Valley News Correspondent
Published: 9/1/2022 12:40:18 PM
Modified: 9/1/2022 1:28:41 PM
Though the number of high school bass fishing teams in the Upper Valley is small, the anglers are an enthusiastic group with hopes of doing well in state competitions this fall. White River Valley, two years removed from its Vermont state championship, and Mascoma are small but could see their rosters expand before the season gets started. Hartford and Lebanon bring both youth and experience. Big events are state championship qualifiers, followed by Vermont and New Hampshire state championships and the Twin State Championship in October.
HARTFORD Coach: Aron Tomlinson (4th season) Gordie Willey (1st season).
League: VPA Division I.
Last year: Finished 8th and 10th in the Classic (qualifying round), 5th in the State Championship and 11th in the Twin State Championship out of 20 teams.
Returnees: Junior — Connor Rice. Sophomores — Tommy Gross, Jack Grigsby, Jaikob Tuck.
Newcomers: Freshmen — Landon Luce, Tanner Severance, Mariley Laclair.
Outlook: Coach Tomlinson anticipates another year of improvement for the Hurricanes.
“There is an extremely high interest with the group which should lead to solid progress throughout the season,” Tomlinson said. “Gross and Grigsby both have tournament experience which will help with preparation for tournaments. Gordie Willey is moving from player to assistant coach which will be a great addition to the team and the technical aspects of the sport. Every year we have placed higher than the previous year in the state championship, so I feel good about our chances this year.”
MASCOMA Coach: Eric Moulton (3rd season).
League: NHIAA Division I.
Last year: 3rd in state championship.
Returnees: Sophomores — Tanner Moulton, Payton Sargent.
Moulton is hopeful he will add to his roster before the season begins but for now is looking forward to watching his two returning anglers. With the NHIAA championship on Mascoma Lake, Moulton said the boys want to do well in the qualifying event.
“I am excited about this season. We have two strong anglers returning to the team this year that have a lot of tournament experience and strong skills,” Moulton said. “They are hungry to step out from behind the shadows of last year’s seniors and show what they can do.”
LEBANON Coaches: Mike Anikis (8th season), Dan Huff (2nd season), Jay Gigeure (1st season).
League: NHIAA Division I.
Last year: Finished 17th in qualifier tournament.
Returnees: Seniors — Drew Sanchez. Sophomores — Hannah Giguere, Caleb Swinson, Henry Jones, Nick Mooney.
Newcomers: Senior — Griffin Urnezis. Junior — Marco Getchell.
Outlook: Lebanon brings youth and experience to its team this year and looks to improve on last year’s results in the qualifying tournament.
“We have a very positive attitude about the season,” said Anakis. “We have some experienced anglers, knowledgeable and active volunteer coaches and some new anglers on the team. We have had productive practices and the new anglers are learning fast. We hope to improve with each tournament and our goal will be to qualify for the state tournament, which is being held at Mascoma Lake this year.”
WHITE RIVER VALLEY Coaches: Paul Feeney (5th year).
League: VPA Division I.
Last year: 10th in the state championship.
Returnee: Junior — Nesmith Sultan.
Newcomer: Freshman — Liam Penta.
Outlook: “I am looking forward to a good year and hope to have several returning members,” said Coach Feeney, who expects to add to his roster when the season starts. “Right now I have Nesmith Sultan as my most senior team member and one freshman, Liam Penta. Some of the members are very experienced and others have no experience. We welcome everyone to the team.”