Eight Republic fishing teams have qualified for the High School Division State Championship, set for this weekend at Pomme de Terre Lake, after a regular season that put three of them in the state’s top 10.
Drake Dishman and Luke Delahay finished first in the point standings. Dylan Delahay and Avien Ferguson placed second, not far behind. Wyatt Page and Devin Kirk took seventh. William Brake and Raleigh Verstraete (18th), Brett Edwards and Greg Hicks (19th) and Leegan Thiltgen (20th) also made the top 20 out of more than 160 teams. Two more teams finished above the qualifying cut, as well: Liam Tharp and Jacob Duran (46th) and Baelor Cutbirth and Crosby Higgins (55th).
The anglers trace their successful run to preparation that starts long before the boats leave the dock.
“A lot of it starts before you get to the lake or catch any fish,” Dishman said. “You have to spend a whole lot of time looking at a map of the lake and figuring out where you want to spend your time, rigging up fishing rods and making sure your boat is tidied up ready to fish. A lot of it is putting time in — daylight to dark is going to yield the best results, and maybe sacrificing a few hours of sleep or comfort.”
Dylan Delahay says teamwork means sharing information.
“I like to talk to all my buddies who fish and get some information,” he said. “Get there early. Make sure you have everything rigged up. … Just keep going until you find something.”
A plan can still come undone overnight, Luke Delahay said. “If it’s the same weather, then you have a good chance to do good. But if it rains that night, or there’s a lot of wind that you didn’t have, then you honestly don’t know.”
Dishman saw how things can change during a tournament at Table Rock. It turned into one of the highlights of his season.
“We were on some pretty good fish, and Sunday they were pretty much gone,” he said. “We kept our heads in the game, and we stayed calm, and we re-found some fish.”
Team members say the closeness of the team is what really drives its success.
“We all share information. We have a bunch of buddies,” Luke Delahay said. “Dylan will go fishing with me. He’ll go fishing with Raleigh. We all just fish together. … We’re like a family, almost.”
Ferguson said years on the water built that trust. “We’re all rooting for each other, and we all want each other to do great, so we’re all sharing information and trying for all of us to do great, not just one team.”
Dishman described the same thing. “If somebody’s struggling, we’ll help them out, and I think that equates to team success. … Bouncing ideas off each other, going over how we’re doing, giving others ideas about how they can catch them.”
The closeness shows up off the water, too. “We share an Airbnb with a bunch of people, and I love that group,” Dylan Delahay said. “We joke around all the time and talk about how the day went fishing. … A lot of good memories in those Airbnbs.”
Dylan and Luke Delahay are brothers fishing on separate teams, and they finished 1-2 — setting up a family rivalry at state.
“Obviously, I want to do better than him, but at the end of the day, I love my brother,” Dylan Delahay said. “If anyone’s going to beat me, I want it to be him.”
Luke agreed. “I’m going to try and win. I’m not going to let him beat me. But if anybody’s going to win, if we can’t do it, I want him to do it.”
For Dishman, the season exceeded his expectations. “I was hoping to have a top 10 or two, but the way the season’s gone has really surprised me,” he said. “When all your hard work pays off and you’re seeing the results, it makes it all worth it. A lot of it’s not fun. Right now it’s super hot. … But maybe if you keep fishing for another hour, you may find the winning spot.”
The Team of the Year award will be announced after each division’s weigh-in, with championship points added to the season totals.
Get every story delivered.
Tiger Wire — Republic sports news, free every morning.