PIERRE—This past week Belle Fourche High School Rodeo Team traveled to Pierre to compete in the 77th State High School Finals Rodeo held June 16-20. The state competition brought an end to the state-level high school rodeo for the year, now moving on to the national level competition. The National High School Rodeo Finals will be held in Lincoln, NE at the Sandhills Global Event Center from July 19-25.
The area rodeo athletes put on a tough showing at state, taking eleven competitors to the short go competing in 13 events. They were Syd Pelster in goat tying and breakaway roping; Raina Reder in goat tying; Lukayzee Brink in goat tying; JP Jensen in team roping; Koby Bowden in tie down roping and team roping; Jory Olson in steer wrestling and team roping; Casen Schmidt in bareback riding; and Conner Crowser, Kolby Tibbs, Trigg Olson and Cooper Conry all in saddle bronc riding.
This formidable group of rodeo competitors defended their State Champion Team Title by winning it for the fourth year in a row. They also brought home the Buster Berry Award for earning the most points in traditional rodeo events for the third year in a row.
The top four places in each event move on to nationals. Five Belle Fourche High School rodeo athletes emerged victorious and are headed to Lincoln.
Making the South Dakota National Team: Casen Schmidt grabbed third place, winning first place with a 78 in round one, fifth place in round two with a 64, in the short go, he tied for fourth with a 70; Koby Bowden and Jory Olson finished fourth in the team roping, round one they finished sixth with an 11.92, round two they finished first with an 8.24 and in the short go they finished eighth with a 21.64; Remi Crago won State Champion in Smallbore Rifle; and Tacen Carr finished third in the state in Trap Shooting.
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