Trinity (Whitesville) is expanding its athletic programs, as a new bass fishing team has been created.
Preparing to start in the spring of 2022, the new program will be spearheaded by Head Coach B.J. Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald is no stranger to bass fishing, as he was a boat captain for Ohio County last year and his boat got 10th in the regional tournament. They had qualified for state and placed 37th out of 170 teams.
He is thrilled to be on board, knowing that there’s plenty of support behind the program from the school, students and parents.
“I just want to say how awesome it is to be able to be part of an up and coming program that I know will make a name in this area as one of the best fishing teams in the state,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald has a full roster right away, composed of the lone senior Blake McBrayer, numerous underclassmen and two eighth graders in Easton Pedley and Will Jenkins.
The Raiders will also have a standout freshman in Carson Fitzgerald, as he placed in the top-10 in seven out of nine tournaments in 2021 with three wins in SAF competition.
Despite toting a very young roster, Fitzgerald feels as though Trinity could shock some people this season.
“We have not competed this year, but my expectations are really high,” Fitzgerald said. “I’ve been a tournament fisherman for 20-plus years and understand the game as well as most in our area.
With the commitment of my boat captains and myself, I feel like we have just as good a chance at a state title as anyone else.”
In order to help make the young roster and program as a whole successful, Fitzgerald wants to instill a strong faith in Jesus first and foremost on top of laying down the blueprint for the future.
“Without him we wouldn’t even be here,” Fitzgerald said. “Next I want the students to learn the importance of conservation and making our fisheries better for the next generation of anglers. I want competition to mix with conservation.”
Knowing that this is a new program the Raiders expect some challenges, but with ample support Fitzgerald feels that they’ll be able to thrive.
“We plan to kick off our first year overcoming most of them,” Fitzgerald said. “With help from the community and very generous sponsors, we will sustain. When all the technical “stuff” is taken care of, all my anglers have to focus on is catching bass.”
