JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 26, 2026) – The High School Fishing team of John and Jacob Hicks, representing SML Anglers of Bedford, Virginia, brought four bass to the scale Saturday weighing 12 pounds, 4 ounces to win the MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse Open on Cherokee Lake presented by Columbia PFG in Jefferson City, Tennessee.

The no-entry fee tournament was hosted by Visit Jefferson County TN. In MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing competition, the top 10% of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.

The top two teams that now advance to the 2027 High School Fishing National Championship are:

1st:         SML Anglers, Bedford, Va. – John and Jacob Hicks, four bass, 12-4
2nd:       Hamblen County Anglers, Hamblen County, Tenn. – Elijah Caudill and Dawson Shultz, five bass, 12-2

Rounding out the Top 10 teams were:

3rd:        Premiere Anglers, Knoxville, Tennessee – Crews McFerrin and T.J. Murray, five bass, 11-13
4th:         Campbell County High School, Jacksboro, Tenn. – Cooper McQuitty and Jack Sexton, four bass, 9-15
5th:         Karns High School, Knoxville, Tenn. – Brody Bible and Sawyer Mynatt, five bass, 8-12
6th:         Central High School, Carrollton, Ga. – Hunter Dickinson and Case Payton, four bass, 8-10
7th:         Campbell County High School, Jacksboro, Tenn. – Anthony Malone and Ayden Malone, three bass, 7-13
8th:         Keowee Outdoors, Seneca, S.C. – Anderson Mesplay and Weston Rigsby, three bass, 7-4
9th:         Sterlington High School, Monroe, La. – Harry Powell and Layne Smalley, three bass, 5-11
10th:      Eagleton College and Career Academy, Maryville, Tenn. – Levi Compton and Oliver Williams, two bass, 4-14

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% 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 after May 2, 2026, advance teams to the 2027 National Championship.

Proud sponsors of the 2026 MLF Abu Garcia High School Fishing Presented by Tackle Warehouse include: 7 Brew, Abu Garcia, B&W Trailer Hitches, Berkley, BUBBA, Columbia PFG, Epic Baits, Mercury, MillerTech, OFF! Deep Woods, Onyx, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Phoenix Boats, PiranhO2, Power-Pole, Precision Sonar, Suzuki Marine, Tackle Warehouse, T-H Marine, Toyota, VOSKER 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, Outdoor Channel, VICE, World Fishing Network, RFD-TV, Game & Fish TV and Rumble, 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 20 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.