The National High School Finals Rodeo begins this weekend in Gillette, Wyoming. Rodeo performances begin Sunday evening and continue through Saturday, July 23rd. Several cowboys and cowgirls from the KCNI/KBBN coverage area will be competing at this year’s event. Cooper Bass of Brewster was this year’s boys all around champion for the state of Nebraska and will be competing in two events at the national finals. Bass will compete in the boys cutting with his first run scheduled for Monday evening and second run on Friday morning. Bass will then join Zack Bradley of Brewster as they compete in the team roping event with their performances scheduled for Tuesday morning and Thursday evening. Whitney Jennings of Seneca will compete in two events. Jennings was the state champion in the girls cutting and will compete in that event on Monday morning and again Friday evening and will also compete in the breakaway roping on Tuesday morning and Thursday evening. Anna Clark of Thedford was the state champion in the barrels. Clark is scheduled to compete in barrel racing in the final performance of the 1st go on Wednesday morning then turn around and compete again Wednesday evening in the first performance of the 2nd go. Spencer DeNaeyer of Seneca won the state title in the barebacks. DeNaeyer will be among the first to compete in the event at nationals as he will be in the opening performance Sunday evening and won’t ride again until the final performance of the 2nd go on Saturday morning. Coy Johnston of Stapleton will be in the same situation. The state champion in steer wrestling will compete Sunday evening and again next Saturday morning in the 2nd go. That is also the same scenario for Taci Flinn of Arcadia who will compete in the barrel racing event and Cooper Kursave of Arcadia, the bull riding state champion, will be in the first performance of the first go and last performance of the 2nd go round. Sid Miller of Merna qualified for nationals in the tie down roping. The state champion in the event will compete in Tuesday evening’s performance and again Thursday morning. Broken Bow’s Emma Pearson qualified in the girls cutting. She is scheduled to perform Tuesday morning and again Thursday evening. Stapleton’s Dane Pokorny will be busy on Wednesday competing in the steer wrestling in the morning and again that evening. Burwell cowboys Devin Konicek and Cooper Phillips will be in action Monday evening and again Friday morning. Konicek qualified in the boys cutting and Phillips in the tie down roping. Others from the area competing at nationals include Jason Ducker-Kursave of Arcadia who will compete in the bull riding Tuesday evening and Thursday morning and Emma Warren of Thedford will compete in the goat tying on Monday morning and Friday evening.
This year’s national finals will conclude with the short go on the evening of Saturday, July 23rd. Listen for updates of results during the noon and 5 p.m. sports reports next week on KCNI 1280 AM / 96.3 FM
