PAGE B2 Sunday, July 16, 2017 S GILLETTE NEWS RECORD S GILLETTE, WYOMING
RETURNING CHAMPS
13 national champions return to this years NHSFR
By KATHY BROWN
NEWS RECORD SENIOR WRITER
kbrown@gillettenewsrecord.net
Thirteen national champions are
returning to the 69th annual National
High School Finals Rodeo in Gillette
this week.
The rodeo, which starts Sunday
night, has 18 events for cowboys and
cowgirls. This years edition includes
the all-around cowboy in 2016, Colt
Papy of Ocala, Florida.
The 18-year-old senior, wearing No.
66 on his back, will compete in tie-
down roping and team roping.
He comes in with some stout cre-
dentials, at least at the NHSFR. Papy
and his team roping partner Ryon
Springer, also from Ocala, finished
fifth a year ago in field that will
include the returning champions and
reserve champions in 2016.
Papy also placed 18th in tie-down
roping a year ago.
Team roping wont be the only
event with plenty of experience in the
lineup in 2017.
There are two former national
champions back in girls cutting, four
of the top five cowgirls returning in
breakaway roping and two national
champions back in bull riding and
team roping. That doesnt include
about 20 other cowboys and cowgirls
who registered top-five finishes in
their events a year ago.
You want top talent? This NHSFR
will have it in abundance.
Heres a rundown on who to look
for in 2017:
All-around cowgirl
Katlyn Miller of Dammeron Valley,
Utah, finished as runner-up in the
all-around a year ago. The 17-year-old
junior also won the goat tying title in
2016. Shell wear No. 678.
Bull riding
Judd Hebert (No. 406), an 18-year-
old senior from Egan, Louisiana, won
the national championship in 2016
with a three-ride total of 243 points.
He won the first go-round, the short-
go and the average by 36 points over
his next closest competitors.
Also back in the event this year is
the 2015 national champion, Wyatt
Covington (No. 318), an 18-year-old
senior from Omak, Washington.
Among those returning this year
is Trey Kimzey (No. 1117) of Strong
City, Oklahoma, the brother of world
champion bull rider Sage Kimzey,
and Stetson Wright (No. 654) of
Welcome NHSFR Families!
Good luck to all NHSFR Contestants!
Virginia cowgirl Sarah Angelone celebrates after winning breakaway roping in the short go of the 2016 Na-
tional High School Finals Rodeo at Cam-plex.
the Milford, Utah, Wright family that
includes a growing number of world
champions at the pro level. Wright
also will compete in saddle bronc.
Breakaway roping
The first NHSFR national champi-
on from Viriginia will be back com-
peting in the arena.
Sarah Angelone (No. 176) hopes
to be able to pump her fist like she did
a year ago at Cam-plex if she clinches
another national title. The 18-year-old
senior will compete in breakaway rop-
ing and team roping in 2017.
Also back is the reserve national
champion, Alli Masters (No. 805), a
16-year-old sophomore from Leon,
Iowa, who will compete in goat tying
and breakaway.
McKenzie Wansing (No. 471) of
Garden City, Missouri, was third in
breakaway a year ago. This year, the
18-year-old senior also will compete
in goat tying and team roping.
And Maddy Deerman (No. 192),
who placed fifth in the breakaway a
year ago, also will be back. Shes 17
and knows all about hope Hope,
New Mexico, that is, her hometown.
Girls cutting
Kadee Hall (No. 1135) won the
2016 girls cutting championship
in the NHSFR in Gillette. The
Comanche, Oklahoma, cowgirl
returns this year and will take on a
field including Sidney Amos (No.
676) of Loma, Colorado, the 2015
national champion. Amos, 18, is a
senior.
Also in the field is Taylor Strohl
(No. 1608), 16, of Clovis, California.
Strohl finished third a year ago and
won the short-go in girls cutting.
Also joining the field will be Kate
Jaros (No. 801), a 17-year-old senior
from St. Charles, Iowa, who placed
seventh a year ago.
Team roping
Marcos Martinez (No. 1158)
and John Gaona Jr., (No. 1159) of
Arizona used borrowed horses a year
ago to win the national championship
in Gillette by more than a second.
Both are 18-year-old seniors. Martinez
hails from Tucson and Gaona lives in
Only a 10 minute
Gallop from Cam-plex
Wyoming
Made Beer
& Spirits
available
here
P Beer P Wine
P Spirits
P Slushies
Discount Liquor & Lounge
90
Hwy.
S Douglas
2701 S. Douglas Hwy. 307-682-7068
News Record File Photo
Winkelman, Arizona.
Trailing them and also returning
this year were reserve champions
and brothers Kellen Johnson (No.
821) and Carson Johnson (No. 820)
of Casper. Kellen is an 18-year-old
senior who will go on to compete at
the college level at Gillette College.
Carson is a 16-year-old sophomore.
Their father is pro rodeo team roper
Jhett Johnson of Casper, the new
Casper College rodeo coach.
Also back this year are Stran
Morris (No. 1111) of Woodward,
Oklahom, and Jessen James (No.
1112) of Moyers, Oklahoma, who fin-
ished fourth overall. The Oklahomans
are both 16-year-old sophomores.
The team roping partners Colt Papy
(No. 66) and Ryon Springer (No. 67)
of Ocala, Florida, who placed fifth
in the average, also are back, along
with seventh-place partners Chase
Atkinson (No. 235) of Elizabeth,
Colorado, and Clyde Bolejack (No.
236) of Elbert, Colorado.
Springer is an 18-year-old senior.
For more on Papy, see the all-around
cowboy information.
Cam-plex
Reata Dr.
1635
Boxelder Rd.
Pole bending
Brooklyn Gunter (No. 433) is the
latest NHSFR national champion
in a string of them from Sulphur,
Louisiana. The 16-year-old sopho-
more was second in the first-go a year
ago, and then made a clean sweep by
winning the second-go and short-go,
all with runs under 20 seconds in
Morningside Park.
Among her challengers is Gillettes
Shay Hough (No. 855), another
16-year-old sophomore, who placed
eighth overall in 2016 in her home-
town arena.
Bareback bronc riding
Jess Pope (No. 585) of Garnet,
Kansas, will be seeking a second
straight national championship in
2017.
The 18-year-old senior will compete
in a field that includes four of the top
seven returners from 2016.
A year ago, he rode to the highest
score in the NHSFR in the short-go
to clinch the title. This year hell also
compete in saddle bronc.
Among his top challengers could
be 2016 national reserve champion
Daylon Swearingen (No. 391), an
18-year-old juninor from Piffard, New
York. He also will compete in bull
riding.
Shawn Perkins (No. 1037) of
Roberts, Montana, also finished fifth
in the nation in bareback riding a year
ago. Hes an 18-year-old senior.
And Cooper Bennett (No. 66), the
brother of pro bareback rider Caleb
Bennett, placed seventh a year ago
in the event. The 17-year-old junior is
from Roosevelt, Utah.
Also back are Cyle Denison (No.
398) of Iowa, Louisiana, and Britt
Buller (No. 399) of Kinder, Louisiana,
who set an arena record in team rop-
ing at the NHSFR.
Goat tying
Katlyn Miller (No. 678) is returning
as the national champion in goat tying
(see all-around cowgirl for more infor-
mation on her.)
Also back is Tommi Sue Swannack
(No. 343) of Sprague, Washington,
who finished third, just about 26 hun-
dredths of a second behind Miller a
year ago. The 18-year-old senior also
is competing in light rifle shooting.
Among this years goat-tying com-
petitors also is Julianne Montero
(No. 302), a 16-year-old sophomore
from Winnemucca, Nevada, who was
See CHAMPS, Page B
 3
Crown
Royal &
Pendleton
.750 ml
$18.99
FREE
ICE
with purchase