High School Rodeo


World Champions are Crowned at 2017 NHSFR


Contributed Courtesy NHSFR, Photography by Rodeopixs


The Saturday night short round


concluded the 2017 National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) and the World Champions were crowned. By three tenths of second Elle Eagle became the 2017 High School World Champion Barrel Racer. The Colorado cowgirl overcame a hard- ship last year when her horse broke his leg. Eagle admires the grit and huge heart her horse has gave throughout the rehabilitation process and to make it this far after she didn’t think he’d come back from his injury. Bareback rider, Payton Lackey of Blan-


co, TX made three consistent rides to give him world title in the bareback riding. Lackey came into the short- go with 151 points on two, just 3 points ahead of Jess Pope. Lackey says he just picked up riding bareback horses 8 months ago when he went attended a Bareback riding clin- ic offered by the 4- time WNFR World Cham- pion, Bobby Mote. Texas cowboy and cowgirl showed their expertise in the cutting pen—Chaser Crouch is the Boys cutting world champion and Jamie Lyn Lucas is the Girl Cutting World Champi- on.


Brighton Bauman of Okeechobee, FL came into the Breakaway Roping leading the aggerate and roped her calf in 2.56 seconds to hold the lead in the aggerate and earn the 2017 World Champion Breakaway Roping Title. Going into the final short round perfor-


Chaser Crouch won the Boys Cutting


Payton Lackey won the Bareback Riding


mance of the Bull Riding Trey Holston (KS) led


the aggerate by one point. Holston’s 84-point ride was the highest in the final round – he covered all three of his rides for a total of 242 points and become the World Champion Bull Rider.


The goat tier from Texas, Sonora Schuen- eman had quick and consistent hands this week at the NHSFR. Schueneman won go-round 1 with a 6.83 second run and her 7.21 second run in go-round 2 sat her first in the round and in the average. And took the title when she tied her third goat in 7.59 seconds. Mikayla Joh Almond of Olin, NC fought a tough race in the pole bending. Almond came into the final round in 5th the average and had a smoking 19.865 second run to put move her all the way to the top of the leader board just behind hometown cowgirl, Shay Hough. Utah cowboy, Daxon Buttars scored high points in the reined cow horse arena throughout the week. Buttars ended up third in go round 1 with 292 points and second in go round 2 with 294.5 points. He scored 295.5 points in the final round to give him 882 points total and crown him the Reined Cow Horse World Champion. 18 year-old senior, Houston Brown from


Miles City, MT earned the 2017 Saddle Bronc World Title after his 79 point ride Saturday night. Brown won the first round and led the average by 8 points going into the final short round.


The bulldogger from Oak View, CA,


Champion was Sonora Schueneman


The Goat Tying


Tucker Allen flipped three steers consistent- ly at the NHSFR to earn him the 2017 World Champion Steer Wrestler title. Allen says Luke Branquinho is one of his biggest inspirations and thanks Branquinho for helping him get to


where he is today. Arizona teammates, Denton Petersen and


James Flake came into final round on top in the team roping with 13.68 on two steers, almost a full second head of the next team. The duo turned their third steer in 6.72 seconds to make them the Team Roping Champions. Abdiel Zamora of Okeechobee, FL ended up second in both go-rounds and came into the final round leading the Tie-Down aggerate with 19.92 on two. When “The Z-man” (Zamora preferred name) tied his calf in 10.96 seconds in the final round he earned 2017 World Cham- pion Tie- Down Roping title. Stetson Wright, son of the 13-time WNFR


qualifier, took the All- Around Cowboy Title. Wright advanced in the final round of the Sad- dle Bronc riding and Bull riding, covering all 3 of his bronc and all 3 of his bulls through the week.


The hometown cowgirl of Gillette, WY Shay Hough won the 2017 World All- Around Cowgirl title. Hough made it to the NHSFR in the barrel racing and pole bending – she advanced to the short round in the pole bend- ing and ending up a tenth of a second short of winning the National title in the pole bending. Hough is also a member of the National honor society. The young 16-year-old looks forward to making it back to the National High School Finals next year. w


Jaime Lynn Lucas was the Girls Cutting Champion


September 2017 SouthWest Horse Trader 7


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