It's turning in to the Conner Cunningham show at Lake Hamilton this week. After starting the day with a 4-pound, 10-ounce lead, Cunningham, from Springfield, Missouri, weighed in a five-bass limit Friday totaling 15-02 to extend his advantage and pace the final 10 boaters who have now qualified to compete in Saturday's final round of the 39th annual BFL All-American in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Cunningham’s two-day total of 10 bass weighing 32-10 gives him an 8-05 edg heading into the final day of competition. Hunter Eubanks of Inman, South Carolina, weighed in a two-day total of 10 bass for 24-05 to finish Day 2 in second place, while Alexandria, Kentucky’s Sean Wieda rounds out the Top 3 with a two-day total of 22-12.
“Today definitely blew all of my expectations out of the water,” a happy Cunningham said after weighing in on Friday. “I’m honored to just be here, let alone leading this thing. The worst that I can do tomorrow is 10th place.”
Cunningham said that he fished the same way Friday that he did on Day 1, covering water and hitting around 30 different spots with a trio of baits that he declined to divulge.
“I’m just covering a ton of water and fishing what’s in front of me,” Cunningham said. “I caught my last fish today out deep, cranking a hump, and I was fortunate that it was a 5-pounder.
“Tomorrow, I’ll fish my fish the whole entire day,” Cunningham said. “I’ve been trying to save some. This lake is small, and I’ve been laying off them the last couple of days and trying to save them. I’m going to milk it for everything it’s worth tomorrow.”
When asked what he thought about being so close to the top payout of $120,000 and how he was feeling, the Ozark Division angler said that he would sleep just fine on Friday night.
“I try not to think about the money – I just leave it with the man upstairs,” Cunningham went on to say. “If He wants me to win, I’ll win. Now tomorrow morning when I’m taking off at 6:30 a.m. it might be a whole different ball of wax, but right now I’m just so happy to be here I think I’ll sleep just fine tonight."
Here's a look at the totals for the 10 anglers who advanced to the final round:
1st: Connor Cunningham, Springfield, Mo., 10 bass, 32-10
2nd: Hunter Eubanks, Inman, S.C., 10 bass, 24-05
3rd: Sean Wieda, Alexandria, Ky., 10 bass, 22-12
4th: Brian Bean, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 22-04
5th: David Lowery, Milledgeville, Ga., 10 bass, 21-07
6th: Ryan Powroznik, Hopewell, Va., 10 bass, 21-06
7th: Andy Wicker, Cayce, S.C., 10 bass, 20-12
8th: Jonathan Crossland, Chapin, S.C., 10 bass, 20-07
9th: Justin Kimmel, Athens, Ga., 10 bass, 20-04
10th: Mike Reid, Greenville, Texas, 10 bass, 19-05
