High school regional rodeos kick off road to state finals in East, River regions

Marcus Traxler, The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
·4 min read

Jun. 7—HURON, S.D. — The regional road to the South Dakota High School Rodeo Finals got underway June 3-4 at sites around the state, with a number of top performances showing at the opening weekend in Huron for the East Region.

In tie-down roping, Mitchell's Cade Grill leads in points with 16 after finishing third in both runs over the weekend. His best time was 12.39 seconds. In steer wrestling, Springfield's Terran Talsma had the top times in each go-round with times of 5.52 and 5.48 seconds, good for the maximum of 20 points. In the saddle bronc, Christopher Nelson had the top score with a 61 in the first-go and is second in the region points with 10. Bailey Feistner, of Woonsocket, is second in the reined cow horse competition with 17 points, while Parkston's Kacy Goehring is third with nine points.

Athletes that score at least three points in regional rodeos will qualify for the South Dakota High School Rodeo Finals from June 13-17 in Fort Pierre. Points from the state rodeo plus points from their three best regional rodeos (go-rounds) will decide the national qualifiers. The top-four point-earners from the season will be eligible to qualify for the National High School Rodeo Finals on July 16-22 in Gillette, Wyoming.

Michaela McCormick, of Salem, was the top scorer in both go-rounds for goat tying, with times of 7.16 and 7.51 seconds, scoring 20 points to lead the region's competition.

In pole bending, the top of the standings are filled with area competitors. Wagner's Shada Beeson leads with 19 points, with her best time being 21.022 seconds in the first-go, and then won the second-go on a 21.117-second ride. In second place, Canistota's Taylor McGregor has 17 points, powered by a 20.957 winning ride in the first-go. Wessington Springs' Raylee Fagerhaug is third with 10 points, Woonsocket's Tierney Breen has nine points and Wagner's Shana Lensing is fifth with eight points.

In breakaway roping, Colman's Josie Mousel has the top score with 18.5 points, including a 2.77 time in the second-go. Woonsocket's Tierney Breen was second in points with 11 points, with a pair of sub-4-second rides, including her fastest time of 3.51 seconds. Raylee Fagerhaug is fifth on points with nine, while Ella Fagerhaug is sixth with 8.5. Mitchell's Ally Henkel is eighth in the standings with seven points. The final weekend of regional rodeos in the East Region is at Watertown on June 10-11.

HIGHMORE, S.D. — The opening weekend of River Regional rodeos in Highmore saw a number of area standouts at the top of the leaderboard.

Winner's Garret Phillips leads the boys cutting standings with 18 points, including a top score of 71.5 on the first weekend. White River's Rhone Schmidt is second with 17 points and Colome's Seth Heath is third with 16 points, after a top performance of 71 points. Phillips is also second in the reined cow horse competition.

In girls cutting, Burke's Piper Hanson won both go-arounds for the weekend with scores of 71.5 and 71 to score 20 points. Pierre's Ryen Sheppick scored 18 points for second place and Kimball's Sydney Stahl is third with 16 points. In pole bending, Pukwana's Megan Marone is fourth with 13 points, while Colome's Ashlyn Hoffine is fifth with 10 points.

Swade Reis, of Reliance, won the second-go in the steer wrestling competition with a time of 11.060 seconds, and he's second in the points standings.

In team roping, Stetson Shelbourn, of Colome, and Browdy Kocer, of Wood, rank second in points with 16, followed by Teigan Vanderpol and Sutton Vanderpol, both of Geddes, in third place with 12 points and Reliance's Swade Reis and Rope Reis with 11 points. Reis and Reis won the first-go with a top time of 8.550 seconds.

In barrel racing, Gabi Irving, of Pierre, has the top point total after the opening weekend, scoring a perfect 20 points after winning both go-rounds. She won the first-go with a time of 18.491 seconds, followed by 18.328 in the second run. Caysen Gran, of Kennebec, is third in points at 15 after a top time of 18.633, which was third-best in her second run. Letcher's Aubrey Moody is seventh with seven points, while Shayda Ness, of Kimball, is eighth with five points and Marone is ninth with four points.

Gran is fourth in the breakaway roping points with nine after a second-place time in the second run (2.380 seconds). Miller's Tyra Gates leads with 17 points, while Interior's Breezy Amiotte is second at 16 points.

The final weekend of regional rodeos in the River Region is at Winner on June 10-11.