By Randy Whalen

Did you know that a Joliet West sports team made the Illinois High School Association State Finals this spring?

That's correct. The Tigers' bass fishing team qualified for state.

While the final result wasn't what they wanted, Joliet West was very successful in its journey to achieve it.

Jayden Jock and Devion Campbell, along with fellow sophomore Rich Santiago, freshmen Fabian Medina, Jackson Ogle, and Gabriel Gonzalez, made up the Tiger team.

"It was our first time ever at state, and it was phenomenal," Joliet West bass fishing coach John Barber said. "I've been coaching for 12 years, and this was hands down the best season we've ever had."

It was, and for those that aren't familiar, bass fishing is just like any other sport at the school. Joliet West and Joliet Central have separate teams.

"The kids have their own jerseys, their own hoodies, and their own hats," Barber said. "They are all Joliet West branded."

The sport has a postseason, which the IHSA started in 2009, with 199 schools entering, and it expanded to over double that total this year. That expansion meant that for the first time, there were regional tournaments. In fact, there were 30 of them throughout the state and were held on a hot and windy Thursday, May 15. Joliet West and Joliet Central were both at the Tampier Lake Regional in Orland Park. 

The top 6 teams advance to a sectional. The Tigers' No. 1 boat took third, but the second one didn't catch a bass. Joliet Central placed 15th out of the 17 schools there with a total of 1 pound, 1 ounce. 

The standings are based on the total weight of all the bass fish a team catches, not the biggest individual fish. An example is Joliet Catholic Academy, which had the largest fish at the tourney, a 3-pound, 14-ounce one, caught by sophomore Jack Skole. But as a team, the Hilltoppers placed 6th. 

The Top 6 teams that made it to the sectional were Oswego No. 1 (10lb, 13oz), Naperville Central No. 1 (8lb, 2oz), Joliet West No. 1 (6lb, 15oz), Plainfield South No. 1 (6lb, 12oz), West Aurora No. 2 (6lb, 11oz), and JCA No. 2 (5lb, 2oz). The alternate was Providence No. 2 (5lb, 1oz). 

"When I first started doing this, it was just the Top 3 teams out of a sectional that advanced to state," said Barber, who has been coaching the team since 2014. This was the first time they implemented a regional, and then in the sectional, the Top 10 got to go to state."

The sectional was held on Thursday, May 22, on the Des Plaines River, at the Big Basin Marina in Channahon. The Tigers advanced to the State Finals by taking fifth.

The 10 teams that advanced to state were Reed-Custer No. 1 (12lb, 15oz), Batavia No. 1 (12lb, 8oz), Sandburg No. 1 (12lb, 3oz), Morris No. 2 (10lb, 3oz), Joliet West No. 1 (9lb, 5oz), Naperville Central No. 1 (8lb, 12oz), Reed-Custer No. 2 (8lb, 2oz), Midland No. 1 (8lb, 2oz), Reavis No. 1 (7lb, 15oz), and Andrew No. 1 (7lb, 9oz), with Sandburg No. 2 (7lb, 7oz) as the alternate.

There can be up to four fishermen in a boat. At the sectional, Campbell, Jock, Medina, and Santiago were listed as the foursome, but only two can fish at a time. Campbell and Jock did most of the fishing in both the regional, sectional, and state.

"Jayden and Devion have put in the work every step of the way," Barber said. "From spring break training to back-to-back-to-back tournaments. They’re the reason Joliet West went to state for the first time in school history."

There is no live bait used. The IHSA lists "the reasoning behind this rule is likely to ensure a level playing field and to promote a focus on skill and technique in using artificial lures. Live bait can be seen as potentially giving an unfair advantage to some anglers who may have better access to or knowledge of live bait options."

But an interesting thing is that some of the rules vary depending on the body of water.

"At the sectional, only largemouth bass were allowed," Barber said. "On the Des Plaines River, the smallmouth bass are protected, so if they are caught, they are not counted. But on Tampier Lake, both were allowed.

"We also catch a lot of walleye, drum, musky, crappie, and catfish, but only bass are counted. Most kids have between two and five poles. We are out there for eight hours and moving around. So it's usually like we're not catching anything."

Also, everything is catch and release. The fish are put in a protective bag and are only out of the water for a short time. Once they are weighed and verified, they are placed back in the water in hopes of being caught again. 

There's an entire team that is involved with it. The coaching staff includes assistant coaches Tim Fears and Mark Leasure. All the coaches are seasoned anglers with many years of experience, and they also assist with driving the boat. Roger Elion can also be used as a boat driver.

Due to a prior commitment, Leasure was unable to captain the boat at sectionals. So Fears stepped in and expertly guided the team during the pivotal tournament. 

The IHSA State Finals were held on Friday, June 6, and Saturday, June 7, at Lake Shelbyville in Shelbyville. There were 61 teams at the tournament. The same foursome of Campbell, Jock, Medina, and Santiago were there for the Tigers.

Joliet West was consistent. Each day brought a catch of two fish with a weight of 3 pounds, 7 ounces. So the total weight was 6 pounds, 14 ounces. That placed the Tigers 47th overall. 

"A lot of teams close to Shelbyville did well," said Barber, who is originally from Oak Lawn and has been at Joliet West a total of 16 years."It was still a great experience."

Windsor, which is about 12 miles from Shelbyville, won the state title with a total of 24 lbs 14 ounces. That was the highest winning total since 2014 and the fourth highest since the tourney started. St. Charles North took second (23lbs, 1oz) on a big bass (3lbs, 13oz) tiebreaker. Sandburg senior Adrius Stankus, who fished solo, took third (23lbs, 1oz). 

The sport should only grow from here. Both overall and at Joliet West. All six members of this season's squad were underclassmen. So they are expected back next spring.

"I have an Instagram account," Barber said. "Going out and posting the pictures has helped the sport at the school. Hopefully, this can all transcend into more kids coming out next year.

"This program isn’t just about catching fish—it’s about perseverance, teamwork, and building something lasting.”