High School Rodeo Event Ropes In The Fans

By NICK YAMASHITA

The Progress

The Moapa Valley High School and Junior High School Rodeo Club hosted a rodeo event at the Logandale Fairgrounds Rodeo arena on November 19-21. The southeastern corner of the fairgrounds was bustling with cowboys and cowgirls as families and fans came from all over Nevada, Utah, and Arizona (as well as a couple of other states) to compete in the event.

“The weekend went great,” stated Kelly Christensen, coordinator of the rodeo event and advisor for the Moapa Valley Rodeo Sr/Jr High Club.
There was no doubt that the big attraction was the bull-riding. It was a crowd favorite.

But the other athletes and events brought in fans as well. The most competitors were entered in the team roping and the barrel racing events. However each event entertained as the dust and mud was flipped up by the hooves of the horses and the falling of wrestled steers.

The local High School Rodeo Club has seen a drop in its membership compared to the past. But the few athletes still involved still compete hard and represent the community well.

The team consists of Rilee Christensen, Corbin Farley, Carter Wagasky in the High School division. Alexis Zinovich is the lone local rodeo star for the Junior High division.

Besides the rodeo, there also was plenty of good food and drink provided to the crowd by two local food trucks: Kuppa Joe and Tio Chuy’s Tacos. The rodeo announcer, Jamie Hudec, also gave a shout-out to local “hero” Anna King for being available to provide Emergency Medical Services as the EMT for the event.

After all the events were done and the chutes were closed up, the winners of the events were as follows.
Jr High Winners: Boys Breakaway – Cade Steward; Ribbon Roping – Jace Jepson & Shelby Fry; Boys Goat Tying – Jace Jepson; Pole Bending – Huntley Byrd; Chute Dogging – Olen Morrison; Saddle Bronc Steer Riding – Wyatt Lusk; Bareback Steer Riding – Wyatt Lusk; and Bull-riding – Wyatt Lusk.
High School Winners: Barrels – Wylee Mitchell; Bull-riding – Eyer Morrison; Girls Cutting – Lyndee Moser; Boys Cutting – Billy DeLong; Saddle Bronc – Billy DeLong; Steer Wrestling CJ Christian; Bareback – Jack Dukes; Breakaway – Lexi Garijo; Pole Bending – Italy Jo Holman; Goat Tying – Wylee Mitchell; Tie-down – Cole English; and Team Roping – Josieray Funk & Garrett Jepson.

The biggest winners were the all-around cowboy/cowgirl awards. The Junior High All-Around Cowgirl Award went to Matti DeLong while Jace Jepson won the Junior High All-Around Cowboy Award. The High School All-Around Cowgirl was claimed by Wylee Mitchell and then the High School All-Around Cowboy was none other than Billy DeLong, who has been making a name for himself this year in competition as well as having been the Rookie Cowboy of the Year last season back in June from the Humboldt County Rodeo Club.

“Thanks to all of our competitors and of course, all of our sponsors for making this rodeo possible,” said Christensen. “Also thanks to all of the helpers for everything they did, we really could not have pulled this off without all of you.”

The club also wanted to express a gratitude to all of the sponsors, including the all-around sponsor of E&M Contracting; Gold Buckle Sponsors – Desert Crane, Desert Pines Equine Medical & Surgical Center, Fisher Sand and Gravel, and John Hunt. The club also thanks Hardy & Sons for the hay donation.

For more information about the upcoming high school rodeo events in Nevada check out their website at www.nevadastatehsra.net.