Severna Park Adds Another State Championship

For the last several decades, talented Severna Park athletes have blended their individual superlative skills to achieve numerous county and state championships.

Boys and girls lacrosse, field hockey, cross country, and track and field teams have achieved statewide notoriety.

This year, Severna Park has added another state championship to its history books as two residents won the state championship for bass fishing.

Last fall, organizers approached Severna Park High School’s (SPHS) athletic department and wanted to explore if there was interest in forming a bass fishing club. SPHS Assistant Athletic Director Jacob Derlink liked the idea and gained permission to begin organizing the club.

Six students — four from the high school, one from Severna Park Middle School and one from St. Martin’s-in-the-Field — joined the club to begin competing with other Maryland schools in bass fishing tournaments.

The bass fishing team was divided into a high school team and a youth division for the middle school students, who will be going to SPHS.

“We received great cooperation from the high school as well as local businesses such as Park Hardware and 4-TEN Baits,” said club parent sponsor Dan Sandel. “The goal of the program is to improve their fishing skills, honing communication techniques, working as a team of two and respecting the waterways of the area.”

The team participated in numerous tournaments throughout the spring, and the youth division of Will Sandel and Conner Shaffer placed in every event, culminating by winning the state junior division championship at a tournament that was held on the Potomac River the last weekend in May.

The anglers are strictly on their own during the tournament and they need to make quick decisions on what bait to use, what areas to fish, utilizing technology for depth of the habitat, and when to move to other locations as the day continues.

“It’s a great deal of science and using technology that goes into fishing that people aren’t aware of,” Will said. “You really need to use different instruments to find drop-offs in the water and what baits may work in different depths of the water. My favorite bass fishing technique is using top-water lures.”

They won the state championship by bringing in bass that totaled 10 pounds, with the largest being 3.5 pounds. That fish was caught in the last hour of the tournament. Anglers could only submit five fish.

“I couldn’t believe we won,” said Connor, who caught that last large fish. “I definitely felt it on the line.”

The students are allowed to go to the tournament sites the previous day to get acquainted with the body of water and see what baits or lures may attract fish.

Both Will and Connor started fishing at an early age with their dads and have been known to place their fishing rods in their backpacks and ride their bikes to ponds in the area.

“I just love to be on the water and love the feeling of catching a fish,” Connor said.

One of the futuristic aspects of competing in these fishing tournaments is the exposure these anglers receive from universities that have fishing teams, such as colleges from the Southeastern Conference that offer scholarships.

SPHS students Grant Hall, Jack Gursel, Jack Gianvittorio and John Luke Price also participated in these tournaments. The adult boat captains who volunteer their time and boats to navigate the bodies of water are Justin Talbot, Ken Gaudioso and Steve Shaffer.

This fall, the team will compete with other Maryland schools at a tournament at Deep Creek Lake in Western Maryland.