Freeman joins the ranks of TBF
success stories across the nation. He
started in TBF’s junior program at 11
years old and still remembers his first
TBF tournament. Freeman also
advanced to the TBF Junior World
Championship. Now, 13 years later, he
holds the title of TBF National
Champion.
“For the first time in my life, I think
I’m speechless,” he adds. “Thank you
so much, TBF. I grew up with this
sport, and I love this sport for what it is
– fishing. To look out in the crowd and
see the people that literally brought me
up in the same organization, to be sit-
ting right there, the guys who took me
out fishing when I was little – words
cannot describe that feeling.”
Winning co-angler Derick Pendleton
led the event from start to finish, cele-
brating his birthday by catching the
biggest bag of day one with 20
pounds, 5 ounces. On day two, he
added two fish for 4-2 and capped it
off with another five-bass limit for 11-
15 to bring his tournament-winning
total to 36-6.
“It’s been phenomenal,” says
Pendleton. “I had a great day on the
water today. I struggled yesterday;
I’m not going to lie. I was so nervous
only having an 8-ounce lead coming
into today [the final day]. I didn’t
know where it was going to land me,
but day three was more like the first
day out there for me, condition-wise.
I had a limit by 8:57 a.m., and I was
culling by 9 o’clock. We caught fish
all day.”
Pendleton was awarded the 2020
“Living YOUR Dream” co-angler prize
package, valued at more than
$33,000. The package includes $20,000
cash, a $500 Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s
gift card, a Power-Pole gift certificate, a
Minn Kota trolling motor, a clothing
package and entry into the Toyota
Series Championship. Pendleton also
received a berth in the 2020 Phoenix
Bass Fishing League presented by T-H
Marine All-American with travel and
housing stipends, plus $5,000 of paid
entry fees into the affiliated circuit of
his choosing.
“It’s literally living the dream. This
is a dream for me to do this,” he
adds. “TBF gave me this opportunity,
and it is just incredible. I’ll be pulling
into Indiana around 3 o’clock in the
morning, and I don’t care. Everybody
will know I’m home. No matter what,
I’m not passing this opportunity up.
It’s a dream I’ve always wanted, and
I’m going to live it how I want to
right now.”
Pendleton represents Indiana’s
Hoosier Hawg Hunters and the TBF
Northern Division. He’s already making
plans to fish the All-American.
For the first time in event history,
Ranger Cup contingencies were also
awarded to the top five Ranger Cup-
qualified TBF boaters ($2,500, $2,000,
$1,500, $1,000 and $500) and the top
five TBF co-anglers ($2,000, $1,250,
$750, $500 and $250).
The top Ranger Cup-qualified
boater was Sam Heckman from
Pueblo, Colo., with a tournament total
of 35-14.
“I got five bites today, and I caught
all five,” Heckman says. “I just love
what TBF does for everybody, espe-
cially the juniors and high schoolers. I
run the Southern County Junior Bass
Club. I’m hoping they’re watching this
and one day they can be here doing
the same thing I’m doing right
now. What TBF provides for us, the
platform they give us, we wouldn’t
have the opportunity we do without
their support and the staff.”
The top Ranger Cup-qualified co-
angler was Mel Marchese, representing
the Northwest Division. Marchese had
a tournament total of 22-11.
“This is a dream. Thirty years and
I’ve finally made it,” Marchese
says. “Everyone out there, just keep
trying. Thirty years and it can happen.
Someday it will all come together.”
The top boaters and co-anglers
from all seven divisions also earned a
trip to the All-American, including trav-
el and housing stipends, for a chance
at the $100,000 top boater prize and
$50,000 top co-angler prize.
TBF Division Winners
The top boater and co-angler from each division qualified for the All-American. They are (L-R, boaters in back; co-anglers in front): Central Division – Blake Wilson (Ark.) and
Samuel Jenkins (La.), Southern Division – Lance Freeman (Ky.) and Craig Middleton (Ky.), Southwest Division – Sam Heckman (Colo.) and Kerry Harris (Calif.), Mid-Atlantic
Division – Chris Fiore (Va.) and Andrew Wiley (Md.), Northern Division – David Schneider Jr. (Ind.) and Derick Pendleton (Ind.), Northwest Division Loren Torok (Ida.) and Mel
Marchese (Wash.) and Eastern Division – Keith Cleary (Conn.) and Jeffrey Perron (N.H.)
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