East Texas angler teen 1 of 7 to represent Texas in fishing combine

CHIRENO, Texas (KTRE) - Chireno High School student Barrett Bennefield has been fishing ever since he was four years old and has been participating in tournaments since the 7th grade. Now he will be heading to Alabama for a high school combine hosted by Bassmaster.

“There’s all kind of kids that compete and some of them are really good. It’s an honor to represent them,” he said. Bennefield will be meeting with hundreds of other high school juniors and seniors from all over the country.

Glenn Cale is the national tournament manager and said the combine will have student anglers showcase their skills in different challenges in front of 22 university fishing coaches.

“This year we have the water skill challenge in which the student athlete angler will actually have to run the motor, find a couple different buoys and in the process hitting three targets.”

A total of $2.6 million was given out in scholarships offers last year and Cale said they expect that number to be even higher this time around.

“I was really glad to see the influx of support and participation from the state of Texas, so thank you Texas.”

Bennefield said he hopes to win and come back home with a scholarship. He plans to use any winnings towards getting an education and majoring in business marketing.

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