A team from Texas won the national Championship on Pickwick late. Team consisted of a boy (Wyatt Ford) and a girl a girl (Fallon Clepper) from Texas. They had like 39 pounds in total weight They won $250,000 in "potential scholarships" (not sure what that means). She is the first female to win a national H.S. title (according to the news article I read).
"potential scholarships" means that several schools offer scholarships at this event. The only way you get prize "money" is if you accept a scholarship from one of the schools. Otherwise, you get a trophy and a "thanks for attending". They also lump the money from all schools together to increase the image of a huge payout.
When we went, there were a few chances to win some swag during the week but not much. Lots of smoke at these events imo.
I will say that the town of Florence goes all out in trying to provide the anglers and the students a top-notch experience. Even knowing how the game is played, we would attend again if we got the chance - we had a great time overall.
So 3 major college championships and now the HS National title were all taken by Texas/THSBA teams or alumni this year........... no wonder the college scouts are flocking to the Texas HS events.