SALISBURY, N.C. (May 1, 2017) – The East Rowan High School duo of Hunter Harwood of Gold Hill, North Carolina, and Paiton File of Salisbury, North Carolina, brought three bass to the scale Saturday weighing 13 pounds even to win the 2017 FLW High School Fishing North Carolina Open tournament on High Rock Lake. 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 muddy water in coves with a spinnerbait.

A field of 18 teams competed in the tough, no-entry fee, tournament which launched from Tamarac Marina and Campground in Salisbury. Nine of the 18 teams competing managed to bring a keeper bass to the scale. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The top team on High Rock Lake that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship was:

1st:       East Rowan High School, Salisbury, N.C. – Hunter Harwood, Gold Hill, N.C., and Paiton File, Salisbury, N.C., (three bass, 13-0)

The other teams that brought fish to the scale were:

2nd:     East Rowan High School, Salisbury, N.C. – Colton Carico and Lucas Hedrick, both of Salisbury, N.C., (three bass, 12-2)

3rd:      Bandys High School, Catawba, N.C. – Jacob Smith, Newton, N.C., and Logan Anderson, Catawba, N.C., (three bass, 7-3)

4th:      West Rowan High School, Mount Ulla, N.C. – Lane Adkins, Cleveland, N.C., and Zeb Burns, Salisbury, N.C., (two bass, 6-11)

5th:      Gilmer High School, Ellijay, Ga. – Isaac Colwell and Grant Ledford, both of Ellijay, Ga., (two bass, 5-13)

6th:      West Rowan High School, Mount Ulla, N.C. – Austin Wike, China Grove, N.C., and Alex Williams, Cleveland, N.C., (two bass, 5-8)

7th:      Sheets Memorial Christian School, Lexington, N.C. – Trevor Benfield, Archdale, N.C., and Austin Martinez, Lexington, N.C., (three bass, 5-2)

8th:      East Rowan High School, Salisbury, N.C. – Teddy Drew, Gold Hill, N.C., and Cole Mabry, Richfield, N.C., (one bass, 3-13)

9th:      Bunker Hill High School, Claremont, N.C. – Dylan Lamm and Garrett Poovey, both of Claremont, N.C., (one bass, 2-2)

Complete results from the event and photos of the top five teams can be found at FLWFishing.com.

The 2017 FLW High School Fishing North Carolina 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.