Louisiana’s Barbe High School wins TBF/FLW High School Fishing Southern Conference Championship on Cypress Lake
SHREVEPORT, La. – The Barbe High School duo of Nick Nocilla and Colby Robinson from Lake Charles, Louisiana, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 10 pounds, 4 ounces, to win the 2016 TBF/FLW High School Fishing Southern Conference Championship tournament on Cypress Lake in Shreveport, Louisiana. The win earned the team the title of Southern Conference champions and advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held next spring at a location yet to be announced in conjunction with the TBF National Championship and a Walmart FLW Tour event.
A field of 38 teams from eight states qualified to compete in this conference championship.
“We used a black and red jig to catch most of our fish around docks and structure,” Nocilla said.
“Once we caught our limit we didn’t catch another keeper the rest of the day,” Robinson added. “We weren’t sure if we had enough to win, but as we watched the other teams weigh-in we thought maybe we had a chance.”
The pair will lead a four team contingent to the High School National Championship next spring.
The top two four on Cypress Lake that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship were:
1st: Barbe High School, Lake Charles, La. – Nick Nocilla and Colby Robinson, (five bass, 10-4)
2nd: Mabank High School, Mabank, Texas – Dakota Pfoh and Justin Shelton, (five bass, 9-11)
3rd: Mount Ida High School, Mount Ida, Ark. – Hunter Bissell and Ty Whisenhunt, (five bass, 9-2)
4th: Benton High School, Benton, Ark. – Ryan Mozisek and Josh Gray, (five bass, 9-0)
Rounding out the top 10 teams were:
5th: Loyola College Prep, Shreveport, La. – Preston Lonadier and Clayton Simmons, (five bass, 8-14)
6th: Bossier High School, Bossier City, La. – Tyler Hilton and Caleb Crawford, (five bass, 8-7)
7th: The Woodlands College Park High School, The Woodlands, Texas – Joe Beebee and Chad Mrazek, (five bass, 8-3)
8th: Lake Hamilton High School, Pearcy, Ark. – Lane Dodd and Bryce Briggs, (five bass, 7-7)
9th: Haughton High School, Haughton, La. – Joshua Dupree and Trent Hunt, (four bass, 7-3)
10th: Wagoner High School, Wagoner, Okla. – Eli Brumnett and Tate Brumnett, (five bass, 7-2)
Complete results and photos from the event can be found at HighSchoolFishing.org.
The 2016 TBF/FLW High School Fishing Southern Conference Championship was a two-person (team) event for students in grades 7-12. The top 10 percent of each conference championship field will advance to the High School Fishing National Championship, coinciding with the TBF National Championship and an FLW Tour stop in the spring of 2017. 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. At the 2016 World Finals more than $60,000 in scholarships and prizes were awarded. Visit HighSchoolFishing.org for details.
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 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 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. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat: @FLWFishing.
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 and “LIKE US” on Facebook.
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