CPHS hosts first annual Sandite Bass Classic
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Noah Daczewitz (left) and Hunter Hilger (right) won 1st place as a team.
By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
Charles Page High School hosted its first fishing contest Thursday evening, drawing seventeen teams of two, and two solo participants. The event was a kind of launching pad for the new Sand Springs High School Bass Club which was started this school year.
John Miller (left) and Caden Pennington (right) comprise Team Two. \\SUBMITTED
Noah Daczewitz (15) and Hunter Hilger (14) formed the first team at CPHS and have since been joined by two others. John Miller plus Caden Pennington make up Team Two and Braden Millican and Ty Steelman comprise Team Three.
The teams compete on the Oklahoma Bass Nation High School Trail, which consists of five tournaments. Teams are awarded points based on their finish in each tournament, and the top team will advance to the 2016 Bass Nation High School National Championship this summer.
While the club is officially recognized by the school, it does not receive funding and relies on sponsorship from local businesses like Keystone Chevrolet and Woody's Bait and Tackle.
The first official OBN event was held at Lake Eufala last October. Team One managed just one catch, weighing in at 3.77 pounds and placed 15th.
Ty Steelman (left) and Braden Millican (right) comprise CPHS Bass Team Three. \\SUBMITTED
Earlier this month Teams One and Two placed 12th and 15th respectively at Lake Murray on April 3rd, and immediately followed it up with a tournament at Lake Texoma on April 4th. Team One was hung up with mechanical difficulties, but Team Two performed excellently with a fourth place finish.
Both teams at the Lake Murray Tournament caught the five fish limit, with Team One weighing in at 11.91 pounds, with the largest fish weighing 2.82. Team Two weighed in at 9.47 with the largest weighing 2.51.
At Lake Texoma Team One only managed one catch, weighing 2.15 pounds, before they were forced out of the competition in 28th place. Miller and Pennington soared to fourth with five fish totaling 10.88 pounds, the largest being 2.74.
The latest standing were released earlier this month and Team One sits at 13th with 248 points, with Team Two coming in at 22nd with 183 points.
Brock Youngblood tied with Daczewitz for biggest bass at 20.5 inches. \\SUBMITTED
All three teams were supposed to participate in an event on Grand Lake but it was called off due to hazardous wind conditions. The next tournament will be at Ft. Gibson from May 14-15 and it will be Team Three's first official appearance.
There's no limit to the number of teams a school can have. All teams consist of two student anglers and one adult captain, and boats must meet strict safety regulations outlined by the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society.
The Sandite Bass Classic had a two fish limit and was judged by length, not weight. Daczewitz and Hilger took first place at 40.25 inches, followed by Brock Youngblood and Riley Rutledge at 36.5."
Youngblood and Daczewitz tied in the Big Bass competition at 20.5 inches. Overall there were 36 contestants in the competition. Assistant Principle Rod Sitton did the presenting of the awards. Also on hand were Principle Stan Trout and Mayor Mike Burdge. Photos from the weigh-in ceremony are available at https://sanditepride.smugmug.com/1st-Annual-Sandite-Bass/
