Oklahoma State sinks hooks into national title

Oklahoma State teammates Blake Flurry (left) and Zack Birge overcame a dead fish, one in distress and an early exit to hold on for the Bassmaster College Series National Championship on Friday at Hurricane Lake in Benton.
Oklahoma State teammates Blake Flurry (left) and Zack Birge overcame a dead fish, one in distress and an early exit to hold on for the Bassmaster College Series National Championship on Friday at Hurricane Lake in Benton.

— Not even a dead fish and a premature exit from the water could stop Oklahoma State from winning the Bassmaster College Series National Championship on Friday at Hurricane Lake in Benton.

With only a 4-pound lead entering Friday’s final round at a lake known for big bass, the Oklahoma State team of Zack Birge and Blake Flurry had no margin for error for the misfortune they encountered.

One of their fish died in the live well, which brought an automatic 8-ounce penalty at the weigh-in. Their biggest fish also showed signs of distress. Rather than risk losing it, too, Birge and Flurry left the water and checked in one hour early.

It didn’t matter. Their final-day weight was 16-5 for a three-day total of 37-13, which gave them a 2-12 cushion over Auburn and guaranteed them the national title. In addition to national championship trophies, Birge and Flurry also won $5,000.

“It was amazing just to get here in the first place,” Flurry said. “To win it and take this trophy back to Oklahoma feels great. We’ve been through thick and thin this week, to go from a 17-pound bag to a 4-pound bag to a 16-pound bag today. Thank God we were able to pull it out.

“You’ve got Alabama, Auburn and Arkansas. When you beat those guys, you’ve accomplished something.”

Auburn’s team of Jordan Lee and Matt Lee finished the final round with five bass weighing 18-7 for a total of 35-1, followed by the Murray State team of Justin Graben and Vincent Campisano (14-12/32-4) and the Alabama team of Dustin Connell and Logan Johnson (14-6/31-14). The Arkansas team of Mook Miller and Kyle Billingsley caught five bass that weighed 16 pounds for a total of 30-8.

Anglers from the top four teams will compete in brackets today in a three-segment tournament at Beaverfork Lake near Conway. The field will be cut to four, and then to two. The two finalists will fish against each other Sunday at Beaverfork Lake. The winner will earn a berth in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic at Grand Lake, near Miami, Okla.

That’s home water for Birge and Flurry, but only one can make it. Flurry said that puts no pressure on their friendship.

“Me and Zack have been buddies since I first met him,” Flurry said. “He’s like a brother to me. We’ve been through a lot together. Good times and bad times, a lot of ups and downs.”

The season is over for Miller and Billingsley, but they made a strong run to make the five-team final after finishing the first round in 15th place. They caught their fish Friday throwing Excalibur 2.5 squarebill crankbaits in brush piles.

“When we caught them, we caught them three and four at a time,” Miller said. “We started out throwing top waters, but I just didn’t feel comfortable with that. I’ve got another lake that looks just like that, and squarebill is what works for us there.”

“We went through four or five different colors,” Billingsley said. “We got bit with it once, and then we got another. I caught the first fish on a Ghost Minnow. I threw it for another two hours and didn’t get bit again.”

Murray State didn’t have bad luck, exactly. Graben and Campisano didn’t seem to have any luck at all. Graben said anglers have to get a few breaks to win a tournament, and none came their way.

“When it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be,” Graben said. “Fishermen out there know it. When things are going your way and you’re landing fish in weird ways, you know you’re going to win, but we didn’t have a day like that.”

Connell said he was disappointed not to bring a national title to Alabama, but he said he hopes he gets to beat one of the Auburn guys for the Classic slot.

“I’m just glad I get to fish tomorrow,” Connell said. “My boy Jo [Jordan] Lee over here, maybe I’ll get to fish against him Sunday.”

One fish was the difference between first place and fourth. Connell said he broke off a 5-pounder early Friday that probably would have put Alabama over the top.

“I caught 30 fish today. That lake is pretty good,” Connell said. “I caught them swimming a black-and-blue jig in the grass. They’re pretty shallow, about 7 feet.”

Sports, Pages 19 on 07/28/2012

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