PROSPERITY, S.C. (March 6, 2017) – The Chapin High School duo of Berkley Bouknight and Jacob Wright, both of Chapin, South Carolina, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Saturday weighing 16 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the 2017 FLW High School Fishing South Carolina Open tournament on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina. The win advanced the team to the 2017 High School Fishing National championship, held June 27-July 1 at Pickwick Lake in Florence, Alabama.

A field of 58 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from Dreher Island State Park in Prosperity. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The top five teams on Lake Murray that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship were:

1st:        Chapin High School – Berkley Bouknight and Jacob Wright, both of Chapin, S.C., (five bass, 16-14)

2nd:      Woodruff High School – Justin Green and Caleb Ownby, both of Woodruff, S.C., (five bass, 15-6)

3rd:       Abbeville High School– Drake Boyd and Chandler Ellis, both of Abbeville, S.C., (five bass, 14-7)

4th:       Palmetto High School – Cameron Bailey and Ethan Thrasher, both of Williamston, S.C., (five bass, 13-6)

5th:       Woodruff High School – Cole Gore, Enoree, S.C., and Clayton Caldwell, Woodruff, S.C., (five bass, 13-4)

Rounding out the top 10 teams were:

6th:       Easley High School – Hunter Keel and Justin Raines, both of Easley, S.C., (five bass, 13-0)

7th:       Middle Georgia Fishing Club – Chase Garrison and Ben Kennedy, both of Macon, Ga., (five bass, 12-15)

8th:       Union High School – Dray Davis and Brandon Lawson, both of Union, S.C., (five bass, 11-7)

9th:       Palmetto High School – Evan Reeves, Pelzer, S.C., and Max Ford, Belton, S.C., (five bass, 10-14)

10th:     Fort Mill High School/Owen High School – Will Dewey, Fort Mill, S.C., and Hunter White, Black Mountain, N.C., (five bass, 10-12)

Complete results from the event can be found at HighSchoolFishing.org.

The 2017 FLW High School Fishing South 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.

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 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 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.

 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.