The Stevens Point Area High School duo of Trey Zagrzebski and Cole Zagrzebski, both of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 6 ounces to win the 2017 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Wisconsin Open tournament on the Mississippi River. The win advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.
According to post-tournament reports, the duo caught their fish targeting grassy flats near Stoddard with a silver and white-colored spinnerbait.
A field of 35 teams competed in the no-entry fee, tournament which launched from the West Copeland & Clinton Ramp in La Crosse. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
The top three teams on the Mississippi River that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship was:
1st: Stevens Point Area High School, Stevens Point, Wis. – Trey Zagrzebski and Cole Zagrzebski, both of Stevens Point, Wis., (five bass, 14-6)
2nd: Burlington Catholic Central High School, Burlington, Wis. – William Buhler, Racine, Wis., and Bailey Bleser, Burlington, Wis., (five bass, 13-11)
3rd: West Salem High School, West Salem, Wis. – Eli Elsen, Bangor, Wis., and Mitchell Hammes, West Salem, Wis., (five bass, 13-9)
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
4th: Waupaca Junior Bass Busters – Tyler Cory, Amherst, Wis., and Casey Hoffman, New London, Wis., (five bass, 13-1)
5th: Stevens Point Area High School, Stevens Point, Wis. – Wyatt Szymanski and Jay Przekurat, both of Stevens Point, Wis., (five bass, 13-0)
6th: Elk Mound High School, Elk Mound, Wis. – Gaelen Young and Cole Steinhorst, both of Elk Mound, Wis., (five bass, 12-15)
7th: Waunakee High School, Waunakee, Wis. – Nathan Lorenz and Colin Steck, both of Waunakee, Wis., (five bass, 12-14)
8th: Stevens Point Area High School, Stevens Point, Wis. – Alec Borchardt and Grant Roth, both of Stevens Point, Wis., (five bass, 10-11)
9th: Brookfield Central High School, Brookfield, Wis. – Alexander Stephens, Brookfield, Wis., and Hunter Heffron, New Berlin, Wis., (five bass, 10-4)
10th: Eagan High School, Eagan, Minn. – Brian Linder and Nathan Thompson, both of Eagan, Minn., (five bass, 9-2)
The 2017 Bass Pro Shops FLW High School Fishing Wisconsin 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 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.
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 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.
By: Joe Opager, Director of Public Relations
