Gardendale duo hooks state championship on Lake Neely Henry

Published 3:17 pm Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Griffin and Fletcher Phillips reeled in a catch of 10 pounds, 15 ounces at the 2017 TBF High School Fishing Alabama State Championship tournament on May 21. That weight put the Gardendale High School fishing team atop the state championship leaderboard, qualifying the Rockets for the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick Lake in Florence.

Griffin and Fletcher, both of Mount Olive, weren’t the only locals to post big numbers in Gadsden. From Mortimer Jordan, Daniel Meadows and Aaron Stephens came back with eight pounds and 14 ounces of bass for a fifth-place finish on Lake Neely Henry.

Chandler Sickafoose and Cade Reeder of Corner High School placed seventh out of 29 boats. The pair brought back five bass, weighing eight pounds and six ounces.

2017 TBF High School Fishing Alabama State Championship top-10

1. Gardendale High School – Griffin Phillips and Fletcher Phillips (five bass, 10-15)

2. Sand Rock High School – Colton Cash and Levi Cox (five bass, 10-5)

3. Hartselle High School – Jordan Thompson and Tyler Crawford (five bass, 9-2)

4. Springville High School – Chase Parnell and Logan Bryan (five bass, 8-15)

5. Mortimer Jordan High School – Daniel Meadows and Aaron Stephens (five bass, 8-14)

6. Sand Rock High School – Seth Justice and Ethan Clanton (five bass, 8-11)

7. Corner High School – Chandler Sickafoose and Cade Reeder (five bass, 8-6)

8. Sand Rock High School – Brody Robison and Grant Robison (five bass, 8-5)

9. Cedar Bluff High School – Colin McCullough and Hunter Bailey (five bass, 7-8)

10. Fort Payne High School – Devin Gilliam and Dalton Pendergrass (five bass, 7-3)

The 2017 TBF High School Fishing Alabama 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 Alabama. 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.

Of the 29 teams in Gadsden, only Gardendale and Sand Rock advance to nationals.

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.