The Farmersville bass fishing team capped off its inaugural season by sending two teams to the state championship.

With eight teams of two fishermen and one boat captain, Farmersville sent the teams of Tye Thompson and Mason Erwin, along with James Wood and Jayce Fagan, to the state tournament in Lake Belton on May 14.

Competing amongst the top 325 teams in the state, school sponsor Monica Johnson said it was an excellent result for the team in year one.

“There were over 1,600 teams in the state that competed in bass fishing and 325 went to state,” Johnson said. “That’s a huge accomplishment to send two of our teams to state and we’re really proud of them. One of the teams also finished in the top half, which was great in such a competitive event.”

Thompson and Erwin finished 140th overall at state, catching five fish for a total of 10.15 pounds. Wood and Fagan placed 164th overall, catching one fish for a total of 3.29 pounds. Thompson and Erwin were also named the Farmersville anglers of the year at the team’s end-of-the-year sports banquet.

“Overall, our first year has really exceeded our expectations,” Johnson said. “Our parents, athletes, boat captains and everyone involved set the bar high in our first season and did a really good job helping out this program.”

In year one of the Farmers fishing team, the turnout was great. With eight competitive teams, Johnson said the team consistently had more kids competing than established teams in the area and expects the team to continue to grow.

“With eight teams participating in the first season, we had some really great turnout,” Johnson said. “It was so important in year one to get this off the ground like that and show that there was a real need for this team.”

With great support, the team began to produce the results. Along with the two teams competing at state, Jacob Tull and Dakota Malena also won the Lewisville North Texas tournament on Dec. 4, 2021. Johnson said the community support had been a big part of the team’s success.

“There are teams all over Texas that compete,” Johnson said. “So we heard about a lot of the kids interested in doing this. It was great to see our community officials and school board members get on board and show their support. It was a real team effort.”

Farmersville will hope to continue to grow the team’s support in years to come and send even more teams to state next season. With most of their teams set to return next season, Johnson hopes to see the word spread on a sport she enjoys.

“One of the things I love the most about is that the kids are allowed to spend time in nature,” Johnson said. “The kids aren’t allowed to have their phones and the kids learn patience, resilience and work in the environment. It’s a great sport that teaches great character traits.”

To read the full story, see next week’s issue of The Farmersville Times. Support your community newspaper for less than $40 a year.

By Kyle Grondin • [email protected]