The Madison Southern High School duo of Brandon Turner and Ricky Seth Hembree, both of Berea, Kentucky, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Friday weighing 15 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the 2017 TBF High School Fishing Kentucky State Championship tournament on Lake Cumberland in Burnside, Kentucky. The win advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.
A massive field of 192 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Burnside Island State Park in Burnside. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top 19 teams on Lake Cumberland that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Madison Southern High School – Brandon Turner and Ricky Seth Hembree, both of Berea, Ky., (five bass, 15-2)
2nd: Madison Southern High School – Blake Harold, Berea, Ky., and Cameron Cochran, Mount Vernon, Ky., (five bass, 14-10)
3rd: Pulaski County High School– Blake Stringer and Tyler Warner, both of Somerset, Ky., (five bass, 14-6)
4th: South Laurel High School – Matthew Woods and Tad Barton, both of London, Ky., (five bass, 13-7)
5th: Garrard County High School – Morgan Miracle and Logan Miracle, both of Lancaster, Ky., (five bass, 13-4)
6th: Rockcastle County High School – Caleb Ballinger and Cole Ballinger, both of McKee, Ky., (five bass, 13-4)
7th: Bath County High School – Bryce Fryman and Griffin Fraley, both of Owingsville, Ky., (five bass, 13-1)
8th: Taylor County High School – Peyton Cox and Shawn Mills, both of Campbellsville, Ky., (five bass, 12-3)
9th: North Laurel High School – Dalton Sizemore and Landon Smallwood, both of London, Ky., (five bass, 12-2)
10th: Montgomery High School – Mackenzie Tabor and Trevor Martin, both of Jeffersonville, Ky., (five bass, 11-15)
11th: Rockcastle County High School – Dakota Bishop and Trevor Sweet, both of Mount Vernon, Ky., (five bass, 11-14)
12th: Casey County High School – Cole Patterson and Lucas Salyers, both of Yosemite, Ky., (five bass, 11-13)
13th: Corbin High School – Tristan Jordan and Christian Warren, both of Corbin, Ky., (five bass, 11-10)
14th: Breckinridge County High School – Cody Cissell and Jeremiah Howard, Breckinridge County, Ky., (five bass, 11-9)
15th: Garrard County High School – Clay Hamilton, Stanford, Ky., and Steven Browning, Lancaster, Ky., (five bass, 11-7)
16th: Russell County High School – Chevy King, Jamestown, Ky., and Alec Coffey, Russell Springs, Ky., (five bass, 11-7)
17th: Corbin High School – Luke Davis and Marcus Keith, both of Corbin, Ky., (four bass, 11-7)
18th: Madisonville North Hopkins High School – Colton Robertson, Madisonville, Ky., and Cooper Jones, Hanson, Ky., (five bass, 11-1)
19th: Danville Christian Academy – Camden Stone and Caleb Hurst, both of Lancaster, Ky., (five bass, 10-15)
The 2017 TBF High School Fishing Kentucky State Championship 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 state of Florida. The top 10 percent of each Challenge, Open, and state championship field will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. 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 high school bass tournament, the 2017 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. At the 2016 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded.
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 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros.
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
By: Joe Opager, Director of Public Relations
