Bass Fishing
Coe-Brown 1st, Kearsarge 7th at State Championship
Key players: Coe-Brown – Freddy Schaaf IV (senior), Christopher Heckman (senior), Rylee Boucher (junior), Elizabeth Abernathy (sophomore)
Highlights: The Bears caught eight fish – six smallmouth bass and two largemouth bass – for a total weight of 19.41 pounds to claim the state bass fishing title. Bedford (18.42), Mascoma (14.50), Bishop Guertin (13.78) and Moultonborough (6.48) were the top five teams. The Cougars finished seventh with three fish, weighing in at 4.83. Coe-Brown finished ninth in the qualifying event on Sept. 22 at Lake Winnipesaukee that trimmed the field to 11 teams for Saturday’s championship, contested at Mascoma Lake in Enfield.
Coach’s quote: “I’m very proud of these anglers for the time and effort they have put in. Saturday we were faced with cold fishing conditions in the morning with a slow bite. But these anglers never put the rod down and didn’t give up, they kept fishing. They were showing excellent patience when they had a bigger fish on and great communication skills. Seeing the excitement on the their faces when Elizabeth saw her 3.74 pound smallmouth bass go airborne was priceless and a memory that can never be replaced. I’ve been very fortunate to have been able to work with so many young anglers and get them to the point of competing over the last eight years as assistant/head coach. This years team consists of 13 anglers of all skill levels, and with this many anglers to get out on the water we couldn’t do it without help. Assistant coach Leroy Myers has been such a big help getting anglers water time over the years with the use of his pontoon boat and Frank Ireland assisting on the shore. Sarah Ward, a teacher at Coe-Brown and the original head coach, paved the way for this team and we wouldn’t be where we are without her. Without the support of Matt Skidds, the former athletic director, and current AD Sam Struthers, none of this would be possible.” – Coe-Brown’s Paul Haggenmiller, Jr.
