Roberts lands prize catch with bass fishing scholarship to Catawba Valley C.C.
Published 11:48 pm Monday, April 25, 2022
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Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
Zeb Roberts is joined by his family as he signed with Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, NC on a fishing scholarship. Pictured are (L-R) mother Quana Roberts, Roberts, sister Polly Roberts, and father Lester Roberts.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
Zeb Roberts signed to continue his education at Catawba Valley Community College joining the school's bass fishing program. Joining Roberts were (front L-R) mother Quana Roberts, Roberts, sister Polly Roberts, and father Lester Roberts. Back (L-R) Catawba bass fishing head coach Angela Mayo and assistant coach John Mayo.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders
Zeb Roberts is joined by Dan McClaskey who drove the boat for Roberts during his high school career.
Elizabethton High School senior Zeb Roberts isn’t a stranger when it comes to knowing how to set a hook when he feels a big tug on the end of his fishing line.
So, it came as no surprise when he felt a strong pull from Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, NC with an offer to join the #17 nationally-ranked Red Hawks as a member of the school’s bass fishing team.
Roberts put ink to paper on Monday afternoon in the EHS Commons area surrounded by family and friends and his new coaches from CVCC.
“I am thankful to be able to do it and that God has blessed me with the opportunity,” Roberts said. “You don’t get treated any different than anyone else there as it isn’t looked at as a different sport.”
While high school fishing is done within a 100-mile radius, Roberts will now have the opportunity to fish some of the best lakes in the country as a member of the Red Hawks.
Roberts high school fishing coach was Dan McClaskey, whose son Hunter McClaskey also from Elizabethton, currently fishes for the King University program in Bristol.
“He just put us out front and told us that you can’t learn anything if he was doing it for you,” said Roberts who said McClaskey just drove the boat with a big smile.
Although the school hasn’t really put a great deal into the sport, Athletic Director Forrest Holt told those gathered that it is something definitely that he is looking for someone to help build the sport further as Roberts made the second student to sign a bass fishing scholarship.
“We are proud to host this signing for Zeb,” Holt said. “Zeb is the second student from Elizabethton to go and do bass fishing at the college level. He is a distinguished young man and we are always proud to send people like that out to represent the Elizabethton Cyclones.”
