GADSDEN, Ala. (May 23, 2017) – The Gardendale High School duo of Griffin Phillips and Fletcher Phillips, both of Mount Olive, Alabama, brought a five-bass limit to the scale Sunday weighing 10 pounds, 15 ounces, to win the 2017 TBF High School Fishing Alabama State Championship tournament on Lake Neely Henry in Gadsden, Alabama. 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 29 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which launched from the Coosa Landing in Gadsden. In FLW/TBF High School Fishing competition, the top 10-percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The top two teams on Lake Neely Henry that advanced to the 2017 High School Fishing National Championship were:

1st:       Gardendale High School – Griffin Phillips and Fletcher Phillips, both of Mount Olive, Ala., (five bass, 10-15)

2nd:     Sand Rock High School – Colton Cash, Leesburg, Ala., and Levi Cox, Gaylesville, Ala., (five bass, 10-5)

Rounding out the top 10 teams were:

3rd:      Hartselle High School – Jordan Thompson and Tyler Crawford, both of Hartselle, Ala., (five bass, 9-2)

4th:      Springville High School – Chase Parnell and Logan Bryan, both of Springville, Ala., (five bass, 8-15)

5th:      Mortimer Jordan High School – Daniel Meadows, Warrior, Ala., and Aaron Stephens, Kimberly, Ala., (five bass, 8-14)

6th:      Sand Rock High School – Seth Justice and Ethan Clanton, both of Collinsville, Ala., (five bass, 8-11)

7th:      Corner High School – Chandler Sickafoose and Cade Reeder, both of Dora, Ala., (five bass, 8-6)

8th:      Sand Rock High School – Brody Robison, Collinsville, Ala., and Grant Robison, Fort Payne, Ala., (five bass, 8-5)

9th:      Cedar Bluff High School – Colin McCullough, Cedar Bluff, Ala., and Hunter Bailey, Center, Ala., (five bass, 7-8)

10th:    Fort Payne High School – Devin Gilliam and Dalton Pendergrass, both of Fort Payne, Ala., (five bass, 7-3)

Complete results and photos from the event have been posted at HighSchoolFishing.org.

The 2017 TBF High School Fishing Alabama State Championship 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 state of Alabama. 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.