Articles & photos by Nancy Brannon
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The Tennessee High School Rodeo State Finals came to the Show Place Arena in Memphis, TN, June 11-13. This was the culmination of the year’s rodeos for the teens, and it was an especially bittersweet show for the seniors. Each performance had a special theme: Memorial Tribute on Thursday, Neon Lights on Friday, and Patriotic Pride on Saturday. High point cowboys and cowgirls from the state are qualified for the 2015 National High School Finals Rodeo, held in Rock Springs, Wyoming July 12-18.
The last event of Saturday evening was Bull Riding. This night the score was bulls: 8, cowboys: 0. But the bulls had an advantage: it’s hard for young amateurs to tackle seasoned bulls with plenty of bucking experience. Most cowboys came out unfazed, but one young rider had trouble getting loose from his hand hold and the bull slung him around a bit. Emergency personnel were on hand to take care of him just after the cowboys and bullfighters came to his rescue in the arena. Three top cowboys who earned points in Bull Riding: Dustyn Thomas led in total points; Ryan McDaniel, second; and Heath Henry, third.
In Team Roping, David Holt and Cody Bynum led in total points, with Bryer Hamilton and Ethan Wheeler in second, and Shara Adcock and Ramsey Goolsby in third.
Steer Wrestling was another tough match for the cowboys and steers. On Saturday, some of the guys didn’t have quite enough weight to bring down the calf, but they put in substantial effort. Still, two cowboys tied for top points: Trey Gargis and Land Derryberry with 30 points each; Garner Holcomb was a close third with 29 points.
In Bareback Saddle Bronc, Carson Wulfert was way ahead of the pack with 134 total points. Logan Hughes is second with 87 points. Trey Gooch and Coy Garton tied for third with 25 points each. There was one Saddle Bronc rider, Ethan Foster, who earned 20 points this year.
In Tie Down Roping, David Holt led the way with 145 points for the year, scoring 13.58 and 13.57 in Memphis. Carson Kennedy was second with 130 points, having scored 13.46 and 11.04 in Memphis. Wil Tindall was third with 73 points, scoring 15.94 and 13.86 in Memphis.
Among the cowgirls, Cory Dowell led in Barrel Racing with 113 points for the year. She had times of 14.990 and 14.747 in Memphis. Lizzy Crenshaw was in second with 83 points. She had a great time of 14.481 in Memphis. Rachel Carrington was a close third with 80 points. Her times in Memphis were just over 20 seconds. Sadke Wolaver had a 16.007 in Memphis and is 4th for the year with 78 points. Alison Abernathy is a close 5th with 77 points for the year.
Karlee Sanders came out on top in Pole Bending with 141 points for the year. She had times of 21.316 and 21.206 in Memphis. Rachel Carrington was a close second with 109 points. She also had great times in Memphis: 21.076 and 21.354. Jordan Fuchs was third with 95 points, posting times in Memphis of 21.910 and 21.319. Sydni Cunningham was fifth with 83 points. Kelsey Phillips had fast times in Memphis of 22.767 and 20.768; she’s 6th with 79 points for the year.
In Girls Breakaway Roping, Shara Adcock posted scores of 4.31 and 4.53 in Memphis, finishing in first for the year with 92 points. Kelsey Phillips was a close second with 90 points. She had a super score of 3.45 in Memphis. Hannah Lee was third with 76 points. She scored 4.38 in Memphis. Allisyn Melcher had a great score of 3.54 in Memphis, finishing fourth for the year with 69 points.
Total points and full results for the year are available at the TN High School Rodeo Association website: www.tnhsra.com
[View More Photos]
The Tennessee High School Rodeo State Finals came to the Show Place Arena in Memphis, TN, June 11-13. This was the culmination of the year’s rodeos for the teens, and it was an especially bittersweet show for the seniors. Each performance had a special theme: Memorial Tribute on Thursday, Neon Lights on Friday, and Patriotic Pride on Saturday. High point cowboys and cowgirls from the state are qualified for the 2015 National High School Finals Rodeo, held in Rock Springs, Wyoming July 12-18.
The last event of Saturday evening was Bull Riding. This night the score was bulls: 8, cowboys: 0. But the bulls had an advantage: it’s hard for young amateurs to tackle seasoned bulls with plenty of bucking experience. Most cowboys came out unfazed, but one young rider had trouble getting loose from his hand hold and the bull slung him around a bit. Emergency personnel were on hand to take care of him just after the cowboys and bullfighters came to his rescue in the arena. Three top cowboys who earned points in Bull Riding: Dustyn Thomas led in total points; Ryan McDaniel, second; and Heath Henry, third.
In Team Roping, David Holt and Cody Bynum led in total points, with Bryer Hamilton and Ethan Wheeler in second, and Shara Adcock and Ramsey Goolsby in third.
Steer Wrestling was another tough match for the cowboys and steers. On Saturday, some of the guys didn’t have quite enough weight to bring down the calf, but they put in substantial effort. Still, two cowboys tied for top points: Trey Gargis and Land Derryberry with 30 points each; Garner Holcomb was a close third with 29 points.
In Bareback Saddle Bronc, Carson Wulfert was way ahead of the pack with 134 total points. Logan Hughes is second with 87 points. Trey Gooch and Coy Garton tied for third with 25 points each. There was one Saddle Bronc rider, Ethan Foster, who earned 20 points this year.
In Tie Down Roping, David Holt led the way with 145 points for the year, scoring 13.58 and 13.57 in Memphis. Carson Kennedy was second with 130 points, having scored 13.46 and 11.04 in Memphis. Wil Tindall was third with 73 points, scoring 15.94 and 13.86 in Memphis.
Among the cowgirls, Cory Dowell led in Barrel Racing with 113 points for the year. She had times of 14.990 and 14.747 in Memphis. Lizzy Crenshaw was in second with 83 points. She had a great time of 14.481 in Memphis. Rachel Carrington was a close third with 80 points. Her times in Memphis were just over 20 seconds. Sadke Wolaver had a 16.007 in Memphis and is 4th for the year with 78 points. Alison Abernathy is a close 5th with 77 points for the year.
Karlee Sanders came out on top in Pole Bending with 141 points for the year. She had times of 21.316 and 21.206 in Memphis. Rachel Carrington was a close second with 109 points. She also had great times in Memphis: 21.076 and 21.354. Jordan Fuchs was third with 95 points, posting times in Memphis of 21.910 and 21.319. Sydni Cunningham was fifth with 83 points. Kelsey Phillips had fast times in Memphis of 22.767 and 20.768; she’s 6th with 79 points for the year.
In Girls Breakaway Roping, Shara Adcock posted scores of 4.31 and 4.53 in Memphis, finishing in first for the year with 92 points. Kelsey Phillips was a close second with 90 points. She had a super score of 3.45 in Memphis. Hannah Lee was third with 76 points. She scored 4.38 in Memphis. Allisyn Melcher had a great score of 3.54 in Memphis, finishing fourth for the year with 69 points.
Total points and full results for the year are available at the TN High School Rodeo Association website: www.tnhsra.com
