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Jack Alexander and Jake Hollingsworth of Oak Grove (Miss.) High School were among the first of the teams to return to Cypress Bend Park for the weigh-in of the Costa Bassmaster High School Central Open. Ninety-eight teams from 10 different states took part in the event on Toledo Bend, which is considered one of the top fisheries in the U.S. each year.
Photo: Andrew Canulette
Dayten Schureman and Tommy Sendek came all the way from Arizona to compete. They caught three fish that totaled 4-10, and were all smiles upon arriving at the docks.
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Daulton Waldrop and Hayden Jarrett of D'Iberville (Mississippi) High display their one fish that weighed 2-8.
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Dayton Hawkins and Dalton Adams of Sanger (Tex.) caught only one fish, but it was this 5-4 Toledo Bend beauty.
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B.A.S.S. fans Robin Brown and Brenda Anderson had their pictures taken at 5 a.m. on Monday, and weren't thrilled with the outcome. So they got "made up" for the weigh-in and asked for a retake. They approved this photo!
Photo: Andrew Canulette
Hawkins and Adams of Sanger (Tex.) wait backstage to have their fish checked. They are joined by Logan Chaney and Matthew Myers of the David Thibodeaux (La.) Bass Team at the tanks.
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A pair of Sam Houston High School anglers present their bag to be weighed backstage.
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Young anglers attract young fans. Here, a group seeks shade under a pavilion at Cypress Bend Park before the action begins on stage.
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The fans kept their eyes on the stage as they eagerly awaited the anglers.
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The high school anglers begin to make a long line backstage as the weigh-in is set to start.
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But first, the playing of the Star Spangled Banner.
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Evan Ruiz pauses with his hat over his heart for the national anthem.
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Anglers from the North DeSoto (La.) High School team reflect.
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Bryce and Blake Bullock of Oak Grove (Miss.) weighed in first and took the hot seat, despite having only one fish to weigh. Their stay on stage was short-lived, however.
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Dalton Adams of Sanger shows off his big bass to the crowd.
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Logan Chaney and Matthew Myers finished in 19th place with a five-fish limit of 7-14.
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Will Moffett and Kyle McCormick of Franklin Country (Miss.) High finished in a tie for third overall with a five-fish limit weighing 12-9.
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Thomas Wiggins and Cody Harmous of Natchitoches (La.) Central High placed 20th with 7-11.
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Eric Noyes, left, gives the thumbs up in approval of teammate Mason Mitchell's hefty bass. The team from Broken Arrow, Okla. finished 28th overall, and that was the only fish they caught.
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Benton (Ill.) duo Dalius Richardson and Trevor McKinney weighed five fish that totaled 13-13.
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And they quickly assumed the hot seat.
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But they were replaced in a flash by the Oak Grove (Miss.) tandem of Caleb Gatwood and Cayden Soberoski. Though they only weighed three bass, two of them were monsters, and that was enough to put them in the hot seat for the remainder of the day.
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Laura Ann Foshee and Reid Connor of Alabama finished 11th with a 10-2 total.
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Jonathan Suttle and Gavin Deshotels of Sulphur (La.) High placed 14th with 9-0.
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Dillon Wilson and Christopher Capdeboscq of Northlake Christian School in Covington (La.) placed 18th with a 8-0 total.
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Stephen Whitlow and Jared Young of Sarasota (Fla.) High display two nice fish from their 11-14 total. That was good enough for eighth place.
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Ben Abraham fished by himself in the Central Open and finished fifth overall. The Alexandria (La.) High angler boated four fish weighing 12-2.
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Colby Miller and Wesley Holt of Oak Hill (La.) placed ninth with five fish going 10-13.
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Kyle Everett and Dustin Wellman of DeRidder (La.) High placed 10th with a 10-11 total.
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Meanwhile, Soberoski and Gatwood remain in the hot seat, and wonder if anyone will replace them atop the leaderboard.
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Kole Greer and Kyler Radford are part of the North DeSoto team which is just up the road from Cypress Bend Park. They looked good on their home waters, and placed seventh with a four-fish total of 11-14.
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Landen McCary and Hunter Muncrief of West Sabine (Tex.) High were the other team to tie for third place overall with a five fish total of 12-9.
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B.A.S.S. official and tournament director Hank Weldon chats with Micah Bryant and Christopher Keeble of Lenior City (Tenn.) High School. That team finished 13th overall.
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Ethan Smart and Grant Bourque of the Ascension (La.) Anglers show the haul that earned them sixth place overall. Bourque caught the big bass of the tournament -- the 6-pound, 15-ounce giant at far right. The team caught 12-2 total.
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Charles Lee "Trey" Proctor and Noah Sowell placed 12th overall, and sneaked into the national championship tournament with their 9-14 haul.
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With only one team remaining to weigh in, Soberoski and Gatwood try to get a good look at what their final competitors have in the bag being brought on stage.
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Hank Weldon "stirs the pot" a bit, asking the Mississippi boys if they think they have enough to win the tournament.
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Soberoski looks to Gatwood...Do they have enough?
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Indeed, they do. Cayden Soberoski, left, and Caleb Gatwood won the Costa Bassmaster High School Central Open on Toledo Bend. Their 14-4 total on only three bass, was not only unique, but it qualified them for the national championships on Kentucky Lake in August.
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Soberoski tells Hank Weldon and the crowd about the team's day on Toledo Bend.
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When asked who they would like to thank for their support, Gatwood motions to the crowd and asks his dad (and team coach) Mark Gatwood to come on stage.
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So, the elder Gatwood did, and as the team coach, he too was awarded a championship trophy. The trio is looking forward to representing their home state of Mississippi in the national event in August.
Photo: Andrew Canulette
