SHORELINES

17 a p c s hor e l i n e s.c om | 2016 Vol :1 They are a dynasty, built to compete for titles year in and year out. And the championships have come – four in recent years. They are the standard by which other programs judge themselves, and they have become the hunted. As the championships and the accolades pile up, so does the pressure to keep collecting titles. Nick Saban's University of Alabama football team? He can only wish to dominate his sport the way Hayden High School has dominated fishing. While the Crimson Tide has captured four titles in the past seven years, the Wildcats' fishing team has won the state championship four of the past five years, including four in a row from 2011-14. Hayden "slipped" to third place in 2015. "We're known across the country as being one of the powerhouses of fishing," says coach Chris Kanute. "Anywhere you go that you mention high school fishing, people think of us." Kanute began the program with fishing buddy Scott Ashley when both of their sons were in eighth grade. What happened next is no fish tale. They claimed the state championship in 2011 in their first year of competition. And second. And third. And fourth. Then came last year's third-place finish. Kanute and fellow coach Casey Shelton, who replaced Ashley last summer, say championships have become harder to win. "I'll tell you, the competition has gotten so much tougher in the last couple of years," Shelton says. "All these boys and girls who compete are great kids with a passion for the outdoors and they are spending time perfecting their skills." Opposite: Photo by K a r im sh a msi-Bash a – Hayden High School anglers practice on Lay Lake in preparation for their next tournament.

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