-

er Seabrook qualified with a 13-9 catch and are returning to state after placing third last year. Matthew and Luke took first place again on March 18 at West Point with a 12-5 catch. Boats advance to state from the first event in which they qualified and since the Gunns already qualified, the next eligible boat qualified. As a result, 29 teams qualified out of 241 registered teams at West Point.

BY CRAIG SAGER II | CSAGER@SCOREATL.COM

second with a 19-9. The next closest qualifier was Lanier’s Bryson Dover and Angel Cornejo’s 15-6.

ON THE LINE

GHSA BASS FISHING TO CELEBRATE THIRD STATE CHAMPIONSHIP AT CLARKS HILL LAKE \

The fourth and final GHSA qualifier saw 28 teams eclipse 10 pounds—the most out of any of this year’s qualifiers. South Forsyth had five teams finish in the top 12 and also tallied the top two qualifying tallies. Reese Mutter and Charles Roberts tallied a 19-14 catch for first place and their War Eagles’ teammates Michael Avery and Fisher Edwards came in

This will be the second time that Clarks Hill Lake is hosting a GHSA bass fishing competition and the state’s best anglers will be vying for the ultimate prize as the sport continues its growth and popularity in its third year. Since the sport was introduced, the highest recorded catch was 25.15 pounds by Bainbridge’s Bowynn Brown and Shane Dill in 2021. That historic catch came in the Lake Seminole category. Jayden Faulkner and Davis Madden represented Evans High School in 2021 when they won the first-ever state title with a 20-03 catch. As previously stated, last year’s championship-winning catch was 16-12 by Bainrbidge’s Brown and Dill. This year has seen Bainbridge’s Reynolds and Logue (2106) have the top score and Richmond Hill’s Branton Champion and Jackson Behringer tallying the second-best mark from the qualifiers. There were only two other schools to eclipse the 19-pound mark, two more teams that eclipsed the 17-pound mark and three more teams that hit the 15-pound mark.

LAKE SEMINOLE

SCHOOL ANGLER ANGLER

Alexander Leila Gragg Peirce Gragg

Appling County Taylor Fanin Tucker Mincy

Bainbridge Hayden Reynolds Caleb Logue

Bainbridge Brock Lewis Gages Sellars

Bainbridge Brennan Enfinger Corbyn Thompson

Callaway Dawson Foster Billy Boseman

Colquitt County Jacob Brightwell Harden Roberts

East Paulding Mason Tarply Nikalas Shaw

Fellowship Christian Holden McClung Robert Wade

Forsyth Central Calvin Sticher Toby Pritzlaff

Jackson Gage Greene Carson Lamb

Jefferson Jacob Janning Ben Wilson

Lanier Bryson Dover Angel Conejo

Lee County Coleman Williams Dakota King

Lowndes Jack Dowdy Wyatt Galbraith

Lowndes Fisher Ruff Kyle Lynn

Lowndes Evan Hanks Warren Garland

Miller County Brody Kelly Cooper Williams

Morgan County Nolan Holloway Jackson Fanning

Perry Mason Hilgendorf Mason Engle

Pike County Alan Smith Jackson Fletcher

Richmond Hill Branton Champion Jackson Behringer

South Forsyth Cate Cuccinello Everett Barlag

South Forsyth Michael Avery Fisher Edwards

South Forsyth Finley Edwards Jackson Letsch

Swainsboro Garrett Peebles Bo Brown

Thomas County Central Lawson White Ethan Luke

Tift County Cole McDaniel Logan Cargle

Washington County Ella Baucom Jack Taylor

Washington County Maxwell Evans Nicholas Brantley

WEST POINT LAKE

SCHOOL ANGLER ANGLER

Alexander Preston Agan Zachary Agan

Alexander Ayden Bryant Caleb Blanks

Bacon County Liam Whitley Haylee Giddens

Brantley County Hunter Johns Mathew Carter

Buford Hudson Hyatt Jackson Ellis

Callaway Drake Bishop Kaleb Garrett

Coffee Seth Jordan Wesley Daniels

Columbus Josh Odom Jacob Albright

East Coweta Aubrie Braddy Jaxen Watson

Elbert Bradley Vaughn Adrian Harris

Jackson Brayden Smith Corbin Presley Jackson Carson Smith Gavin Bell

King’s Ridge Jackson Thomas Cole Bradley

Lambert Dylan Johnson Patrick Coppinger

Locust Grove George Wilson Brandon Rice

Newnan Logan Rethmel Connor Rethmel

Northgate James Dubose Daylom Milam

Ola Colby Aldridge Keigen Sena

Peach County Naomi Horsley Hunter Fuller

Perry Tyler Williams Jack Aydelott

Richmond Hill Savannah Goode Carson Goode

South Forsyth Benjamin Clark Dylan Reid

Swainsboro Mitchell Roberson Jacob Fagler

Temple Cameron Bolden Brian Singley

Tift County Walton Slaven Caleb May

Trinity Christian Carter Jones Cooper Bell

Veterans Trent Mazo Chance Fowler

Webster County Kalix Holmens Nikearrian Walker

Wheeler County Cohen Cravey Rhett Rodgers

LAKE OCONEE

SCHOOL ANGLER ANGLER

Alexander Trent Hammock Carter Seabrook

Appling County Mara Anderson Josie Gunter

Appling County Drew Caylor Tucker Mcmillan

Bacon County Mason Boatright Lane Kinlaw

Brantley County Benjamin Carter Carter Steed

Clarke Central Bo Brodrick Luke Garofalo

Colquitt County Jake Wilkes Joseph Jackson

Fellowship Greyson Brock Liam Gibson

Forsyth Central Camden Spencer Gage Stewart

Heard County Colton Bates Kaci Bates

Houston County Ben Brill Brandt Singleton

Lakeside Reed Williams William Scherer

Locust Grove Caleb Cromer Jacob Sims

North Paulding Mitchell Lewis Ben Graves

Ola Hayden Currul Skylar Spence

Ola Lee Cole Graham Hollis Carter

Perry Nick Daniel Kaleb Payne

Perry Connor Law Nolan Osborne

Richmond Hill Jagger Monaco Joey Moore

Savannah Christian Matthew Gunn Luke Gunn

South Forsyth Grady Williamson Maddox Ferrell

Temple Chad Seagraves Kade Brown

Temple Gage Riddle Justin Singley

Temple Rylan Daniell Beau Beckjorden

Toombs County Neal Braddy Hunter Hitchcock

Trion Rayne Melton Ethan Willingham

Union Grove Leah Jarrett Madison Mayo

Veterans Ronnie Weigle Dillon Mcintosh

Ware County Austin Pierce Will Griffin

Ware County Dawson Peavy Tyler Spradley

LAKE HARTWELL

SCHOOL ANGLER ANGLER

Appling County Fisher Carver Jack Reeves

Brantley County Tyler Brock Weston Middleton

Brantley County Saybree Niece Waylon Thomas

Buford

Gwendolyn Bruce Garrett Crocker

Buford Connon Thomas Yun Sitton

Central Levi Irby Colton Huber

Colquitt County Andrew Stanford Haydyn Glass

Dawson County Madison Hawkins Cara Perry

East Forsyth Allison Dykes Sophia Lee

East Paulding Ayden Slick Aiden Prusan

Effingham County Zachary Ambrose Jace Hinely

Houston County Carter Gray Ashton Foiles

Jeff Davis Tucker Rigdon Dylan Dennis

Lanier Benjamin Claypole Gibson Rietig

North Forsyth Nathan Ruis Evan Bann

North Forsyth Adams Cash Andrew Worley

North Gate Carter Robison Mason Doonan

North Oconee Micheal Drummond Bode Massie

Oconee County

Churchill Harris Campbell Patterson

Pickens Zeke Cronic Elijah Rittenberry

South Forsyth Reese Mutter Charles Roberts

Thomas Evan Holbrook Holden Wright

Thomson Connon Thomas Carson Ansley

Toobs County Levy Martin Drew Woodruff

Veterans Jacob Winnett Jackson Lathrop

Ware County Grant Geiger Colt Cox

West Forsyth Katy Grace Pendley Grayson Pendley