Before daylight breaks on tournament mornings, Clarendon Hall’s fishing team is already at work.
There are rods to check, tackle to organize and boats to launch, all before the first cast of the day. For the Saints, the 2025-26 season ended with eight anglers, several awards and a growing program under coach Whitney Phillips, a Lake Marion native who grew up fishing and boating.
Now in her third year leading the team, Phillips said the program continues to build confidence, experience and opportunity on the water.
“It was a no-brainer,” Phillips said. “The answer was yes. Not just for Troy or potentially Clara, but there really wasn’t anyone else at the time who had the interest, and I wanted to see the program continue.”
That personal connection runs deep. Her son, Troy Phillips, an eighth grader, has been on the team for all three of her seasons as coach. Her daughter, Clara Grace Phillips, a fifth grader, joined the team this year.
This season’s roster also included Reed Anderson, sixth grade; Kinley Ingram, fifth grade; Casey Martin, fourth grade; Colton Osteen, sixth grade; Gauge Mosier, seventh grade; and Baylor Rhodus, eighth grade.
The Saints fish primarily on the South Carolina High School Bass Challenge Trail, which Phillips said typically includes six to eight tournaments a season. This year also brought an added highlight when Clarendon Hall teams competed in a Bassmaster event held locally after the college series wrapped.
“The kids were excited,” Phillips said. “It felt like the big leagues out there. It was neat for them to have that experience.”
Fishing, though, is unlike most school sports. There are no daily after-school practices and no home-field routines. Success depends on family support, boat captains, sponsors and time spent learning on the water.
“It is one of those things that you get out of it what you put in,” Phillips said. “You’re not at the ball field every night. The fishing team is really neat because of the flexibility that it provides and the lessons that the kids, the coaches, the captains, the families can learn through fishing.”
That support system matters, especially in a sport where tournament costs can add up quickly. Phillips said sponsors help offset expenses such as fuel, lodging and insurance, while also helping fund team jerseys and a large banner displayed during tailgates and events.
This year’s Clarendon Hall team sponsors included AP Spray Co., Team Strike King, Summerton Drugs, J&J Towing & Shed Hauling, MACH, Palmetto Insurance and Consulting LLC, Santee Cooper Outdoors, SCISA, Coastal Family Vacation Rentals, All Pro Appliance Solutions, Southern Methodist Church of Summerton, Simpson Ace Hardware & Sports, Lake Marion Insurance, FTC, Coker Family Farm, Lew’s, Ricky’s Tree Service, Carolina Backflow, First Citizens Bank of Summerton, Josey Builders, Tony and Michelle McArthur, Gene and Jenny Mosier, Rod and Lesa Mosier, and Gene and Cindy Phillips, among others shown on the team’s sponsor banner.
On the water, Phillips said every angler improved, but one younger pairing stood out.
“If there was a most improved angler award, it would have to go to Casey and Gauge,” Phillips said.
Casey Martin, the team’s youngest angler in fourth grade, and seventh grader Gauge Mosier started slowly, but Phillips said they refused to quit. In one event, the pair went all day without catching a fish, then landed the biggest fish of their season just before weigh-in.
“They didn’t give up, which was a big deal,” Phillips said. “It’s easy to do that when you’ve been up since 5 o’clock in the heat or the cold.”
The season also gave Clarendon Hall’s youngest female anglers, Clara Grace Phillips and Kinley Ingram, both fifth graders, a chance to stand out. The two girls were the only female anglers to fish the entire Lowcountry trail this season, and their commitment earned them the 2025-26 Lady Angler of the Year award.
“It kind of is a funny award, because they were the only ladies, but they worked hard for it,” Phillips said. “For them, that was recognition of the time and dedication and that never-give-up mentality.”
Looking ahead, registration opens June 1 for both the Clarendon Hall team and Phillips’ community-based Santee Cooper fishing team, which serves students whose schools do not have active fishing programs. Phillips is also launching “Fish School” this summer, a new multi-day program aimed at helping beginners learn the sport before stepping into tournament competition.
“If they want to fish, we want them to fish,” Phillips said. “Whether they only fish one season or not, they’ve come on to the team, they’ve learned something, they’ve had fun, and they will make memories that they can carry with them forever.”
