Freedom, EB bass fishing squads helping youth get outdoors

The North Carolina Bassmaster High School and Junior Series has been around for many years, and the volunteer-led organization continues to play a major role in fostering the growth of bass fishing among youth all across the state.

Freedom and East Burke are the only two high schools in Burke County that have bass fishing clubs, with the Patriots starting their team in 2017 and the Cavaliers officially joining the aforementioned series during the 2024-25 school year. Brad Harrell and Shannon Smith serve as coaches at FHS, while Peyton Murray and Jerome Ramsey coach EB’s squad.

But according to Murray, due to the use of the Fishing Chaos app this year, the club is more “student-led” than it was in the past.

“They practice on their own, they go fish on their own, and now that they’re using the app this year, I actually don’t really see them very often,” he said. “... They’ve got a new app, so now they don’t even have to come to me to register for the tournaments. They register for the tournaments on their own, they pay for it on their own, they just come to me when they need reimbursement now.”

Harrell noted that Freedom holds regular meetings, typically about once a month, to discuss upcoming tournaments and other topics concerning the team. However, he also acknowledged that he and Smith are “more in an advisory role” this year than they were previously.

With that said, Harrell also stated that “we’re at every tournament, every weigh-in, and if needed we’d be at every launch.”

“We’re committed for however long it takes,” he continued, “and love what we’re doing.”

Both clubs have found success against stiff competition, highlighted by Freedom’s Justin Massey and Camm Bennett winning the 2025 Riley’s Cup last October on Lake Norman. Additionally, EB’s Carson Butcher and Lincoln Westcott were the recipients of the Biggest Fish of the Day award during the squad’s first-ever tournament in March 2025 on Lake Tillery.

“We have repeatedly told them that when you leave this program, the fishing part is what you’re doing, and it’s important I guess,” said Harrell. “But we just want to see them grow as people, and that’s more important to us than whether they win or not.”

“They (Butcher and Westcott) were the only two that we had last year,” added Murray. “But they’re kind of the captains, if you will, of the whole club because they were the first two that came out that kind of got it started, and then everybody else came on this year, which is awesome to see it growing.”

EB currently has seven anglers on its high school team – Butcher, Westcott, Laurin Ayers, Blade Carson, Clint Stamey, Jax Williams, and Max Williams – to go with junior team members Doc Ramsey and Jace Ramsey, who are middle schoolers. Meanwhile, Freedom’s team consists of Massey, Bennett, Easton Cork, Crayton Pollard, Graham Weathers, and Ricky Whisel, and while the Patriots don’t have any junior members at the moment, Harrell mentioned that “there’s a possibility” that they will during the 2026-27 school year.

“We’re more about quality than quantity,” said Harrell. “But any kid that wants to fish is more than welcome to come to a meeting and we’d be glad to have them.”

With only a few tournaments remaining in the 2025-26 season, the duo of Massey/Bennett ranks fourth in the Piedmont Division standings. Fellow FHS pairs Pollard/Weathers and Whisel/Cork rank 49th and 50th, respectively.

As for the Cavs, they are represented in the standings by Stamey/Doc Ramsey (57th), Carson/Butcher (74th), and Ayers/Max Williams (77th).

Following a tournament on April 18 on Lake James, the next Piedmont Division event will be two weeks later on Lake Hickory. Furthermore, the high school state championship tournament is scheduled for May 16-17 on Lake Norman, with Freedom and EB both expected to send anglers thanks to the fact that any duo that has fished together twice during the season is eligible to compete at state.

But participating in tournaments and enjoying the great outdoors along the way wouldn’t be possible without the fundraising efforts of team members and their parents, a point that was stressed by both Harrell and Murray. Sponsors help the squads pay for such things as entry fees, gas, and team jerseys.

“There’s video games and all kinds of stuff out there, and young people aren’t as invested as they once were, at least that’s my opinion,” said Harrell. “They have so many other things to do, and when I was a kid, we fished and hunted and played sports of course, but we were outdoors all the time. There was no internet, there were no video games, and it is awesome to see young men and women get out there and compete.”

“Kind of the reason why I’m still teaching and coaching is because you see the passion of the kids in the sport that you enjoy, and you still get a chance to kind of be a part of it and to grow that sport,” added Murray. “... I feel like they’re the ones putting in the time and the effort, learning strategies, and having fun doing it, and I just get to sit and watch and enjoy from the background. Getting to see a sport that I enjoy getting love and enjoyment from a new generation, I think it’s so important.”