Briarwood anglers net back-to-back titles

The list of accolades for Grayson Morris and Tucker Smith is several pages long, once their accomplishments as individuals and as a duo are totaled.

Placing near or at the top of big regional bass fishing tournaments is nothing new for either of them, but a pair of accomplishments to date likely stand above the rest.

In August, the Briarwood Christian School duo won its second consecutive Mossy Oak Bass Fishing High School National Championship title, the first repeat winners in the history of the event.

At Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tenn., Morris and Smith captured a three-day total of 50 pounds, 2 ounces, including a final day of 18 pounds, 9 ounces. This year’s victory came with little time to spare, catching their final fish of the day and getting back to the weigh-in station just in time.

“I guess it was just meant to be,” Morris said. “We grinded every day for eight hours a day.”

Morris and Smith won the title in 2018, but it was never really a goal to go back-to-back.

“After we won it last year, we thought we could win it again but we didn’t think much of it until a few weeks ago (just before this year’s tournament),” Morris said. “We were just going out there and have the best fish we could have.”

The mentality for the team, along with boat captain J.T. Russell, was to simply go out on the water and put forth a strong effort.

“We didn’t think we were going to go win it again, but we just put our heads down and fished,” Smith said.

Morris, Smith and Russell were honored in the Briarwood auditorium on Aug. 15, with athletic director Jay Mathews, head coach Curtis Gossett and Bassmaster’s Hank Weldon speaking of the boys’ success.

“It was definitely a lot tougher this year,” Smith said.

Morris is a year older than Smith and set to graduate this year, so the pair’s run together will soon come to an end.

“We’ve definitely spent a lot of time on the water together. It’s been a great experience for both of us,” Morris said.

Even though he’ll have a new partner by the time the national championship tournament rolls around next year, Smith still has high hopes.

“I’m going to try to make it a three-peat, but if that doesn’t happen, it’s all right,” Smith said.

Morris will head to the University of Montevallo and team up once again with Russell, a Briarwood graduate who also currently attends Montevallo.