Elusive Quest
Article by Mark Hooker
Photos Courtesy of Debbie Pietsch
Back in
August, the members of the MISD Fishing Team set their Team Goals for the
Season. Much like most High School Teams in other sports, the bar was set high.
However, over the past 10 years, this program has accomplished many of the
goals set, so confidence was high going into the State Championship.
This year
was no different, with the first goal to be accomplished was to defend their
Texas High School Bass Association Houston Divisional Title. The Team was
successful in this effort, although not an easy assignment, as many local High
School Fishing Programs were nipping at our heels, most notably, College
Station.
The second
goal was to earn another Regional Title. The combined squad with Anglers from
both Montgomery and Lake Creek High Schools, which make up the MISD Fishing
Team, came up a little short landing in 2nd place. This was out of
over 90 High Schools from the Houston, Bayou, and Hill Country Divisions, being
beaten by you know who at Regionals, College Station.
Another goal
that the Team set for themselves was to have an Individual Team from MISD win
the TBF version of the State Championship, as well as qualify as many Teams as
possible for the prestigious National Championship to be held later in June on
Grand Lake of the Cherokees. This goal was accomplished in stellar fashion, as
Jacob Riley and Brenner Kirklin won the event. They were followed closely in 2nd
place by Colton Hatzold and Jett Moore. Both Teams have now earned the right to
compete in the TBF/SAF National Championship.
Now, let us spiral
back to the THSBA State Championship, which was held on Lake Conroe this past
weekend. All told, there were over 100 High Schools from around the State
gathered together with two goals in mind. Number one, have an Individual Team
from their High School lay claim to the Individual State Title. Secondly, and
more importantly, the coveted Team or Program Championship comprising of the
cumulative weight of the three best Teams from each High School or Program. Representing
MISD were Six Teams, which we have been affectionately deemed our “Super Six.” They were Waylon Hasara, Chase Benton,
Garrett Springer, Carson Francis, Trevor Mahoney, Morgan Scott, Jace Ehrhardt,
Talen Tegtmeier, Hunter Laskoskie, Josiah Dancer, & Jackson Petty.
Leading the
way for MISD on the first day of competition was Talen Tegtmeier and Jackson
Petty, who had a former THSBA State Champion in Derek Pietsch as their Captain.
The pair were able to catch 6 keepers culling once, to bring in a 5 fish limit
that tipped the scales at 20.90 pounds. The Team indicated that “we caught all
of our keepers on half ounce Texas Rigs, fishing in 12 to 16 feet of water in
and around brush piles.”
Also doing
well for MISD on the first day was the Team of Garrett Springer and Carson
Francis, who brought in a 5 fish limit for 12.75 pounds. Their Captain Matt
Francis indicated that “the guys caught them early on square billed crankbaits
around the bulkheads until 9:00 and then finished out their limit with Green
Pumpkin 6-inch Texas Rigged Senko after that.”
For day one
of the two-day State Championship the third best Team was Hunter Laskowski
weighing in 4 fish for a total weight of 12.47 pounds. His Captain Clint
Laskowski said that “Hunter caught the majority of his fish on a wacky rigged
senko that he would skip underneath docks.”
This brought the weight total for MISD to 46.12 pounds, placing them in
3rd place after the first day of competition.
The second
day of competition did not bode well for your MISD Anglers. Teams that did well
on the first day of competition could not put together a second day catch to
back up their first day. This was compounded by the scenario that the MISD Teams,
who did not fare well on the first day, were able to scramble to catch more on
the second day. So, in other words, MISD did not have the same three Teams have
back-to-back good days, which is what is required to do well in this multi day
tournament. The final total for MISD was 57.28 pounds for the tournament from
the top three Teams, which were Tegtmeier & Petty at 20.90, Laskoskie at
20.89, and Hasara & Benton at 15.49, for an 8th place finish out
of 103 High Schools that had earned the right to be at the State Championship. The tournament was won by Highland Park with
over 99 pounds for their top 3 Teams.
The MISD
Fishing Team has nothing to hang their heads about, as they were able to win
their Tenth Divisional Title in the Program’s History. As noted above, they
were able to claim 2nd Place at the Regional Championship, and
prepared and competed as hard as they could at the State Championship, finishing
in 9th place finish out of over 100 High Schools at the THSBA State
Championship.
One more
goal set back in August still remains to be realized. MISD has two Teams going
to the TBF-SAF National Championship with the singular focus of winning another
National Championship for the program, which would definitely be an “Elusive
Quest.” I would not put it past either
of these two Teams in Jacob Riley and Brenner Kirklin, or Colton Hatzold and
Jett Moore to follow in the footsteps of Fallon Clepper and Wyatt Ford, who
blazed a trail by winning the event in 2022.
Copyright Montgomery County News.. All rights reserved.
If the full content does not display, visit the article originally published on this site