It’s rodeo time in Montana. And several local cowboys and cowgirls have found the ultimate success in Montana High School Rodeo recently.
Two weeks ago in Bozeman, the Montana High School Rodeo Finals were held, and it was certainly a good weekend for Havre’s Nick Owens and Big Sandy’s Weston Brown.
Competing in multiple events, Brown won the Boys All-Around Title in Bozeman, with his best individual event coming in the saddle bronc competition. Brown finished third in the championship round with a ride of 59 points, but he claimed the year-end championship in the event. Also finishing in the Top 10 in saddle bronc was Chinook’s Merle Young, who came in 10th place for the season.
Meanwhile, a current Havre High standout, Owens won the championship at the high school finals in bareback riding with a final ride of 76 points. Owens moved up to second in the year-end standings as well.
Other local preps who had strong performances in Bozeman included Big Sandy’s Tenley Keller. She finished sixth in the championship round in the barrel racing and placed seventh in the year-end standings. Keller was joined in the year-end standings by Harlem’s Laurel White, who finished ninth.
Owens and Brown are among many Montana high school cowboys and cowgirls who advanced to National High School Rodeo Finals July 17-23 in Gillette, Wyo.
Montana High School Rodeo Finals
Boys’ all-around – 1, Weston Brown; 2, Josh Davison; 3, Collin Johnson; 4, Newt Novich; 5, Tyler Hedrick; 6, Garrett Hanson; 7, Shane Knerr; 8, Dakota Louis; 9, Kane Feist; 10, Jed Davison.
Girls’ all-around – 1, Cate Hirschy; 2, Heather Knerr; 3, Lauren Reiser; 4, Abby Knight; 5, Ava Rankin; 6, Shaylee Hance; 7, Shelby Newman; 8, Courtney Rooney; 9, Allison Witkopp; 10, Cierra Camp.
Steer wrestling
Championship go-round – 1, Austin Malek, Highwood, 5.58; 2, Newt Novich, Twin Bridges, 7.54; 3, Marshal Ray, East Glacier, 13.24; 4, Carson King, Dillon, 13.83; 5, Garrett Hanson, Helena, 17.88; 6, Scott Andrews, Kalispell, 19.21; 7, Trevin Fox, Hays, 20.74; 8, Kyle Thompson, Bozeman, 25.92; 9, Collin Johnson, Browning, 26.15.
Year-end standings – 1, Newt Novich, Twin Bridges; 2, Garrett Hanson, Helena; 3, Marshal Ray, East Glacier; 4, Kane Feist, East Helena; 5, Othniel Harkins, Billings; 6, (tie) Carson King, Dillon, and Scott Andrews, Kalispell; 8, (tie) Collin Johnson, Browning, and Austin Malek, Highwood; 10, Weston Brown, Big Sandy.
Saddle bronc
Championship go-round – 1, Justin Harrell, Roy, 77; 2, Kendall Green, Cohagen, 62; 3, Weston Brown, Big Sandy, 59; 4, Douglas Hall, Browning, 57; 5, Colton Green, Cohagen, 56.
Year-end standings – 1, Weston Brown, Big Sandy; 2, Justin Harrell, Roy; 3, Kendall Green, Cohagen; 4, Douglas Hall, Browning; 5, Chase Brooks, Deer Lodge; 6, Andrew Evjene, Two Dot; 7, Phil Shields, Philipsburg; 8, Josh Davison, Miles City; 9, Daulton Peterson, Glasgow; 10, (tie) Merle Young, Chinook, and Colton Green, Cohagen.
Bareback
Championship go-round – 1, Nick Owens, Havre, 76; 2, Calvin Ophus, Conrad, 71; 3, Cavan Wrzesinski, Boulder, 69.
Year-end standings – 1, Cavan Wrzesinski, Boulder; 2, Nick Owens, Havre; 3, Calvin Ophus, Conrad; 4, Justin Hanson, Fairfield; 5, Goldman Real Bird, Crow Agency.
Breakaway roping
Championship go-round – 1, Kellee Jo Hersrud, Columbus, 3.08; 2, Kelsey Trexler, Corvallis, 3.70; 3, Mandy Newman, Melstone, 4.36; 4, Kana Wuttunee, Hardin, 4.50; 5, Ava Rankin, Forsyth, 4.96; 6, Courtney Rooney, Miles City, 5.68; 7, Charley Yeager, Choteau, 6.68; 8, Lacey Camp, Belgrade, 7.65; 9, Cierra Camp, Belgrade, 10.29; 10, Cate Hirschy, Jackson, 26.05.
Year-end standings – 1, 1, Kellee Jo Hersrud, Columbus; 2, Kana Wuttunee, Hardin; 3, Mandy Newman, Melstone; 4, Ava Rankin, Forsyth; 5, Lacey Camp, Belgrade; 6, Cate Hirschy, Jackson; 7, Cierra Camp, Belgrade; 8, (tie) Courtney Rooney, Miles City, and Kelsey Trexler, Corvallis; 10, Raegan Tracy, Victor.
Pole bending
Championship go-round – 1, Abby Knight, Charlo, 20.96; 2, Danni Dandro, Helena, 21.08; 3, JoLee Pemberton, Stanford, 21.21; 4, Lauren Reiser, Townsend, 21.24; 5, Tanner Butterfield, Bozeman, 21.28; 6, Ava Rankin, Forsyth, 21.34; 7, Crystal Kleinsasser, Townsend, 21.35; 8, Heather Knerr, Grass Range, 21.79; 9, Lexi Bagnell, Polson, 22.02; 10, Bailey Fruit, Ekalaka, 22.14.
Year-end standings – 1, Abby Knight, Charlo; 2, Lauren Reiser, Townsend; 3, Hanna Heckman, Choteau; 4, Heather Knerr, Grass Range; 5, Crystal Kleinsasser, Townsend; 6, Danni Dandro, Helena; 7, JoLee Pemberton, Stanford; 8, Tanner Butterfield, Bozeman; 9, Ava Rankin, Forsyth; 10, Lexi Bagnell, Polson.
Barrel racing
Championship go-round – 1, Cierra Camp, Belgrade, 17.68; 2, (tie) Hannah Wollenburg, Red Lodge, and Bryona Frick, Florence, 17.78; 4, Bailey Fruit, Ekalaka, 17.81; 5, Alex Cole, Silesia, 18.00; 6, Tenley Keller, Big Sandy, 18.14; 7, Lauren Reiser, Townsend, 18.34; 8, Emily Schall, Missoula, 18.36; 9, Kelsey Trexler, Corvallis, 18.41; 10, Heather Knerr, Grass Range, 18.49.
Year-end standings – 1, Hannah Wollenburg, Red Lodge; 2, Bryona Frick, Florence; 3, Allie Novotny, Helena; 4, Alex Cole, Silesia; 5, Emily Schall, Missoula; 6, Cierra Camp, Belgrade; 7, Tenley Keller, Big Sandy; 8, Bailey Fruit, Ekalaka; 9, Laurel White, Harlem; 10, Lauren Reiser, Townsend.
Bull riding
Championship go-round – 1, Nevada Newman, Melstone, 87; 2, Dakota Louis, Browning, 82; 3, Quinn Greenough, Bozeman, 77; 4, Parker Breding, Edgar, 74; 5, Guy Nordahl, Helena, 73; 6, Tanner Hollenback, Dillon, 71; 7, Beau Powers, Butte, 70.
Year-end standings – 1, Parker Breding, Edgar; 2, Nevada Newman, Melstone; 3, (tie) Dakota Louis, Browning, and Guy Nordahl, Helena; 5, Quinn Greenough, Bozeman; 6, Tanner Hollenback, Dillon; 7, Jess Davison, Miles City; 8, Dolan Taylor, Wolf Point; 9, Rye O’Neal, Valier; 10, Beau Powers, Butte.
