The MISD Fishing Team headed to Sam Rayburn on January 23rd with many uncertainties hanging over them. Although they have been perfect so far this season, competing in three previous Texas High School Bass Association Conference Tournaments, winning all three, this tournament was different. For various and different reasons there were 25 students out, leaving the door open for the other 23 High Schools in the Houston Division to spoil MISD from the goal of a perfect season. The Team was having none of that, with many students stepping up to make sure that the MISD Fishing Team would have a Victory at Sam Rayburn.
Cade Lipham led the charge, claiming the Individual First Place Trophy with 5 fish weighing 16.28 pounds. This was a huge win for Cade, as well as the Team, as this victory placed Cade squarely in 2nd Place in the Angler of the Year Race for the Houston Division. This accomplishment is all the more impressive in that Cade has fished Solo all Season.
Carson Rennell of the famous “Turner & Hooch” combo was minus Turner, as he was one of the 25 students out for this competition. Carson, AKA “Hooch,” showed Senior Leadership by accepting the challenge to help lead the squad to an overall Team victory, coming in 8th place with 5 fish weighing 11.84 pounds. This high finish also allows his Individual Team to stay in the Top 10 of the Anglers of the Year Race, staying in 9th place overall.
Rounding out the Top Three Teams for MISD was the Brothers Hird, as Zach and Jake brought in 5 fish for 11.45 pounds, capturing 13th place out of 141 Teams. This high finish not only helped the MISD Fishing Team immensely by helping cement the First Place Finish for this Conference Victory, but it also helped keep “Hird & Hird” in contention for that elusive goal of being in the Top Ten in the AOY race.
Speaking of the Anglers of the Year Race for the Houston Division, the MISD Fishing Team currently has 5 Individual Teams in the Top 10. Joining the aforementioned Teams of Cade Lipham and Turner & Rennell, you have Fallon Clepper and Wyatt Ford firmly in 4th, followed by Colby and Tyler Gelske in 6th, Jack Haag and Connor Callihan in 7th. This is an outstanding performance to date, with the hopes that all of these teams will maintain, or improve their positions at the 5th and final Conference event to be held at Lake Conroe on 3/13.
To sum up this Tournament Season to date, I would like to take a quote from one of my favorite movies from 1960. In the movie “Magnificent Seven,” one of the main characters played by Steve McQueen had a line that surmises our season so far, “So far So Good.”
