Richmond Hill had quite the haul at the Georgia High School Kayak Fishing State Championship, and the host Wildcats spread the wealth.
Jackson Hopper, a freshman, caught a 23.50-inch bass, the biggest fish of the tournament on June 3-4 at the Waterways community in Richmond Hill.
Ryan Fitzgerald, a freshman, secured the state association’s overall points title for this season, with junior Branton Champion just 2.5 points back in third place.
Owen Osden won the tournament’s individual title and shared the two-person team crown with fellow sophomore Aiden Pluff. Osden also was honored as the
GHSKF Angler of the Year, making for a triple crown of sorts and a weighty haul of trophies to hoist when posing for photos.
“They’re pure metal and heavy,” said Osden, who also received three shiny rings.
He nearly had the trophy for biggest bass in the catch-and-release tournament, but his 23.50-inch fish came on the first day after Hopper had reeled in the eventual prize catch.
Osden is a repeat winner as Angler of the Year, meaning he is in position to sweep the honor for all four years of high school.
“There is a possibility,” said Osden, who hadn’t really considered it until he was asked. “That would be awesome.”
Richmond Hill coach Amy Elkins, whose team concurrently competed in boat fishing events this spring, said the squad “had dominated all season” at the kayak tournaments.
Completing the team’s schedule at Waterways – “it’s beautiful out there,” she said, noting rivers designed by legendary professional angler Bill Dance – the Wildcats finished strong in the 20-angler tournament.
“I think the kids did about where I expected them to be,” Elkins said. “I was really, really proud of Owen for stepping up for the second straight time. … It was great to see he and Aiden landed at the top of the team (standings) because the top team gets to go to nationals.”
Pluff, who finished seventh individually, and Osden will be competing through the Student Angler Federation in the 14th annual high school boat fishing world finals and national championship on June 20-24 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
“They’re just very persistent and very consistent about the way they fish,” Elkins said. “They really find a good spot, and they do their homework and really do well fishing in general. They pay a lot of attention to what’s going on around them.”
They won’t be the only Richmond Hill teammates fishing on the Mississippi River. Branton Champion and junior Jackson Behringer qualified for nationals by finishing fourth in the Student Angler Federation Georgia state boat fishing championship in February.
“We’ve got another team going, which will be awesome to see what they do and maybe duplicate what they do,” Osden said of Behringer and Champion.
Osden, a 16-year-old who has been fishing “since I could hold a fishing pole,” said that this summer he was “just going to hang around the house and fish a little.” His performance at the kayak state tournament revised the plan into fishing a lot.
He was in fourth place in the individual standings after the first day with a total of 93.25 inches. His best five fish by length measured 23.50, 18.00 and three at 17.25.
“I knew I was going to have to out-fish everybody, just work harder. That’s the only thing I could do,” Osden said of his strategy for the final day, including trusting a favored artificial lure. “I was hitting the banks. I had some deep spots I was fishing for bigger fish. That’s where I ended up pulling a 7-pounder the first day. I just fished hard and kept paddling and fishing.”
Osden had the second-best total on Day 2 behind Skylar Magnarella (97.25 inches) of Athens’ Clarke Central High School. Osden totaled 92.50 with his best five at 19.75, 19.25, 18.50, 18.50 and 16.50.
Osden, who also won the GHSKF event May 14 at Lake Lanier and finished in the top 10 in six events, said the weekend was “a blast.”
“It was awesome,” he said. “God gifted me with all of those fish and I just prayed and fished hard. It was pretty neat.”
From left, Richmond Hill freshman Ryan Fitzgerald, the GHSKF 2023 season points champion; freshman Jackson Hopper, the Big Bass award winner at the state championship; and team state champions Aiden Pluff, a sophomore, and Owen Osden, a sophomore who also won the individual title and Angler of the Year honor.
GHSKF State Championship final results June 3-4 at Waterways, Richmond Hill
(20 anglers caught 212 fish)
- Owen Osden, Richmond Hill, 93.25, 92.50, 185.75
- Luke Garofalo, Clarke Central (Athens), 94.75, 90.50, 185.25
- Skylar Magnarella, Clarke Central, 88.00, 97.25, 185.25
- Jackson Behringer, RHHS, 95.00, 86.00, 181.00
- Jackson Hopper, RHHS, 94.00, 82.00, 176.00
- Ryan Fitzgerald, RHHS, 84.75, 87.50, 172.25
- Aiden Pluff, RHHS, 87.75, 84.25, 172.00
- Hunter Brown, RHHS, 81.50, 89.00, 170.50
- Holdyn Udinsky, RHHS, 88.50, 81.25, 169.75
- Branton Champion, RHHS, 87.75, 81.00, 168.75
PHOTO CREDIT: Kristol Osden
FOLLOW Prep Sports Report on Twitter @PrepSav, Instgram savannahsportsreport, contact PSR at https://prepsportsreport.com/Contact
