The dog days of summer are now upon us and with only three regular season events remaining for the Tennessee Christian Bass Anglers, the points race is reaching a boiling point. Currently the standings have Steve Legg sitting in first after his extremely consistent start, but David Crockett sits only two points back. You could throw a blanket over third through fifth with only three points separating those three anglers. Oiler has put together a strong mid-season push, but some timely bonus points have kept Bob and Kelsey Harvey hot on David Oiler's heels. These current standings reflect one drop, but lets take a look at the scenario when we apply the second drop.
- When we add our second drop to the top six and assume that each competitor maxes out their meeting points:
1. 501 - Steve Legg
2. 500 - David Crockett
T3. 498 - David Oiler
T3. 498 - Bob Harvey
5. 493 - Kelsey Harvey
6. 481 - Keith Dison
When we add the second drop to the '14 AOY standings, the points race looks insane!!! The top five anglers are separated by only eight points, and the top four are only separated by three points! The TNCBA season finishes with two night tournaments and a hot lake tournament that will be determined at the October meeting. Anglers will have to be on point and bring their best to the table, especially with the fatigue that anglers are forced to battle during the long hours of these next two night tournaments. A single lost fish could take them out of the fight. Bonus points for a LM over 5, SM over 4, or tournament big fish will play a huge role in this year's outcome. If one of the top competitors can steal a couple bonus points in the final three tournaments it would go a long way to sealing the deal. Then there is always the remaining TNCBA anglers that will be fighting for the top spot at each tournament. If one of the top four anglers slips up and allows a group of anglers not in the top six to finish ahead of them, their AOY dreams could be shattered. The 2014 AOY will definitely come down to the last tournament of the year and it is going to be a dogfight. So the question remains, "Who is clutch enough?"
Cody Dison - TNCBA President