The National High School Finals Rodeo came to its conclusion on Saturday. The finals were held this year in Lincoln at the Lancaster County Events Center. Several area cowboys and cowgirls competed as part of team Nebraska.
Among the area highlights:
Brody McAbee of Ansley had a fabulous showing in the saddle broncs finishing fifth in the nation. McAbee put together 3 qualified rides scoring a 68 in the first go, a 70 in the 2nd go, and a 66 in the short go Saturday night. McAbee’s combined score of 205 placed him fifth overall in the final standings.
Matthew Miller of Callaway finished in the top 15 of the nation in the tie down roping. Miller led the competition after the first go with an opening time of 8.83 seconds. He would follow that up with a time of 12.36 in the 2nd go and 17.17 in the short go to finish with a combined time of 38.36 to place 11th overall at the national finals. Trace Travnicek of Minatare, NE placed just ahead of Miller in 10th.
Cody Miller of Broken Bow had a top 15 finish in the boys cutting. Miller scored a 143 in the first go, a 141 in the 2nd go, and a 133 in the short go. His combined score of 417 was tied for 12th overall.
Cooper Bass of Brewster and Dane Pokorny of Stapleton placed in the top 15 in the team roping. Bass had qualified for the national finals with Zack Bradley of Brewster but due to an injury Bradley was not able to compete. Pokorny was allowed to step in and take Bradley’s place. Bass and Pokorny put together three qualified runs posting an opening time of 11.68 seconds, then went 7.58 in the 2nd go, and 17.82 seconds in the short go on Saturday night. Their combined time of 37.08 was good for 12th overall.
Dane Pokorny would finish in the top 20 in steer wrestling. Pokorny posted times of 5.21 and 7.2 seconds in the first two go rounds but endured a penalty in the short go posting a time of 28.47 seconds. His combined time of 40.88 was good for a 16th place finish at the national finals.
Jace Hurlburt of Arcadia placed 15th overall in the breakaway roping. Hurlburt posted an opening time of 3.01 in the first go and bettered that with a time of 2.68 seconds in the 2nd go. Hurlburt was not able to post a qualified time in the short go but her combined time of 5.69 in her opening two runs was good enough for a top 15 finish.
Team Nebraska finished 15th in the girls standings, 6th in the boys standings, and 8th in the combined standings. Texas was the champion in all three team categories.
For more on the national finals rodeo, listen to the high school rodeo report on KCNI 1280 AM / 96.3 FM during the noon and 5 pm sports report.
To view more results – click here
