By kevin eckleberry

Daily News

A group of anglers from Callaway and Troup tested themselves against the state’s best last week.

The Georgia Bass Fishing State Classic was held Thursday and Friday, and Troup and Callaway both had teams entered in the event that was held at Lake Eufaula.

There was a high-school division, as well as a junior division that featured middle-school competitors.

It was a two-day tournament, and the combined weights were added up from both days to determine a winner.

From Troup, Drake Reeves and Trayton Gay were in the top 20 after catching five fish for a total weight of 13.84 pounds on Thursday.

That included one fish weighing 6.37 pounds, and that gave Reeves and Gay the big-fish honor for day one.

On Friday, Reeves and Gay had five fish for 8.13 pounds, giving them a two-day total of 21.97 pounds, and that was good enough for a 28th place.

Reeves and Gay qualified for state by finishing third out of 174 boats at a tournament on West Point Lake in early May.

Also competing for Troup were Will Knowles and Hunter Browning, and they finished 57th with a two-day weight of 15.17 pounds.

The two had a big first day with five fish for 11.55 pounds, and they caught two fish for 3.62 pounds on day two.

Matthew Freeman and John Reed Batchelor competed for Callaway, and they were 46th with 17.85 pounds.

The two had four fish for 8.51 pounds on the first day, and five fish for 9.34 pounds on the second day.

Callaway’s other team was Houston Gaddy and Hayden Taylor, and they were 70th with a two-day weight of 12.18 pounds.

They had five fish for 10.62 pounds on the first day, and one fish for 1.56 pounds on day two.

Spencer Childers and Owen Moss of Pickens County finished first in the high-school division with 35.81 pounds.

In the junior division, Elijah Benson and CJ Hudson of Dawson County Middle School were first with 36.76 pounds.

The state tournament was the culmination of a successful season for the teams from Callaway and Troup, and they’ll return to competition this fall.