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Washington's Nania Grabs Second
Junior Bassmaster World Championship; Arkansas' Jonny Schultz
Defends Bassmaster CastingKids Title
 November
8, 2008 - JUNCTION CITY, Kan. It was a day of repeat
championships for BASS' youth competitors. Joey Nania (pictured)
claimed a second Junior Bassmaster World Championship title,
this time in the 15-18-year-old age group at Geary County State
Lake, meanwhile Jonny Schultz defended his Bassmaster CastingKids
Championship at Junction City High School.
The 12 JWC anglers qualified for the championship
event, two from each of the six Federation Nation divisions.
The 12 junior competitors are split into two age groups, 11-14
and 15-18. All Junior Bassmaster World Championship contenders
will receive academic college scholarship awards, with the top
angler in each age division receiving a $5,000 scholarship.
Nania, who won the 2005 JWC title in the 11-14
age group, brought two fish to the scales totaling 4 pounds,
1 ounce, for the title. He had three bites, with the first falling
short of the 15-inch legal length by a quarter-inch.
The final two were caught in shallow water on a
Spro Little John crankbait in crawdad color. The last largemouth
was caught about 10 minutes before the end of the day, weighing
2-1, and that was large enough to win the Purolator Big Bass
of the tournament to earn an additional $1,000 in scholarships.
"This feels good to win and has been a long
dry spell," Nania said. "This was my fifth Junior World
Championships. I really worked hard for this tournament."
Nania, 17, and his father drove 1,500 miles from
Liberty Lake, Wash., on Sunday to practice and identify key spots
for Saturday's tournament. The early practice paid off as Nania
also won a fully rigged Triton/Mercury Alliance sponsored boat
package.
"The water has dropped like 5 degrees since
I first started fishing on Tuesday," Nania said. "It
was better fishing earlier this week. In practice I found a couple
crankbait fish. With the cold front they closed their mouths
so I decided to trick them into biting the crankbait, just something
to fly by them."
Drew Creel of Shawnee, Okla., finished in second
place at the JWC with a 3-4 total. The pair of bass were caught
on an A&M Halo Jig with a brush bug trailer.
"I just enjoyed being out there and trying
to win," Creel said. "My dad and brother got me started
fishing, and the competition is a lot of fun."
In the 11-14 age division of the JWC, the six-angler
field battled cold and windy conditions, unable to bring any
legal catches to the scales. The six contestants will equally
divide $11,000 in scholarships, with each angler earning just
over $1,800.
While the Juniors were on Geary County State Lake,
the 2008 Bassmaster CastingKids Finals were held at Junction
City High School. Schultz of Maumelle, Ark., claimed his second
CastingKids title by outlasting Ryan Werley of Danielsville,
Pa., in a three-round castoff in the 11-14 age group. The two
youth anglers were tied with 140 points after the preliminary
round and the first two rounds of the sudden-death finals from
the 30-foot line.
In the third castoff, the 14-year-old Schultz scored
20 points to claim the 2008 title.
"On the second cast in the finals I hit the
lip of the carpet and went oh my gosh, I can't believe that just
happened," Schultz said. "On the last cast my hands
were sweating and the line slipped through my fingers when I
tried to stop it. I thought this was going to be a repeat of
what happened when I was 8. I'm really happy to win this twice."
Hunter Hutchinson, in his first year of CastingKids,
claimed the 7-10 age group title in a one-round castoff against
Garrett Isbell of Ragland, Ala. They were tied at 130 points,
when Hutchinson of Sherwood, Ore., won the castoff with a final
30-point cast from the 30-foot position.
The 7-year-old champion became interested in CastingKids
earlier this year and started practicing in the backyard at his
house.
"I went to the jamboree (in Oregon) for my
first event, and I really did not know how to cast," Hutchinson
said. "I would just go outside and start practicing. I would
practice every day after school until dark."
Competitors earn points by taking the best score
of two casts from 10, 20 and 30 feet. They cast a jig from each
of the distances onto a bull's-eye with the center worth 50 points
and the outer ring scoring 20 points.
The CastingKids championship included 12 youth
competitors who qualified from each of the six Federation Nation
divisions. The 12 divisional qualifiers competed within their
respective age groups: 7-10 and 11-14. CastingKids competitors
vied for scholarship awards, with the winner in each age group
receiving a $5,000 scholarship.
The Junior World Bassmaster Championship and Bassmaster
CastingKids Finals showcases the top youth anglers in the world
and provides them the opportunity to compete through BASS
the most visible fishing tournament structure in the world. Fishing
fans can also check www.Bassmaster.com for schedules, event information
and daily coverage.
For more information, contact BASS Communications
at (407) 566-2208 or visit www.Bassmaster.com. Visit www.espnmediazone.com
for ESPN's latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos,
video and audio clips and more
Sponsors of the Federation Nation Youth Program
include Toyota Tundra, Advance Auto Parts, Berkley, Lowrance,
Mercury, Purolator, Skeeter, Yamaha, OPTIMA Batteries and Triton
Boats.
Additionally, Cabelas and Zebco are supporting
sponsors of the Bassmaster CastingKids program.
Local sponsors of the event include Junction City,
The Geary County Convention & Visitor's Bureau, The Kansas
Department of Travel & Tourism, the Kansas Department of
Wildlife & Parks and the United States Army Corps of Engineers-Milford
Lake.
RESULTS
2008 Junior World Championship 11/8-11/8
GEARY COUNTY STATE LAKE, Junction City KS.
15-18 Age Group Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Joey Nania Liberty Lake, WA 2 04-01 305
Day 1: 2 04-01
2. Drew Creel Shawnee, OK 2 03-04 295
Day 1: 2 03-04
3. Kyle Raymer Brandenburg, KY 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
3. Andrew Sams Easton, MD 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
3. Jake Sasnowski Bowmanville ONTARIO CAN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
3. Jacob Wheeler Indianapolis, IN 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Big Bass
Day
1 Joey Nania Liberty Lake, WA 02-01 $0.00
Big BASS of Tournament
Joey Nania Liberty Lake, WA 02-01 $0.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 0 4 07-05
----------------------------------
0 4 07-05
2008 Junior World Championship 11/8-11/8
GEARY COUNTY STATE LAKE, Junction City KS.
11-14 Age Group Standings Day 1
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Chris Avarella Fredon, NJ 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
2. Drew Honigman Harrisonville, MO 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
2. Ross Lemens Luxemburg, WI 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
2. Patrick Meads Boise, ID 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
2. Travis Tomazin Gainesville, GA 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
2. Brian Volkernick Canton Point, ME 0 00-00 0
Day 1: 0 00-00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Big Bass
Day
Big BASS of Tournament
Joey Nania Liberty Lake, WA 02-01 $0.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 0 0 00-00
----------------------------------
0 0 00-00
2008 NATIONAL BASSMASTER CASTINGKIDS FINALS RESULTS
Junction City High School
Nov. 8, 2008
Junction City, KS
7-10 Age Group
Pl Name, Hometown Score Castoff Scholarship
1. Hunter Hutchinson, Sherwood, Ore. 130 30 $5,000
2. Garrett Isbell, Ragland, Ala. 130 0 $2,000
3. Jacob Love, Ogdensburg, N.Y. 120 20 $1,500
4. Nathan Hiser, Croton, Ohio 120 0 $1,000
5. Jordan Nicole Schaefer, Omaha, Neb. 110 $500
6. Logan Kuhrmann, Baltimore, Md. 90 $500
11-14 Age Group
Pl Name, Hometown Score Castoff Scholarship
1. Jonny Schultz, Maumelle, Ark. 140 40-0-20 $5,000
2. Ryan Werley, Danielsville, Penn. 140 40-0-0 $2,000
3. Jacob Wall, Jacksonville, Ore. 130 50 $1,500
4. Riley Yon, Bellbrook, Ohio 130 30 $1,000
5. Jonathan Fleckenstein, Sharpsburg, Ga. 120 $500
6. Mitchell Blanchard, Worcester, Mass. 90 $500
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