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| Anglers have big year, but miss state event |
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5/12/2017
By Dan Manley
Advocate Sports Editor
Sometime things are better than they seem.
Back in 2015 the Montgomery County High School bass fishing team, in its first year of competition, qualified three teams (six individuals) for the Kentucky State High School Bass Fishing Championships at Kentucky Lake.
All six of those young men returned this year, four of them as seniors.
The competition during the pre-tournament events was high with a number of individuals from the almost 40-member team having their memorable moments.
Then came the regional tournament at Cave Run Lake on April 22. A cold front swept through the area late that Friday night and the conditions on the lake for Saturday’s event were brutal.
Six boats were on the lake for the Indians and they all caught fish but not anything like what they had been hauling in during the practice events.
So the Tribe was shut out of the state event this year as 78 boats from 17 schools competed in Region IV and the top 16 boats qualified.
The Indians finished 19th, 20th, 22nd, 43rd, 50th and 60th in the field as they wrapped up both a highly successful and yet disappointing season under Coach John Vice.
“We really had a great year,” Vice said. “It just didn’t end the way we had expected.”
Vice said the program received tremendous support from parents and families of the anglers.
“We can’t thank the people in the community enough for sponsoring the team and allowing us to run a first class program,” Vice said.
Vice said that it was evident from the success his team had during the regional qualifying events and the first Clark County Tournament, where junior Trevor Hill and eighth grader Pruitt Lansdale came away the winners that the team was honing their skills in the sport.
But there’s a little bit of luck involved in the sport of fishing and on a day when the lake was really crowded with other activities the Indians just didn’t have their usual day.
For instance, just the week before the regional in the final MCHS qualifying tournament at Cave Run, the team of senior Logan Watkins and freshman Kyle Workman brought in more than nine and a half pounds of fish, which would have easily placed them in the state competition.
Even on the day of the region the Indians had three boats that were within three, five and twelve ounces of qualifying for the state event.
Here are the regional results:
19th place—eighth-graders Harrison Gay and Alex NeSmith with 6 pounds 2 ounces
20th place—senior Brian Jones, eighth-grader Kruz Jones and senior Tristan Powell with 6 pounds.
22nd place—Senior Dalton Crowe and junior Travis Henderson with 5 pounds. 9 ounches.
43rd place—senior Quentin McGuire and sophomore Brady McGuire with 2 pounds 12 ounches.
50th place—senior Logan Watkins and freshman Kyle Workman with 2 pounds 2 ounces.
60th place—junior Trevor Hiler and eighth-grader Pruitt Lansdale with 1 pound 2 ounces.
This year’s squad included:
Seniors—Dalton Crowe, Brian Jones, Trevor Martin, Quentin McGuire, Tyler McGuire and Tristan Powell.
Junior—Jeremiah Barber, Keagan Carpenter, Travis Henderson, Trevor Hiler, Justin Jude and Bradeon Toy.
Sophomores — Mason Harris and Brady McGuire.
Freshmen—Tyler Hamm, Riley Lawson, Mackenzie Tabor and Kyle Workman.
Eighth graders—Jared Boston, Andrew Doyle, Bobby Doyle, Harrison Gay, Jacob Highley, Kruz Jones, Pruitt Lansdale, Chandler Reynolds and Abby Wells.
Seventh graders—Hunter Cotter, Jaxson Damron, Isaac Jenkins, Davis Johnson, Chandler McCoy, Meier Patrick, Morgan Powell and Jordan Wagers.
John Vice served as the team’s head coach with assitance from Christopher Cobb and Keri Vice
See next week’s Advocate for additional information and photos.
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