Ask Hayden Bartee and Zeke Gossett about their plans for the weekend, and they’ll reply calmly, as if it’s going to be just another day at the lake.  It isn’t lost on them, though, that they’ve been invited to compete in what they describe as “the Super Bowl of bass fishing.”

“This is something I’ll be able to look back at 40 years from now and be proud of,” Gossett said of the duo’s opportunity to fish in the BASS Bassmasters Classic High School Competition.  The tournament will be held on Lay Lake, with weigh-ins beginning at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the BJCC in Birmingham.

Juniors at Pell City High School, where they are members of the bass fishing team, Bartee and Gossett were invited to the Bassmasters Classic after winning the Alabama BASS Nation High School Classic in November, at which they reeled in a five-fish catch that weighed 15.29 pounds using Strike King Hack Attack Spinnerbait and a Big Bite Fighting Frog.

“It was really exciting to win that and be able to have the chance to compete at this level,” Bartee said.  “This is the most coveted tournament in the fishing world.  It’s overwhelming.”

The Bassmasters Classic is the fourth competition in three weekends for the team, which came in second in the Airport Marine High School Tournament and won the Alabama Student Angler Bass Fishing Association Tournament.  Gossett’s sponsors include Moment Sports Wear, Vicious Fishing, Strike King, Elite Tungsten, Maui Gym, and Power Pole.  Bartee is sponsored by Big Bite Baits.

“These guys want to make their hometown proud and make Pell City High School shine,” said Curtis Gossett, the high school’s fishing coach.  “I hope we’ll have a big contingent of Pell City folks who come out to the BJCC to enjoy the expo and cheer these guys on.”