The Whitewright High School Anglers closed out the 2025-2026 fishing season with two post-season fishing tournaments. Lake Texoma and Lake Tyler were the settings for the final showdowns of an outstanding season for the Tigers.
Whitewright High School (WHS) competes in the Texas High School Bass Association trail, which has been in existence since April of 2013.
WHS officially came on board with the organization in 2017. Since that time, WHS has sent quite a few teams to Regionals, several to the state tournament and finally a team has advanced to the AOY tournament.
The post-season run began when the WHS anglers qualified two teams for Regionals on Possum Kingdom Reservoir in early May. WHS continued their quest for the championship by qualifying one of their two teams for the state tournament, which was held on Lake Texoma on May 30 and 31. Finally, the year ended on beautiful Lake Tyler, near Whitehouse, Texas, with the Anglers of the Year (AOY) tournament.
The end of the school year is a busy time for many families, but it doesn’t deter those in pursuit of a state championship ring. A drastic high-pressure warm-up and windy conditions greeted anglers on Lake Texoma and presented a challenge for many anglers. Productive fishing conditions during the pre-fishing period and practice day lured anglers into the anticipation and excitement of bringing in a bag over 20 pounds; however, on the first tournament day, many anglers experienced frustration as the changing weather pattern produced challenges in finding the larger fish.
The two-day format only saw 18 of the 173 teams with totals over 20 pounds. The WHS anglers of Wyatt McDorman and Reese Clark managed an overall finish of 82nd place submitting 7.3 pounds over the two-day tournament. The state tournament champion was a duo from Winnsboro, Texas, Samuel Cotton and Porter South.
If the South surname sounds familiar, it would not surprise fans to know that Porter is related to the famous young phenom currently tearing up the Bassmaster Elite Series, Pake South. It would appear that elite angling runs in their family.
The Winnsboro pair combined for a two-day total of 42.18 pounds. The closest finishers were a team from Carroll with 29.6 pounds–a 12.58 pound deficit, and the Big Bass of the state tournament was an 8.53 pound fish brought in by a team from Canton High School. Any of the fish over eight pounds were taken into the Share Lunker Program sponsored by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
The WHS angling duo of Wyatt McDorman and Reese Clark continued their record-setting, post-season angling run for one more tournament – the AOY – on Lake Tyler, located in Whitehouse, Texas. The AOY Tournament is an honor to participate in, and is the result of a consistent, productive finish at every regular season tournament.
The AOY competition field is determined by the top 10 anglers in each division. The Texas High School Bass Association (THSBA) has nine total divisions spread out across the state; Whitewright competes in the North Texas Division.
With 90 teams participating overall at Lake Tyler, McDorman and Clark finished in 71st place.
The normal competition guidelines for the THSBA tournaments consist of a maximum of five scorable bass and eight hours of fishing time on the water; however, due to excessive heat and continued stress on the fish, the THSBA limited the scoreable bass count to three fish and reduced the number of hours to fish from eight hours to six.
The AOY tournament champion was a duo from Fairfield, Texas, with a three fish total of 19.69 pounds, while the Big Bass Award went to a team from Burkburnett, Texas –a true hydrilla gorilla, weighing 11.64 pounds.
Closing the book on the 2025-2026 season is not easy, but 2026-2027 is already creeping towards the horizon. The anglers and captains endured an exhaustive season that ended with new accomplishments and raising the bar for years to come.
Each and every tournament, each and every year, the anglers close out and look ahead to the areas where they can improve–new accomplishments on the horizon, new equipment and technology to learn and new records to set.
Looking ahead to a new year, the question is, “Can it be me? Can I win?” The answer lies in a gust of wind and the pitch of a lure in the early minutes of the dawn. See you in September Under the Dub and Double Hooks–Tight Lines.
If you are a student in Whitewright ISD, grades 9-12, you are eligible to participate in the THSBA.
If you are in grades 7-12 you are also eligible to participate in the THSBA/Skeeter Jackpot Tournaments.
Please contact Karen Hodgdon at [email protected] as soon as possible.
