What started as friendly trash talking on land between long-time friends eventually evolved into a two-boat team tournament on Lake Russell in South Carolina.
The two challengers were esteemed professionals in their own right with a reputation for winning on the gridiron, while the challenged anglers are not only Bassmaster Elite Series pros, but also Classic champs to boot.
Retired football coach Lee Sawyer and current Abbeville High School assistant Wayne Botts challenged Davy Hite and Casey Ashley during a South Carolina “North-South” high school football practice.
“South Carolina has an all-star game every year and it’s at Myrtle Beach,” Sawyer said. “Although I’m retired I still go and I get to see people I haven’t seen in a while. Davy and his son were down there, and we all ate at a restaurant together and that’s when the trash talk started.”
“They must have been talking some major trash because I wasn’t involved at first, but I woke up one day to multiple group texts saying they were going to beat us,” Ashley said.
Sawyer and Hite have a long-standing friendship while Botts and Ashley have known each other for basically their whole lives. Sawyer retired from coaching in 2014 after 30 years on the sidelines. He notched a 107-24 record in 10 seasons while head coach at Strom Thurmond High School. He set numerous records during his tenure there. He tallied five state championships, one as a head coach and four as an assistant during his career.
Botts is a current assistant coach at Abbeville High School and just tallied a state championship at the beginning of December. With the 2015 title, Botts has four as an assistant coach so far. These two anglers are just as revered on the water in this area as they possibly are on the gridiron under the Friday night lights.
“Anybody that puts a lot of time on a lake is going to learn it,” Botts said. “I’ve been on this lake since I was knee high to a grasshopper.”
After the dust settled, the football coaches prevailed after a very tough day of fishing with conditions the anglers had never seen on Lake Russell. Botts and Sawyer caught a limit weighing 9.84 pounds while Hite and Ashley could only muster up 8.40 pounds with their five best fish.
“It was lucky, you won’t take down two champs like Davy and Casey often. We took advantage of a real tough lake on a bad day,” Botts said. “Both of those guys are what the sport is about. They know where they came from and can just go fishing with old friends.”
Sawyer and Hite have been friends for over 30 years and since Sawyer’s retirement, he has been known to travel with Hite during some of the Elite Series road trips. Sawyer had his own shot at the Bassmaster Classic in 2014 as he competed in the Bassmaster Team Championship on DeGray Lake, so his desire to compete is noted.
After the record amount of rain that the country has seen over the last few weeks, Russell was a couple feet higher than normal full pool. On top of the rising water, Russell was a muddy mess, something that never happens according to the anglers.
“It was too pretty to be a good fishing day. It sounds weird saying that, but with all the rain and warm temperatures over the last few weeks to have a sunny and 70 degree day was different,” Hite said. “I haven’t seen Russell this muddy and water temperatures in the mid-60’s this late in December in South Carolina.”
Botts has a reputation as one of the better fishermen that fishes Russell regularly, he knows that his father was an important figure in fishing while growing up. Wayne’s father Dennis was also a revered high school football coach in the state. He passed away in 2003, but his connection with Sawyer, Hite, Ashley and his son is certainly noted as a connecting bond.
“Some of my better days as a kid were spent in a boat with my dad. We spent as many weekends on the water as possible,” Botts said. “I remember we used to leave school to go fishing and he would lay down in the truck so no one saw him leaving. I think football and fishing go hand in hand with the camaraderie and strategy involved in both.”
“Not many football coaches bass fish around here, when I was a younger head coach, Wayne’s dad found out I liked fishing and we hit it off. We used to talk fishing more than football,” Sawyer said.
The four anglers enjoyed a friendly competition on the water and after the outcome they expect to make this an annual competition that could expand into a number of things.
“Anytime you get to fish against old friends is fun. Hopefully in the future we can keep doing this and some how help out a charity or something,” Botts said. “There is a lot you can do with a little event like this. It was a good time and I hope we can do it again.”
For the time being, Botts and Sawyer will enjoy their victory and the bragging rights involved. Hite and Ashley are preparing for another season on the Bassmater Elite Series, but a year from now their focus may shift solely to taking back the title between these four lifelong friends and champions.