The Lanier High School Bass Fishing Team placed second nationally and third in the 2024 15th Annual High School Fishing World Finals and National Championship, held earlier this summer at Lake Hartwell on the Georgia-South Carolina border. The competition featured 435 teams from 48 states and three countries, challenging participants to demonstrate their fishing prowess over three days.

     Tyler Nemec, the Head Coach of the school’s Bass Fishing Team, led a group of six anglers and three boat captains during the World Finals and National Championship. Angel Cornejo, a 2024 Lanier High graduate, and Bryson Dover, a rising senior, competed in the National and World Finals with Boat Captain Randy Dover, Bryson’s father. Blaine Garner, a 2024 graduate, and Cooper Martin, a rising senior, competed with Boat Captain Tony Martin, Cooper’s father. Fathers often assist in these competitions by serving as boat captains.

     Dr. Christopher Martin, the Principal of Lanier High School, is proud of the students. “These accomplishments are a testament to the hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship of our Bass Fishing Team,” Dr. Martin shares. “Their success brings immense pride to our school and community, and we are excited to see what they achieve next season.”

     The national champions were crowned based on a three-day combined fishing catch weight, with winners receiving $5,000 in scholarships to the school of their choice. The top ten finalists from the national competition advanced to the World Championship on the second day, where the fishing catch weights were reset. The top 31 competitors from the national competition competed for the World Championship title. In addition to scholarship money, teams competed for laptops, gift cards, big-screen TVs, electronics, and fishing gear.

     Lanier High’s team, established by Nemec during the 2022-23 school year, has quickly established itself as a program to watch locally and nationally. The team won the 2023 Georgia High School Association Bass Fishing State Championship in its first year. Additionally, Blaine and Cooper finished eighth in the 2024 Student Angler Federation State Tournament, a competition that aims to promote education through fishing.