GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. (April 29, 2024) – The MLF High School Fishing team of Connor Bower of Aurora, Ohio, and Hoyt Nicely of North Canton, Ohio, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 20 pounds, 7 ounces to win the MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse Open at Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama.

A field of 70 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which was hosted by Marshall County Tourism and Sports. In MLF High School Fishing competition, the top 10 percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The top seven teams that advanced to the 2024 High School Fishing National Championship are:

1st:        Prime Time Anglers, Cleveland, Ohio, Connor Bower and Hoyt Nicely, five bass, 20-7
2nd:       New Athens Anglers, Athens, Ala. – Sadler Harrison and Carter Reed, five bass, 19-4
3rd:       Guntersville High School Bass Club, Guntersville, Ala. – Oliver Skidmore and Hudson Skidmore. five bass, 19-2
4th:        Cartersville High School, Cartersville, Ga. – Cooper Moon and Haden West, four bass, 18-6
5th:        Gloria Deo Academy, Springfield, Mo. – Caden Ball and William Kuzemka, five bass, 18-0
6th:        Spain Park High School, Hoover, Ala. – Luke Abston and Sam Dunn, five bass, 17-15
7th:        Jackson Bass Fishing, Jackson, Mich. – Rylan Hamlin and Jack Swihart, five bass, 17-2

Rounding out the top 10 teams were:

8th:        Smoky Mountain Anglers, Tenn. – Caleb Click and Carson Holbert, five bass, 16-13
9th:        Albert P. Brewer High School, Somerville, Ala. – Murphy Childers and Ryder Colee, five bass, 16-11
10th:     Marion High School, Marion, Ill. – Carson Bruner and Camden Bruner, five bass, 16-8

Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.

MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing presented by Tackle Warehouse tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and TBF Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams at each Open event, along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships, advance to the High School Fishing National Championship. Tournaments held on or before May 6, 2024, advance teams to the 2024 National Championship. Tournaments held after May 6, 2024, advance teams to the 2025 National Championship.

The 2024 Abu Garcia High School Fishing National Championship & World Finals events will take place June 19-22, at Lake Hartwell in Anderson, South Carolina. The High School Fishing National Champions each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice and advance to the 2024 MLF Toyota Series Championship to compete as co-anglers.

Proud sponsors of the 2024 MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse include: 7Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, E3, Epic Baits, General Tire, GSM Outdoors, Lew’s, Mercury, Mossy Oak, Onyx, Phoenix, Polaris, Power-Pole, REDCON1, Strike King, Suzuki, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, WIX Filters and YETI.

For complete details and updated tournament information, visit MajorLeagueFishing.com. For regular High School Fishing updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow MLF5’s social media outlets at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

About Major League Fishing
Major League Fishing (MLF) is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, producing more than 250 events annually at some of the most prestigious fisheries in the world, while broadcasting to America’s living rooms on CBS, Discovery Channel, Outdoor Channel, CBS Sports Network, World Fishing Network and on demand on MyOutdoorTV (MOTV). Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, the MLF roster of bass anglers includes the world’s top pros and more than 30,000 competitors in all 50 states and 13 countries. Since its founding in 2011, MLF has advanced the sport of competitive fishing through its premier television broadcasts and livestreams and is dedicated to improving the quality of life for bass through research, education, fisheries enhancement and fish care.