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American Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- American Press
Lavergne brothers leave state rodeo as champions
The Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo ended just the way the Lavergne brothers wanted: as state champions. Wyatt Lavergne, a senior, won his fourth consecutive saddle bronc riding state title, while Ty Lavergne, a sophomore, won his first state championship in bull riding. 'Dreams ended up coming true,' Wyatt said. 'I was rooting for my brother more than anybody, more than myself. 'I feel more accomplished for him winning than I do myself.' While the elder Lavergne wrapped up his title on Friday, Ty Lavergne's came down to his final ride Saturday evening in the short-go at Burton Coliseum. He just needed an eight-second ride. He was initially bucked off but was awarded re-ride after the bull made contact with the chute as he came out. Despite having to wait a while for another bull to be brought into the arena, Ty Lavergne scored 68 points on the re-ride. 'I felt relieved, and it kind of put a little bit more pressure on me,' Ty said. 'I had to wait so long for it. I was glad that I got another chance to win it.' Ty Lavergne also won the average title with 219 points over three eight-second rides. He beat defending state champ Brennan Polito (Epic Charter) 126.4 to 102.25. 'It is a big relief, Ty Lavergne said. 'My buddy Brandon Polito was right on my tail the whole season. I just feel relieved to finally win it, especially with my brother.' Wyatt Lavergne's win in the second-go round on Friday was enough to earn him his fourth state title, and he wrapped up his fourth consecutive average title with a 73-point ride on Saturday. In 12 rounds at the state rodeo, he has scored 70 or more points nine times. 'I would say it is a weight off my shoulders,' Wyatt Lavergne said. 'I just came in here like I was losing, like I was last, and I just let it all hang out. I didn't have anything to lose, and so, it's a big accomplishment. Pretty proud of myself.' Barbe's Ella Kay won a second consecutive round Saturday on her way to defending her goat tying state championship. 'It's awesome, you know, I give all the glory to God and just thank him that I'm able to do this,' Kay said. She won the short-go round Saturday with her fastest time of the weekend at 7.12 seconds. She opened the LHSFR on Thursday with a 13.79-second run but bounced back on Friday with a time of 7.42 seconds. 'I was kind of nervous,' Kay said about her first-go round performance. 'I was just trying to go out there and be fast, and I just messed up.' 'I felt great (in the short-go round). My horse worked great, I did great, and I just thank God.' The top four in each event qualify for the National High School Finals Rodeo at the Sweetwater Events Complex in Rock Springs, Wyoming, July 13-19. Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo Short-go round results At Burton Coliseum Bull riding 1, Carter Shaw 85 2, Ty Lavergne 68 2, Luke Simon 68 Saddle bronco riding 1, Wyatt Lavergne 73 2, Austin James 38 Bareback riding 1, Ethan Parrott 64 Steer wrestling 1, Cain Martin 7.71 2, Cale Carpenter 8.89 3, Grady Ellis 10.43 4, Noah Weeks 11.55 5, Turbo Baxter 14.57 6, William Gunter 16.34 7, Luke Savant 17.40 Tie down roping 1, Cruz Melanson 8.46 2, Colten Esthay 9.01 3, Cougar Racca 9.55 4, Braxton Guillot 10.09 5, Gentry Silver 10.62 6, Carter Primeaux 10.69 7, Cooper Gallet 12.33 8, Colton Summers 13.56 9, Jayden Nunez 18.00 10, Trever Trahan 18.40 Team roping 1, Grant Engel/Skinner Wilkinson 5.15 2, Teddie Guynn/Wyatt Sonnier 6.79 3, Bill Odell/Tucker Wright 7.73 4, Shadd Huffman/Wayburn Chandler 9.99 5, Cole Steib/Kayson Lasyone 12.96 6, Hayden Walker/Grant Boudreaux 13.35 7, Cooper Broussard/Hudson Mudd 17.69 8, H.D. Willis/Carter Perry 22.28 9, Kensley Mudge/Wyatt DeMoss 33.75 Breakaway roping 1, Caroline Fontenot 2.10 2, Emma Nunez 2.30 3, Alex Poole 2.48 4, Jillian Fontenot 2.50 5, Keylee Izard 2.74 6, Addison Rains 3.00 7, Kensley Mudge 3.17 8, Saige Martin 3.47 9, Ava Nunez 12.07 Goat tying 1, Ella Kay 7.12 2, Brantlee Colbert 7.70 3, Kynnedy Nunn 8.07 4, Addison Rains 8.16 5, Abbey Anderson 8.96 6, Abbie Savant 9.86 7, Rylee Jo Maryman 10.13 8, Lauren Williams 10.20 9, Makayla Stelly 11.41 10, Katie Abshire 13.81 Pole Bending 1, Kodi Miller 20.280 2, Gemi Robinson 20.521 3, Rylee Jo Maryman 20.594 4, Addison Rains 20.680 5, Stella Aucoin 20.995 6, Ava Nunez 21.021 7, Logan Krieg 21.104 8, Emma Nunez 21.451 9, Abbey Anderson 21.606 10, Jossy Gantt 25.847 Barrel racing 1, Kynnedy Nunn 15.117 2, Gemi Robinson 15.229 3, Rylee Jo Maryman 15.304 4, Ava Nunez 15.323 5, Abbey Anderson 15.332 6, Logan Krieg 15.383 7, Kanley Cooper 15.404 8, Addison Rains 15.495 9, Jasey Gantt 15.535 10, Stella Aucoin 15.943 Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo At Burton Coliseum Standings after short-go round, Saturday, May 31, 2025 All-Around Cowboy Pl., Athlete, School Pts. 1, Braxton Guillot, La. Virtual Charter 142.0 2, Turbo Baxter, Slaughter Comm. 133.5 3, Cruz Melanson, Vinton 130.2 4, Kayson Lasyone 103.0 5, Jayden Nunez, S. Cameron 98.8 Rookie All-Around Cowboy Pl., Athlete, School Pts. 1, Cole Steib, Catholic-PC 127.8 2, Cain Martin, Sulphur 64.4 3, Skinner Wilkinson, Home School 60.8 All-Around Cowgirl Pl., Athlete, School Pts. 1, Abbey Anderson, Shepherd 292.25 2, Rylee Jo Maryman, Univ. View 257.3 3, Addison Rains, Magnolia Bend 238.4 Rookie All-Around Cowgirl Pl., Athlete, School Pts. 1, Addison Rains, Magnolia Bend 238.4 2, Kinley Walker, Home School 96.6 Bareback riding Pl., Athlete, School Pts. 1, *#Bryer Prince, Sulphur 113.0 2, Fisher Burnworth, Home School 63.8 3, %Ethan Parrott, Darbonne Woods 49.0 (123/2) Barrell racing Pl., Athlete, School Pts. 1, *#%Rylee Jo Maryman, Univ. View 116.5 (45.387/3) 2, Abbey Anderson, Shepherd 102.4 4, Gemi Robinson, Magnolia Bend 86.5 3, Ava Nunez, Bell City 82.2 5, Kynnedy Nunn, Welsh 62.5 Saddle bronc riding Pl., Athlete, School Pts. 1, *#%Wyatt Lavergne, DeQuincy 119.0 (148/2) 2, Austin James, Rosepine 71.7 3, Zach Reeves, Sulphur 64.0 4, Brant Schexnider, Kaplan 26.9 Tie down roping Pl., Athlete, School Pts. 1, #Braxton Guillot, La. Virtual Ch. 115.0 2, %Cruz Melanson, Vinton 110.2 (26.12/3) 3, Cougar Racca, Bell City 86.0 4, Gentry Silver, Bell City 73.1 5, Carter Primeaux, Erath 72.3 Breakaway roping Pl., Athlete, School Pts. 1, #Kensley Mudge, Magnolia Bend 56.0 2, Caroline Fontenot, Beau Chene 53.5 3, %Alex Poole, Bell City 51.35 (7.28/3) 4, Emma Nunez, Bell City 50.3 5, Faith Dubois, Home School 49.8 Steer wrestling Pl., Athlete, School Pts. 1, #Turbo Baxter, Slaughter 119.5 2, William Gunter, Sulphur 86.6 3, Kyler Landry, Ascension Cath. 73.5 4, %Cain Martin, Sulphur 64.4 (19.93/3) 5, Noah Weeks, Magnolia Bend 52.5 Goat tying Pl., Athlete, School Pts. 1, *#Ella Kay, Barbe 128.4 2, Abbey Anderson, Sheperd 97.8 3, Abbie Savant, Home School 89.1 4, Rylee Jo Maryman, Univ. View 86.6 5, Sage Raymond, Briarfield Acad. 85.8 9, %Kynnedy Nunn, Welsh 63.3 (25.57/3) Team roping Pl., Athlete, School Pts. 1, *#Kayson Lasyone, Magnolia Bend 175.0 #Cole Steib, Catholic-PC 2, Carter Perry, Cedar Creek 135.2 H.D. Willis, Home School 3, %Teddie Austin Guynn, Home School 132.6 (23.21/3) %Wyatt Sonnier, Welsh 4, Grant Engel, Jeff Davis Home School 121.8 Skinner Wilkinson, Home School 5, Carter Huffman, Jena 116.6 Andrew Paul, Jena Pole bending Pl., Athlete, School Pts. 1, *#Kodi Miller, Simpson 121.1 2, Gemi Robinson, Magnolia Bend 110.2 3, %Addison Rains, Magnolia Bend 99.4 (61.912/3) 4, Kenzie King, Jeff Davis Home School 62.4 5, Abbey Anderson, Sheperd 59.2 Bull riding Pl., Athlete, School Pts. 1, #%Ty Lavergne, DeQuincy 126.4 (219/3) 2, *Brennan Polito, Epic Charter 102.25 3, Carter Shaw, Magnolia Bend 85.3 4, Luke Simon, Notre Dame 61.55 5, Briggs Cooley, Christ Bridge 52.7 *2024 state champ #2025 state champion %2025 average champion
American Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- American Press
Ella Kay defends goat tying title, Ty Lavernge closing in on first bull riding title
Barbe's Ella Kay gets ready to tie a goat during the first-go round on Thursday at the Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo at Burton Coliseum. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) Barbe Ella Kay secured her second consecutive goat tying state championship on Friday, and DeQuincy's Ty Lavergne is close to winning his first bull riding title today at the Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo at Burton Coliseum. The short-go round starts at 5 p.m. After not scoring any points in the first-go round Thursday (13.79 seconds), Kay bounced back to win the second-go round on Friday with a 7.42-second run. The nine points for the win put her at 111 and over the 21-point lead threshold needed to keep Sage Raymond (Briarfield Academy, 85.8) and Abbey Anderson (Shepherd HS, Texas, 82.8) from catching up with her today in the short-go round. Lavergne's path to his first bull riding state championship is simple: stay on for eight seconds in today's round. He leads defending champion Brennan Polito (Epic Charter) by 12.9 points, 106.75-93.85. A scoring ride plus at least a seventh-place finish in the average standings will give Lavergne the 8.2 points he needs to hold off Polito. The pair tied for second in the first-go round with 73-point rounds. Lavergne was second in the second-go round on Friday with a 78-point ride, while Carter Shaw (Magnolia Bend) won the round at 79, and Polito was third with a 66. Lavergne currently leads the average title race with 151 points. Three cowboys have already secured state championships. Wyatt Lavergne won his fourth consecutive saddle bronco state championship, while Bryer Prince (Sulphur) won three in a row in bareback riding. Turbo Baxter (Slaughter Community Charter) is the steer wrestling state champ. The top four in each event qualify for the National High School Finals Rodeo at the Sweetwater Events Complex in Rock Springs, Wyoming, July 13-19. Here is a look at how the other events at the LHSFR are shaping up: Barrel racing Defending champion Rylee Jo Maryman (University View Academy) leads Abbey Anderson (Shepherd HS, Texas) in a tight race by 9.9 points, 97.3 to 87.4, for the barrel racing state title. Maryman needs a combination of 11.2 points between the short-go and points from her placing in the average standings to secure the state title. She placed in the top four in the first two rounds, including the top time on Thursday at 14.935 seconds, the only sub 15-second round. Maryman (30.083 seconds) leads the average standings by .316 seconds. Tie down roping Cruz Melanson (Vinton) and Cougar Racca (Bell City) cut into Braxton Guillot's (La. Virtual Charter) lead on Friday in tie down roping. Racca won the second-go round with a time of 8.85 seconds, while Melanson was second at 9.09 seconds. Racca (17.26) and Melanson (17.66) are one-two in the average standings, putting the pressure on Guillot. Guillot's magic number is 11.2 points to win his first tie down roping state championship. Breakaway roping The most contested event of the week is breakaway roping. Seven cowgirls are within 10 points of leader Kensley Mudge (Magnolia Bend), who has 42.8 points. Faith Dubois (Home School) is just .2 points off the lead, and Jillian Fontenot (Beau Chene) is 1.8 points back at 41. Mudge has no margin for error as she essentially needs to win the short-go round and the average. Dubois is currently the leader for the 12 points that go with the average title at 4.65 seconds on two runs, giving her a strong chance of overtaking Mudge (8.16 seconds) Team roping A fourth-place finish today in the short-go round will be enough for Cole Steib (Catholic-Point Coupee) and Kayson Lasyone (Magnolia Bend) to win the team roping title regardless of the outcome of the average standings. Steib and Lasyone, the defending champion, have 147.4 points, while Carter Perry (Cedar Creek) and H.D. Willis (Home School) are currently second at 117.8 points. Steib and Lasyone had the second-best time in the second-go round Friday at 8.03 seconds, while Braxton Guillot and Johnny Price won with a time of 7.65 seconds. Pole bending Kodi Miller (Simpson) is on the verge of winning her second consecutive pole bending state championship. Despite placing ninth (21.330 seconds) in the second-go round on Friday, Miller is still in the lead and needs 9.9 points to wrap up another state title. Gemi Robinson (Magnolia Bend) is second at 91.3 points. Addison Krieg had the best second-go time at 20.165 seconds. Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo Standings after second-go round All-Around Cowboy 1, Braxton Guillot, La. Virtual Charter 126.10 2, Turbo Baxter, Slaughter Comm. 117.30 3, Cruz Melanson, Vinton 109.20 4, Jayden Nunez, S. Cameron 97.00 5, H.D. Willis, Home School 89.90 Rookie All-Around Cowboy 1, Cole Steib, Catholic-PC 114.00 2, Cain Martin, Sulphur 43.40 3, Skinner Wilkinson, Home School 41.10 All-Around Cowgirl 1, Abbey Anderson, Shepherd 254.45 2, Rylee Jo Maryman, Univ. View 217.70 3, Addison Rains, Magnolia Bend 197.00 Rookie All-Around Cowgirl 1, Addison Rains, Magnolia Bend 197.00 2, Kinley Walker, Home School 96.70 Bareback riding 1, *#Bryer Prince, Home School 102.2 2, Fisher Burnworth, Home School 54.2 3, Ethan Parrott, Darbonne Woods 28.0 Barrell racing 1, *Rylee Jo Maryman, Univ. View 97.3 2, Abbey Anderson, Shepherd 87.4 4, Gemi Robinson, Magnolia Bend 70.0 3, Ava Nunez, Bell City 69.9 5, Kynnedy Nunn, Welsh 51.1 Saddle bronc riding 1, *#Wyatt Lavergne, DeQuincy 98.0 2, Austin James, Rosepine 54.0 3, Brant Schexnider, xxx 16.1 Tie down roping 1, Braxton Guillot, La. Virtual Ch. 99.1 2, Cruz Melanson, Carol Acad. 89.2 3, Cougar Racca, Bell City 68.0 4, Carter Primeaux, Erath 64.2 5, Gentry Silver, Bell City 59.3 Breakaway roping 1, Kensley Mudge, Magnolia Bend 42.8 2, Faith Dubois, Home School 42.6 3, Jillian Fontenot, Beau Chene 41.0 4, Caroline Fontenot, Beau Chene 36.1 5, Saige Martin, Sulphur 36.0 Steer wrestling 1, #Turbo Baxter, Slaughter 103.3 2, William Gunter, Sulphur 73.7 3, Kyler Landry, Ascension Cath. 71.1 4, Noah Weeks, Magnolia Bend 45.0 5, Jayden Nunez, S. Cameron 44.0 Goat tying 1, *Ella Kay, Barbe 111.0 2, Sage Raymond, Briarfield Acad. 85.8 3, Abbey Anderson, Sheperd 82.8 4, Abbie Savant, Home School 79.8 5, Rylee Jo Maryman, Univ. View 75.8 Team roping 1, *Kayson Lasyone, Magnolia Bend 147.4 Cole Steib, Catholic-PC 2, Carter Perry, Cedar Creek 117.8 H.D. Willis, Home School 3, Carter Huffman, Jena 109.4 Andrew Paul, Jena 4, Teddie Austin Guynn, Home School 92.4 Wyatt Sonnier, Welsh 5, Grant Engel, Jeff Davis Home School 82.2 Skinner Wilkinson, Home School Pole bending 1, *Kodi Miller, Simpson 102.5 2, Gemi Robinson, Magnolia Bend 91.3 3, Addison Rains, Magnolia Bend 81.1 4, Kenzie King, Jeff Davis Home School 62.4 5, Abbey Anderson, Sheperd 51.4 Bull riding 1, Ty Lavergne, DeQuincy 106.75 2, *Brennan Polito, Epic Charter 93.85 3, Carter Shaw, Magnolia Bend 65.5 4, Briggs Cooley, Christ Bridge 45.5 5, Luke Simon, Notre Dame 44.3 *Defending state champ #2025 state champion Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo At Burton Coliseum Results from the second-go round on Friday, May 30 Bareback riding 1, Bryer Prince 69 2, Fisher Burnworth 55 Barrel racing 1, Abbye Anderson 15.053 2, Kanely Cooper 15.066 3, Gremi Robinson 15.145 4, Rylee Jo Maryman 15.148 5, Addison Krieg 15.153 6, Ava Nunez 15.203 7, Kynnedy Nunn 15.374 8, Kenzie King 15.432 9, Logan Krieg 15.441 10, Addison Rains 15.469 Saddle bronc riding 1, Wyatt Lavergne 75 2, Brant Schexnider 44 Tie down roping 1, Cougar Racca 8.85 2, Cruz Melanson 9.09 3, K.J. Rideaux 9.66 4, Kyler Landry 10.87 5, Colt Guillot 11.02 6, Brennan Aucoin 12.42 7, Austin James 12.48 8, Braxton Guillot 12.53 9, Colton Summers 12.72 10, Tyler Lavergne 13.00 Breakaway roping 1, Steeley Franklin 1.92 2, Faith Dubois 2.08 3, Reese Broussard 2.37 4, Abbey Anderson 2.45 4, Alex Poole 2.45 6, Emma Bain 2.78 7, Michelle Hesnor 2.84 8, Jenna Vincent 2.96 9, Kensley Mudge 3.03 10, Keylee Izard 3.20 Steer wrestling 1, Cain Martin 5.53 2, Turbo Baxter 6.20 3, Jadon Leonard 14.61 4, Kole Landry 18.17 5, William Gunter 25.80 6, Cale Carpenter 27.13 7, Kyler Landry 30.82 Goat tying 1, Ella Kay 7.42 2, Kynnedy Nunn 7.51 3, Brantlee Colbert 8.27 4, Abbie Savant 8.29 5, Lauren Williamson 8.32 6, Abbey Anderson 8.73 7, Sage Raymond 8.80 8, Rylee Jo Maryman 8.98 9, Katie Abshire 9.07 10, Jamie Kile 9.25 Team roping 1, Braxton Guillot/Johnny Payne 7.65 2, Cole Steib/Kayson Lasyone 8.03 3, Teddie Austin Guynn/Wyatt Sonnier 8.78 4, John Wade Hoffpauir/Trace Watkins 9.34 5, Hayden Walker/Grant Boudreaux 10.36 6, Bill Odell/Tucker Wright 11.69 7, Grant Engel/Skinner Wilkinson 12.02 8, Caleb Brister/Kaden Doughty 15.15 9, Hollis Davis/Brayson Manuel 15.47 10, H.D. Willis/Carter Perry 16.62 Pole bending 1, Addison Krieg 20.165 2, Addison Rains 20.463 3, Gemi Robinson 20.543 4, Stella Aucoin 20.564 5, Abbey Anderson 20.744 6, Brinna Jo Wagner 20.890 7, Rylee Jo Maryman 20.930 8, Jossy Gantt 21.108 9, Kodi Miller 21.330 10, Logan Krieg 21.379 Bull riding 1, Carter Shaw 79 2, Ty Lavergne 78 3, Brennan Polito 66
American Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- American Press
Poised champ, Lavergne locks up fourth consecutive state title with strong bounce-back ride
DeQuincy senior Wyatt Lavergne clinched his fourth consecutive saddle bronc riding state championship on Friday, May 30, 2025, with a 75-point ride in the second-go round of the Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo at Burton Coliseum. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) The first-go round Thursday at the Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo at Burton Coliseum was a rare miss for DeQuincy's Wyatt Lavergne, but the seasoned cowboy was unfazed. He turned in one of his best rides of the season Friday in the second-go round and locked up his fourth consecutive saddle bronco riding state championship. 'It is a blessing to say (I have won four state championships),' Lavergne said. 'I don't know how many people have done it. I am sure there are a few. I am definitely proud of what I have accomplished.' He scored a 75-point ride Friday morning in the first session of the second-go round. 'I thought I did everything I could do with the stock that I drew,' Lavergne said. 'It was fun, and I had a good time.' In four trips to the state finals, Thursday's miss was Lavergne's first at the state rodeo, but his experience showed Friday. It was the eighth time in 11 rounds at the state rodeo that he scored more than 70 points. 'I knew what I did wrong,' Lavergne said. 'I just needed to go full throttle (Friday) morning and give it everything I had, and it ended up working out. 'I knew what I could do. I knew it didn't set me back yesterday. It was just a mental thing. I just had to overcome that challenge and forget about it. If you keep looking at the rear view you are going to run into something.' Rosepine's Austin James was the lone saddle bronc rider scheduled for the evening session. Even if James tops Lavergne's 75-point ride, the eight points for second place would give Lavergne 97 points and an insurmountable 34-point lead. The top 15 in each event will compete in the short-go round at 5 p.m. Saturday. The top four in each event qualify for the National High School Finals Rodeo in Rock Springs, Wyoming, July 13-19. First-go round Jeff Davis cowboy Cale Carpenter won the first round of steer wrestling with a stunning sub- 4-second time of 3.56 seconds on Thursday. Welsh High School's Wyatt Sonnier teamed up with Teddie Austin Guynn to win the opening round of team roping at 7.64 seconds and 0.15 seconds ahead of Stratton James and Gus Dorris. Sonnier and Guynn moved up to fourth place in the standings. In tie down roping on Thursday, Cougar Racca, the 2023 state champion, edged Cruz Melancon for the top time of the day at 8.41 seconds. Melancon posted a time of 8.57 seconds. The battle for the breakaway roping title remains tight after the first round. Kensley Mudge (Magnolia Bend Academy) and Jillian Fontenot (Beau Chene) lead with 41 points each, and Caroline Fontenot (Beau Chene, 36.1) and Saige (Sulphur, 36) Martin and Faith Dubois (34.5) were not far behind.
American Press
4 days ago
- Sport
- American Press
Sulphur's Bryer Prince faces down adversity, state champion back in saddle after serious injury
Sulphur cowboy Bryer Prince won scored a 69 point ride in the second-go round of bareback riding at the Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo on Friday, May 30, 2025, at Burton Coliseum. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) Vince Lombardi, former Green Bay Packers head coach and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame once said, 'It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up.' That would describe Sulphur cowboy Bryer Prince. The high school junior has been knocked down a few times. But each time, he battled through adversity and became a three-time state champion bareback rider. In February, he was severely injured at a rough stock riding clinic, including facial fractures. Once he decided to get back to work, Prince said he felt better than ever. Since March, he has won four of six rodeos and finished second in the other two. 'I got my face smashed in and broke three bones in my cheek,' Prince said. 'I was doubting things, but something told me to just keep getting on. 'A couple of weeks went by and everything, I came across a Bible verse, Proverbs 3:5-6. That got me out of a hard place. I was fighting my mind real bad, and I just decided to get on again. I came back, and I was better than before. It really gave me a confidence boost. I started working out pretty every day of the week.' He first tried bareback riding as a freshman in 2023, and it didn't go so well. He blacked out coming out of the chute. But it wasn't his last ride, and he said with practice it eventually got easier. 'I blacked out,' Prince recalled. 'I hung off the side of him, and my dad and my brothers and sisters called me 'side-saddle.' 'They said I was riding side-saddle because I was hanging off the left side. That is how my first ride went. The more I got on it kind of went away, and the more I could see better out in the arena. You are not getting hit with that adrenaline rush that fast and black out.' Bareback riding is not for the faint of heart. Prince said the event is quite a bit more complicated than using brute force to tame the 1,000-pound-plus horses used for the event. 'It is definitely more technical,' Prince said. 'There are a lot of things that go into it. You have your free-arm placement, you have to lift on your rigging, and you have to beat the horse to the ground before his front feet hit the ground. 'There is a lot more that goes into it than what people think. It is not just hold on and nod your head.' He gets a lot of help from cousins Hadley Prince, a state champion bareback rider, and Scooter Prince, who was the 1994 National High School Finals Rodeo saddle bronc riding champion, plus six-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier James Boudreaux. 'They are always there rooting for me,' Prince said. '(Hadley) always pulls my rigging, jacks with me a little bit and slaps me around and gets me going. 'They are there for me anytime I need it, anything I need. James Boudreaux helps me out a lot. I go over there and get on his bucking machine. That is where I get my practice in.' Prince has already secured his third consecutive state championship with a 48-point lead over Fisher Burnworth, but that is not going to stop him from trying to keep winning this week at Burton Coliseum. He had a 46-point ride in the first-go round on Thursday and won the second-go round with a 69-point ride Friday morning. 'I basically have it (state championship), but you don't have it until you have it,' Prince said. 'I didn't come to the finals just to win state. I want to win every round. It is definitely going good for me. It is better than last year. 'Something about this year is just like a boost. I have excelled so much since last year. I can't explain it.'
American Press
6 days ago
- Sport
- American Press
Brotherly support: Lavergne duo set sights on National High School Finals Rodeo
Brothers Wyatt and Ty Lavergne have their sights set on a common goal: leave the Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo this week with championship hardware and earn a chance to compete for a national championship. 'It would be something I'd never forget,' Wyatt Lavergne said. 'It would be something that I'm sure hasn't been done very often, and it's definitely a dream. 'We can always say that we've done that before, and to be able to go do that and then compete and have a chance to win two national high school finals titles, that would be even better.' Wyatt, a senior, is the three-time defending saddle bronc riding state champion, while Ty, a sophomore, looks to win his first high school bull riding state title. The last time siblings won state titles at the LHSFR in the same season was two years ago when Lane and Lydia Touchet swept the cutting titles. Grace Dubois (breakaway roping) and Luke Dubois (team roping) did it in 2021. The brothers are always there to support each other in their battles in the arena. 'We help each other out every rodeo,' Wyatt said. 'We're behind the chutes for each other. 'The animals are out there to get you on the ground, and it takes a lot of mental strength to be able to really know with full confidence that you're there to win, and you expect nothing less but to put out the best effort you can. It's just a mental game. So if we could help each other with anything mental like that or mindset, then we're there for each other at least.' Just like on the football field where they play on both sides of the ball for DeQuincy High School, the Lavergne brothers have no fear taking on a 1,200-2,000 bull or 1,000- to 1,300-pound horse. 'I like the adrenaline most,' Ty said. 'I'm an adrenaline junkie. I like to fight against me and the animal. Nothing better than it.' The first-go round starts today with two performances at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. The second-go will follow the same schedule on Friday. The top 15 in each event advance to the short-go at 5 p.m. Saturday. The top four in each event qualify for the National High School Finals Rodeo in Rock Springs, Wyoming, July 13-19. Wyatt hasn't lost a round at the state rodeo since his freshman season and has won all three titles by 23 or more points. He leads Zach Reeves by 24 points, 89-64, and won eight of nine rodeos in the regular season. 'I feel like I have no other choice but to let it all hangout and go have fun,' Wyatt said. 'Being my last one, I want to make it as memorable as possible. 'I'm blessed to be where I am right now with the possibility to win all four state titles. That would be a goal of mine.' Ty missed out on a trip to Rocks Springs last year by 1.1 points and turned that disappointment into a dominant season. 'I'm just doing a mental game,' Ty said. 'That's what I was dealing with last year. 'I was just in my head and kind of just threw that out the door and started to just kind of go after it with all I can. I've been on top all year long pretty much, and it's just been nice.' Ty won five of the last seven rodeos to close out the regular season and leads defending champion Brennan Polito 91-79. 'It's great to see him be able to climb the ropes this year,' Wyatt said. 'Man, he's been on a hot streak. 'I'm proud of him. He's been nothing but dominant this season for the high school rodeo, and I think he's going to stick it out.'
