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High school rodeo season fall leaders

Cowgirl Raelee Caldwell was spectacular in goat tying this fall and is among the top three going into the spring season. (Photo courtesy of Raelee Caldwell)

The first portion of the 2021-22 Wyoming High School Rodeo Association season has wrapped up for the winter break. There is still the bulk of the season remaining to determine state champions and national qualifiers but racking up a few points in the fall season is important because they carry over to the biggest part of the season in the spring.

Campbell County had its share of cowboys and cowgirls rope stellar starts to the season. From Rozet to Gillette to Wright, there were plenty of local competitors shine through October.
Raelee Caldwell, who is a junior at Thunder Basin High School, has a lot of momentum to carry over into March while breaking in a new horse. She sits at third overall in goat trying and is in the top 10 of breakaway roping, her two favorite events of the many the cowgirl can do.

Breakaway roping is one of the events that Sydney Oedekoven competes as she seeks to qualify for nationals when the season resumes. (Photo courtesy of Sydney Oedekoven)

“This fall season I competed in barrel racing, goat tying, and breakaway. I was seasoning a younger horse in barrel racing and was very pleased with how he handled the rodeo setting. I will continue exposing him next spring and hope to advance him into the top 10 standings by state,” Caldwell said. “Breakaway and goat tying are definitely my favorite events. I plan on practicing hard though the winter and have goals of making Nationals in goats and breakaway. It would be so exciting to compete nationally at my hometown.”

The National High School Finals Rodeo is making a return to the area as the Cam-Plex will host the biggest show on dirt in 2022 and 2023.

Our hometown cowboys are doing just as well after the first part of the season. Gillette bull rider Hayden Welsh leads the standings by 16 points going into the break and Colt Welsh, who also calls Gillette home, is third overall.

For some, the fall season was a chance to get on the dirt and see what needs practice and how their horses are running. Sydney Oedekoven is one of those cowgirls who are multiple-event competitors looking for steady improvement when the next half of the season fires up.

“I had my ups and downs this fall season for sure. Most weekends my barrel horse was placing us in the top 5 every time and my breakaway didn’t go as I had hoped but we still placed some weekends,” Oedekoven said. “I can’t wait for what this spring brings us. I’m looking forward to just keep placing and making it in the top four to go to nationals.”

More than a dozen area rodeo standouts were in action the last two months. Here is a list of the final fall standings and points that will carry over to start the next season in five months.

Current standings

(Points will carry over to spring season in March. Top four in the standings after the state finals will qualify for nationals. Here are the current top five competitors in each event as well as all Campbell County cowboys and cowgirls)

Bareback
1. Roedy Farrell, Thermopolis, 85.5
2. Tucker Carricato, Saratoga, 65.5
3. Coy Montgomery, Wheatland, 63.5
4. Jaspur Brower, Big Piney, 48.5
5. Jex Terry, McKinnon, 29
Rhyder Stahla, Gillette, 6
 
Barrel racing
1. Ashlyn Goven, Rozet, 75
2. Rayne Grant, Wheatland, 55
3. Jordan Morman, Gillette, 51
4. Haiden Thompson, Yoder, 50
5. Carter Howell, Huntley, 35
Sydney Oedekoven, Gillette, 30
Caitlin Moore, Wright, 24.5
Adeline Norstegaard, Gillette, 12
Ava Reno, Gillette, 12
Talli Engel, Rozet, 6
Raelee Caldwell, Gillette, 3
 
Boys cutting
1. Joseph Hayden, Gillette, 18
2. Cody Boller, Weston, 18
3. Cooper Justus, Parkman, 9
4. Broc Schwartzkopf, Douglas, 9
5. Keyton Hayden, Gillette, 7
 
Breakaway roping
1. Haiden Thompson, Yoder, 65
2. Ashlyn Goven, Rozet, 44
3. Caitlin Moore, Wright, 30
4. Kasey Carr, Jackson, 28.5
5. Rayner Grant, Wheatland, 28.5
Kaeley Hutchison, Rozet, 28.5
Raelee Caldwell, Gillette, 25
Talli Engel, Rozet, 23
Kennedy Sheehan, Rozet, 16.5
Sydney Oedekoven, Gillette, 9
Korlyn Slattery, Rozet, 3
Rozlyn Herren, 1
 
Bull riding
1. Hayden Welsh, Gillette, 57
2. Brenson Bartlett, Cheyenne, 41
3. Colt Welsh, Gillette, 34.5
4. Kyle Cheney, Powell, 33
5. Jaspur Brower, Big Piney, 29.5
Wyatt Norstegaard, Gillette, 17
 
Girls cutting
1. Sara Montgomery, Wheatland, 19
2. Adeline Norstegaard, Gillette, 19
3. Grace Peterson, Buffalo, 8
 
Goat tying
1. Haiden Thompson, Yoder, 98
2. Tavy Leno, Sheridan, 77
3. Raelee Caldwell, Gillette, 58
4. Kennedy Sheehan, Rozet, 46
5. Rayne Grant, Wheatland, 44
Caitlin Moore, Wright, 29
Talli Engel, Rozet, 16
Peityn Manor, Gillette, 5.5
Kaeley Hutchison, Rozet, 3
 
Light rifle
1. Tipton Wilson, Jackson, 30
2. Sharianna Brower, Big Piney, 27
3. Jessie Graves, Wheatland, 23
4. Peityn Manor, Gillette, 18
5. Jayce Sorenson, Greybull, 17
Caden Manor, Gillette, 7
Jase Wilson, Gillette, 3
 
Pole bending
1. Rayne Grant, Wheatland, 69
2. Talli Engel, Rozet, 50
3. Caitlin Moore, Wright, 49
4. Ashleyn Goven, Rozet, 48
5. Jordan Bonenberger, Lander, 35
Jordan Morman, Gillette, 13
Adeline Norstegaard, Gillette, 13
Tenna Jolovich, Gillette, 8
Natalie Jinz, Gillette, 1
 
Reined cow horse
1. Broc Schwartzkopf, Douglas, 30
2. Cooper Justus, Parkman, 23.5
3. Haiden Thompson, Yoder, 21.5
4. Rayne Grant, Wheatland, 20
5. Josie Waite, Morrill, NE., 18
Talli Engel, Rozet, 13
 
Saddle bronc
1. Jake Schlattmann, Greybull, 68
2. Jase Longwell, Thermopolis, 51.5
3. Roady Marsh, Minatare, NE., 27
4. Colby Smith, Burns, 27
4. Norris Graves, Clearmont, 25
Colton Wagoner, Gillette, 8.5
 
Steer wrestling
1. Karson Ewing, Douglas, 60
2. Chance Sorenson, Arvada, 56
3. Jase Longwell, Thermopolis, 48
4. Cannon Campbell, Shoshoni, 38
5. Jace Mayfield, Midwest, 38
Trenton Sheehan, Rozet, 7
 
Team roping
1. Jace Mayfield, Midwest, and Haiden Thompson, Yoder, 44
2. Joseph Hayden, Gillette, and Tavy Leno, Sheridan, 43
3. Kashton Reynolds, Rozet, and Hadley Furnival, Casper, 32
4. Tate Bishop, Burns, and Jhett Longwell, Thermopolis, 26
5. Jade Espenscheid, Big Piney, and Dillon Johnson, Belt, MT., 26
Jace Rourke, Gillette, and Mason Trollinger, Casper, 23
Talon Larson, Gillette, and Teagan Bentley, Casper, 23
Cannon Campbell, Shoshoni, and Ashlyn Goven, Rozet, 17
Kolton Miller, Gillette, and Hanna Griemsman, Worland, 12
McCoy Longwell, Thermopolis, and Coy Thar, Rozet, 9
Kaeley Hutchison, Rozet, and Cade Thar, Rozet, 4
Caitlin Moore, Wright, and Kloe Nichols, Boulder, 4
 
Tie-down roping
1. Cord Herring, Veteran, 54
2. Bohdi Coombs, Wellington, CO., 44
3. Kolton Miller, Gillette, 42
4. Teagan Bentley, Casper, 39
5. Coy Thar, Rozet, 35
Talon Larson, Gillette, 35
Joseph Hayden, Gillette, 23
Keyton Hayden, Gillette, 10
Hunter Henderson, Gillette, 6
Cade Thar, Rozet, 2
 
Trap shooting
1. Kolton Miller, Gillette, 29
2. Ryan Nunn, Lovell, 25
3. Isaac Frandsen, Rock Springs, 23.5
4. Jessie Graves, Wheatland, 23.5
5. Jacob Scharf, Rock Springs, 16.5
Jase Wilson, Gillette, 3

 

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