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Kansan Scott Hammel
places 33rd, helps Central Divison win divisional race
Virginia's Jeff Freeman Wins BASS Federation
Nation Championship and Heads Up Group of Six Amateurs Going
to Bassmaster Classic
Nov. 11, 2007 - KISSIMMEE, Fla. Jeff
Freeman, a deputy sheriff from Max Meadows, Va., locked up the
BASS Federation Nation Championship Saturday with a three-day
total of 27 pounds, 11 ounces, outlasting a field of 55 amateurs
and earning a coveted berth in the 2008 Bassmaster Classic, Feb.
22-24 on Lake Hartwell out of Greenville, S.C.
"It's nice to see a cop finally win,"
Freeman, 35, said. "I'm so fired up right now, it's hard
to put into words. I love the competition and to be able to go
to the Classic is the pinnacle of the sport."
Freeman not only punched his ticket to the Classic
through the Mid-Atlantic Division, he won a Triton boat package
valued at $50,000 and an invitation to the Bassmaster Elite Series.
He wasn't the only law enforcement officer to secure a Classic
berth: Mike Baskett, a police officer from Salem, Ore., bested
the Western Division with 20 pounds, 12 ounces, earning one of
six Classic berths awarded.
The other four division winners and Classic qualifiers
were Jamie Laiche of Gonzales, La., with 24 pounds, 10 ounces
(Central); Chris Loftus of Bloomfield, N.Y., with 23 pounds,
8 ounces (Eastern); South Africa's Richard Watson with 17 pounds,
3 ounces (Southern); and Brent Haimes of Mazeppa, Minn., with
19 pounds, 1 ounce (Northern).
Fishing near the first lock from the launch area
on expansive Lake Tohopekaliga, Freeman drop-shotted a Roboworm
into precise spots. He rotated through the area, allowing each
to replenish while hitting the others.
He said he found his winning spot by accident:
While he was waiting to lock through during the official practice
period, he had some time to kill, so he started fishing the area.
He caught a few bass and decided to leave the area alone until
competition time. He said 13 of his 15 weighed-in fish were plucked
from the honey hole.
The BASS win was Freeman's second. His first was
in June as a co-angler at a Bassmaster Elite Series event on
Smith Mountain Lake in Moneta, Va., where he once used his police
privileges to put a scare into Elite pro Kelly Jordon.
"I pulled over Kelly in Virginia a few years
ago," Freeman said. "He asked what he did wrong. I
told him he did nothing wrong. I just wanted an autograph."
Freeman, a longtime fan of professional bass fishing,
is excited he will be able to view himself when coverage airs
of the premier amateur championship on The Bassmasters on ESPN2
Saturday, Feb. 16, at 9 a.m. ET.
Finishing behind Freeman in the overall competition
was Laiche. It was a banner year for the 31-year-old pro in Federation
Nation competition. He was a member of the winning six-angler
team in the BASS Club World Championship in October, earning
a Triton boat package valued at $50,000.
Despite missing out on the victory and a boat in
Kissimmee, Laiche effectively fished a Lucky Craft crankbait,
catching a 4-6 brute with 10 minutes left to go in his final
competition day.
"Everyone who fishes for bass competitively
dreams of going to the Bassmaster Classic," said Laiche.
"Now I'm going. It's just unbelievable."
Before the Federation Nation champs were crowned,
the Bassmaster CastingKids Semifinals were staged in Kissimmee.
Six anglers from two age divisions moved on to the CastingKids
Finals, which will take place in February at the Bassmaster Classic
in Greenville, S.C.
Competitors in the CastingKids program focus on
three basic casting techniques: pitching, flipping and casting
a hookless lure at a bull's-eye target. Scoring is based on a
points system and anglers compete against others in each age
group.
In the 7 to 10 age group, the finalists were Conner
Choate of Swisher, Iowa, with 130 points; Christopher Guest of
Shelby, N.C., with 140 points; Sierra Voisin of Teeswater, Ontario,
Canada, with 150 points; Austin Scrivani of Layton, N.J., with
130 points; Jacob Lescenski of Las Vegas, Nev., with 130 points;
and Isaiah "Zay" Ridgle of Brownsboro, Texas, with
130 points.
In the 11 to 14 age group, the finalists were Payton
Monson of Parkston, S.D., with 140 points; Jared Raymer of Brandenburg,
Ky., with 140 points; Shauni Voisin of Teeswater, Ontario, Canada,
with 130 points; Austin Neary of Crofton, Md., with 140 points;
Jacob Wall of Jacksonville, Ore., with 130 points; and Shea Baumgartner
of North Platte, Neb., with 140 points.
Federation Nation Sponsors: Toyota Tundra, Purolator,
Triton, Mercury, Berkley, Motorguide, Lowrance, Advance Auto
Parts, Evan Williams Bourbon, Longhorn, Ramada Worldwide, and
Mustang.
What was at stake: A $50,000 Triton/Mercury boat
package to the winner and a chance to earn one of six qualifying
spots into bass fishing's premier event, the 2008 Bassmaster
Classic, and a shot at the $500,000 Classic grand prize. Additionally,
the winner of the Federation Nation Championship earned a berth
in the Bassmaster Elite Series. The Classic spots were awarded
to the top performer in each of six geographic divisions. A list
of anglers competing in the event, the states they represented
and which divisions they competed in can be found below.
Multi-Media Coverage: ESPN2 will air coverage
from Lake Toho on Saturday, Feb. 16, at 9 a.m. ET. Streaming
video coverage of the daily weigh-ins were available at www.ESPNoutdoors.com.
The site also updated fans with real-time leaderboards.
2008 BASS Federation Nation Championship Standings
2007-2008 FEDERATION NATION CHAMPIONSHIP 11/8-11/10
Lake Tohopekaliga, KISSIMMEE FL.
(BOATER) Standings Day 3
Angler Hometown
No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Jeff Freeman Max Meadows, VA
15 27-11 0
2. Jamie Laiche Gonzales, LA
15 24-10 0
3. Chris Loftus Bloomfield, NY
15 23-08 0
4. Darin Doll York, PA
15 23-01 0
5. Mike Baskett Salem, OR
14 20-12 0
6. Sheron Brown Shirley, MA
11 19-04 0
7. Brent Haimes Mazeppa, MN
12 19-01 0
8. Shane Long Sarcoxie, MO
8 18-12 0
9. Doug Thompson Mabelvale, AR
14 17-10 0
10. Richard Watson Plattekloof SOUTH AFRIC
14 17-03 0
11. Leslie Kennedy Fort Worth, TX
9 16-13 0
12. Pat Klausen Lincoln, NE
13 16-10 0
13. Justin Rowse O'Neill, NE
12 15-12 0
13. Mark Pierce Clarksville, TN
11 15-12 0
15. Michael Prindle Tallahassee, FL
9 14-13 0
16. Nobel Willits Altamonte Springs, FL
12 14-10 0
17. Brent Shores Boise, ID
9 13-05 0
18. Mike Keel Auburn, AL
11 12-11 0
19. Steve Smith Johnstown, OH
6 12-07 0
20. David McKinney Cullooen, WV
8 12-05 0
21. Kurt Walters Grand Junction, CO
5 11-00 0
22. Sidney Reeves Ogden, UT
9 10-13 0
22. Nicola Panareo Portogrvaro ITALY
9 10-13 0
24. Moosa Ismail Harare ZIMBABWE
5 10-01 0
25. John Mace Kennewick, WA
7 09-04 0
26. Ron Fabiszak S Bend, IN
7 09-01 0
27. James Sullivan Strunberry Point, IA
7 09-00 0
27. Lee Sanders Stillwater, OK
7 09-00 0
29. Mike Wolfenden Warwick, RI
6 08-11 0
30. Royce Dennington Barnsdall, OK
5 07-14 0
31. Patrick Tierney Denver, NC
6 07-00 0
32. Jesse Milicevic Henderson, NV
6 06-15 0
33. Scott Hamel Stockton, KS
5 06-14 0
34. Katsunori Mitsuhashi Atsugishi Kanagawaken
J 5 06-08 0
35. Don Fowler Cadillac, MI
6 06-06 0
36. Larry Triplett Parker, CO
6 06-05 0
37. Shelton Walters Felton, DE
5 06-00 0
38. Fred O'Quinn Lugoff, SC
5 05-14 0
39. Eric Woodward Hammonton, NJ
5 05-11 0
40. Jeff Guerrette Glendale, AZ
2 05-09 0
41. Jason Stangel Two Rivers, WI
4 05-02 0
42. Franco Vallejos Albuquerque, NM
4 04-11 0
43. Mark Torrez Camarillo, CA
2 04-10 0
44. Kyle Christopher Irvine, KY
4 04-08 0
44. Carl Alexander Clarendon, VT
3 04-08 0
46. Ben Schilling Post Falls, ID
4 04-07 0
47. Dale Simmons N Waterboro, ME
4 04-06 0
48. Daniel Rodriguez Monkton, MD
3 04-00 0
49. Hollis Polk Gulfort, MS
4 03-15 0
50. Gary Clawson Portsmouth, NH
2 02-09 0
51. Frank Ramsay Hammond ONTARIO CANADA
2 02-01 0
52. Larry Coleman St Anne, IL
3 01-15 0
53. Abe Kalechman Stafford, CT
1 01-03 0
54. Kurt Glass Grovetown, GA
1 00-14 0
55. Pablo Leo Monterrey MEXICO
0 00-00 0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 11 138 198-14
----------------------------------
11 138 198-14
TEAM STANDINGS Day 3
----------------------------------
State Lbs-Oz
1 CENTRAL 39-03
2 WESTERN 32-13
3 SOUTHERN 23-14
4 NORTHERN 39-15
5 MID-ATLANTIC 29-11
6 EASTERN 21-02
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS Day 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NORTHERN
Angler Hometown
No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Brent Haimes Mazeppa, MN
12 19-01 0
2 Justin Rowse O'Neill, NE
12 15-12 0
3 Steve Smith Johnstown, OH
6 12-07 0
4 Nicola Panareo Portogrvaro ITALY
9 10-13 0
5 Ron Fabiszak S Bend, IN
7 09-01 0
6 James Sullivan Strunberry Point, IA
7 09-00 0
7 Don Fowler Cadillac, MI
6 06-06 0
8 Jason Stangel Two Rivers, WI
4 05-02 0
9 Larry Coleman St Anne, IL
3 01-15 0
CENTRAL
Angler Hometown
No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Jamie Laiche Gonzales, LA
15 24-10 0
2 Shane Long Sarcoxie, MO
8 18-12 0
3 Doug Thompson Mabelvale, AR
14 17-10 0
4 Leslie Kennedy Fort Worth, TX
9 16-13 0
5 Pat Klausen Lincoln, NE
13 16-10 0
6 Lee Sanders Stillwater, OK
7 09-00 0
7 Royce Dennington Barnsdall, OK
5 07-14 0
8 Scott Hamel Stockton, KS
5 06-14 0
9 Hollis Polk Gulfort, MS
4 03-15 0
10 Pablo Leo Monterrey MEXICO
0 00-00 0
WESTERN
Angler Hometown
No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Mike Baskett Salem, OR
14 20-12 0
2 Brent Shores Boise, ID
9 13-05 0
3 Kurt Walters Grand Junction, CO
5 11-00 0
4 Sidney Reeves Ogden, UT
9 10-13 0
5 John Mace Kennewick, WA
7 09-04 0
6 Jesse Milicevic Henderson, NV
6 06-15 0
7 Katsunori Mitsuhashi Atsugishi Kanagawaken
J 5 06-08 0
8 Larry Triplett Parker, CO
6 06-05 0
9 Jeff Guerrette Glendale, AZ
2 05-09 0
10 Franco Vallejos Albuquerque, NM
4 04-11 0
11 Mark Torrez Camarillo, CA
2 04-10 0
12 Ben Schilling Post Falls, ID
4 04-07 0
EASTERN
Angler Hometown
No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Chris Loftus Bloomfield, NY
15 23-08 0
2 Sheron Brown Shirley, MA
11 19-04 0
3 Mike Wolfenden Warwick, RI
6 08-11 0
4 Carl Alexander Clarendon, VT
3 04-08 0
5 Dale Simmons N Waterboro, ME
4 04-06 0
6 Gary Clawson Portsmouth, NH
2 02-09 0
7 Frank Ramsay Hammond ONTARIO CANADA
2 02-01 0
8 Abe Kalechman Stafford, CT
1 01-03 0
SOUTHERN
Angler Hometown
No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Richard Watson Plattekloof SOUTH AFRIC
14 17-03 0
2 Mark Pierce Clarksville, TN
11 15-12 0
3 Michael Prindle Tallahassee, FL
9 14-13 0
4 Nobel Willits Altamonte Springs, FL
12 14-10 0
5 Mike Keel Auburn, AL
11 12-11 0
6 Patrick Tierney Denver, NC
6 07-00 0
7 Fred O'Quinn Lugoff, SC
5 05-14 0
8 Kyle Christopher Irvine, KY
4 04-08 0
9 Kurt Glass Grovetown, GA
1 00-14 0
MID-ATLANTIC
Angler Hometown
No./lbs-oz Total $$$
1 Jeff Freeman Max Meadows, VA
15 27-11 0
2 Darin Doll York, PA
15 23-01 0
3 David McKinney Cullooen, WV
8 12-05 0
4 Moosa Ismail Harare ZIMBABWE
5 10-01 0
5 Shelton Walters Felton, DE
5 06-00 0
6 Eric Woodward Hammonton, NJ
5 05-11 0
7 Daniel Rodriguez Monkton, MD
3 04-00 0
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