It was an exciting weekend for Elmore County’s fishing teams as Elmore County High School placed third in the large-school division and Holtville captured fourth in small schools at the Alabama Student Angler Bass Fishing Association state championships.
The teams had to overcome rough weather on Saturday that ultimately shortened the tournament, but the Elmore County teams shined through.
For ECHS, the Panthers were sitting in just fifth place heading into the state championships but had their second-best showing of the year on Lake Martin this weekend to move into third.
The top boat for Elmore County just snuck into the top 10 as Sam King and Keith Roberts finished ninth overall in the individual standings, which are not separated into divisions. King and Roberts’ big fish weighed a staggering 4.12 pounds but still managed to be only the second biggest catch in the tournament. The duo totaled 12.40 pounds on Martin.
Elmore County also got a strong finish from Eli McGhee and Abe McGhee, who placed 15th overall with 11.90 pounds.
Like ECHS, Holtville also had its second-most points of the year scored on Lake Martin. The Bulldogs didn’t put any in the top 10 but had consistent finishes across the board.
Carson Taunton and Dylan Patrick were the best anglers for Holtville on Friday and Saturday, capturing 29th place with a total of 11.25 pounds. Thomas Blakeney and Jake Thomas were just three places behind with 11.18 pounds of fish.
Wetumpka struggled in the team standings, taking 11th place overall in the large-school division. But the Indians had two really strong boats as Matthew Park and Vladimir Weaver had the third biggest fish of the tournament, weighing in at 3.74 pounds. The two totaled 11.89 pounds, good enough for 16th place overall. Finishing as the top Wetumpka boat were Adison Turner and Tensley Stever, who took 14th place.
