Okeechobee High School Wins U.S. Army High School Fishing Open at Harris Chain of Lakes
Category: article
Feb 16th, 2021 by Keith Worrall
Modified Feb 16th, 2021 at 10:49 AM
EESBURG, Fla. (Feb. 15, 2021) – The Okeechobee High School duo of Tyler Scott and Zack Zainitzer, both of Palm City, Florida, won the U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing Open at the Harris Chain of Lakes on Saturday in Leesburg, Florida. The event was hosted by Visit Lake County, Florida and the victory advanced the winning team to the 2021 U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing National Championship.
TOP 10 RESULTS
RANK SCHOOL/CLUB NAME/CITY ANGLER NAME BASS WEIGHT
1st Okeechobee High School* Tyler Scott Zack Zainitzer 5 23-3
2nd Southern Boone High School Isaac Jacober Nathan Vandelicht 5 19-5
3rd Marion County Bass Masters Claude Loftin Tyson Verkaik 5 17-8
4th Oneida Lake Bassmasters Club Christian Misciagna Owen Niles 3 17-2
5th Harmony High School Grant Jackson Grady Johnson 5 17-1
6th Umatilla High School Hayden Mooney Owen Vanzant 5 15-1
7th Hidden Lake Big Bass Club Dalton Defelice Elijah Meyers 5 15-0
8th Central Florida Youth Anglers Bryce Balentine Carson Russell 5 14-8
9th Mulberry Bassmasters Club Andrew Ready Garrett Thomas 5 13-11
10th Detroit Lakes High School
Anthony Bender Noah Besser 5 13-3
*National Championship Qualifier. The top 10% of teams advance to the 2021 U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing National Championship
Complete results from the event can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
2021 UPCOMING QUALIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES
EVENT, DATE, LOCATION, HOST
U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing Table Rock Lake Open Mar. 27 Branson, Mo. Explore Branson
2021 U.S. Army High School Fishing National Championship & World Finals Jun. 30 – Jul. 3 Lake Hartwell, Anderson, S.C. Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau
The first 25 high school teams that enter each U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing tournament will receive a free Favorite Fishing package, including one Favorite Fishing casting rod and reel, one Favorite Fishing spinning rod and reel, six packs of Googan Baits and two Favorite Fishing hats, a total package value of $230. Most tournaments will also be hosted by a Bass Pro Tour angler or Tackle Warehouse Pro Circuit angler, giving high school students the chance to meet the sport’s top pros. As an added bonus, the winning team at each tournament will receive a guided fishing trip with their pro angler host.
U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing tournaments are free, two-person (team) events for students in grades 7-12 and are open to any MLF and Student Angler Federation-affiliated high school club. The top 10 percent of teams at each Open event along with the TBF High School Fishing state championships will advance to the 2021 U.S. Army High School Fishing presented by Favorite Fishing National Championship. The U.S. Army High School Fishing national champions will each receive a $5,000 college scholarship to the school of their choice.
In addition to the U.S. Army High School Fishing National Championship, all High School Fishing anglers nationwide automatically qualify for the world’s largest open high school bass tournament, the 2021 High School Fishing World Finals, held in conjunction with the National Championship. More than $2.8 million in scholarships and prizes were offered at the 2020 World Finals.
Full schedules and the latest announcements, photos and articles are available at HighSchoolFishing.org and MajorLeagueFishing.com.
About MLF BIG5
MLF BIG5 is part of MLF, the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization. It provides anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money across five tournament circuits featuring a five-biggest-fish format. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with offices in Benton, Kentucky, MLF and its partners conduct more than 290 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Namibia, Portugal, South Africa, Spain and Zimbabwe.
MLF tournaments are broadcast on Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, MyOutdoorTV, Discovery and CBS Sports while MLF Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros to the world’s most avid bass anglers.