Two Blendon Middle School seventh-grade students placed third in the 2021 Mossy Oak Fishing Bassmaster Junior National Championship earlier this month in Tennessee.
Brooks Hibbitt, 12, and Grant Buzard, 13, represented Hartley’s Hawgs Youth Fishing Club and were among 70 teams across the nation competing in the tournament.
The two led the field at the end of the first day after Hibbitt landed a largemouth weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounce — the biggest fish brought to net during the weekend event. By the end of the tournament, Hibbitt and Buzard totaled 16 pounds, 3 ounces on Carroll County 1000 Acre Recreational Lake, trailing the winning catch by 3 pounds, 8 ounces and the second-place catch by just 4 ounces.
For their third-place finish, Hibbit and Buzard won a $500 scholarship and took home the $200 Big Bass scholarship for their 8-1.