The Thrall High School duo of Ryan Grisham of Taylor, Texas, and Christian Dubec, of Thrall, Texas, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 17 pounds, 5 ounces to win the 2019 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Sam Rayburn Reservoir Open.
A field of 57 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Cassels-Boykin Park in Zavalla. The tournament was hosted by the Lufkin Convention and Visitors Bureau. In FLW and TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top five teams on Sam Rayburn Reservoir that advanced to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Thrall High School, Thrall, Texas – Ryan Grisham, Taylor, Texas, and Christian Dubec, Thrall, Texas, five bass, 17-5
2nd: Magnolia West High School, Magnolia, Texas – Jaxon Leonard and Christian Copher, both of Magnolia, Texas, five bass, 16-10
3rd: North Forsyth High School, Cumming, Ga. – Paul Marks and Will Barronton, both of Cumming, Ga., five bass, 14-4
4th: Dallas Christian School, Mesquite, Texas – Lane Seaman, Heath, Texas, and Nick Chaves, Combine, Texas, five bass, 14-0
5th: Central High School, Central, La. – Aaron Maroney and Jacob Childress, both of Mansfield, La., five bass, 13-5
Rounding out the top 10 were:
6th: Benton High School, Benton, La. – Peyton Grantham, Benton, La., and Tanner Underwood, Bossier City, La., five bass, 13-2
7th: Calvary Baptist Academy, New Braunfels, Texas – Jackson Gregory, Shreveport, La., and John Kyle Pearce, Frierson, La., five bass, 12-5
8th: West Sabine High School, Pineland, Texas – Hunter Muncrief, Pineland, Texas, and Landen McCary, Bronson, Texas, five bass, 12-5
9th: Huntington High School, Huntington, Texas – River Johnson, Lufkin, Texas, and Brenton Peters, Huntington, Texas, five bass, 12-1
10th: Harleton High School, Harleton, Texas – Kenneth Clark and Garrett Handlin, both of Diana, Texas, five bass, 10-15
The 2019 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Sam Rayburn Reservoir Open was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12, open to any Student Angler Federation (SAF) affiliated high school club in the United States. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on a body of water that has yet to be revealed. The High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2019 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2018 World Finals more than $150,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
Full schedules and the latest announcements are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and FLWFishing.com.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2019 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
About The Bass Federation
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is a member of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. TBF is owned by those we serve and dedicated to the sport of fishing. The Federation is the largest and oldest, organized grassroots fishing, youth and conservation organization there is. TBF, our affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 events each year and have provided a foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 45 years. TBF founded the Student Angler Federation and the National High School Fishing program in 2008 to promote clean family fun and education through fishing. Visit bassfederation.com or highschoolfishing.org and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
By: Joe Opager, Director of Public Relations
