Bull riders lead locals at high school finals

WINDOW ROCK

The Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma, will be hosting the 2020 National High School Finals Rodeo with the first performance starting on Friday night.

The seven-day event will have 13 performances, ending on July 23 with a dozen local contestants entered.

“I want to try and make it to the short round,” Chinle bull rider Robbie Taylor Jr. said. “I want to get in the top 10 at least.”

As a two-time national qualifier, Taylor is hoping for better results this time around as he got bucked off twice during last year’s inaugural run.

“I believe it’s going to be different,” he said, noting that’s he more mature.

Besides Taylor, Brad Moreno of Dennehotso, Arizona, and Chinle’s Kobe Yazzie also earned qualifications in the bull-riding event.

During the high school rodeo season that was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Taylor finished as the reserve champion in the Arizona High School Rodeo Association behind Moreno, the year-end champion who finished with 40 points.

Of the 11 rodeos offered, Taylor said he took part in six of those rodeos.

“I lost the year-end (title) by three points,” he said, noting that he would have challenged for his second state title this year had the rodeo season not been canceled in early March.

“I think I could won it again this year,” he said.

Moreno also earned a qualification in the tie-down event as he finished third in the year-end standings with 46.5 points.

Coyote Canyon, New Mexico, cowboy Dean Holyan captured the state title by amassing a whopping 74.5 points.

At nationals last year, Holyan finished fourth overall in the three-run aggregate race as the cowboys that finished ahead of him have graduated.

“I feel really good about my chances,” he said. “I’m feeling confident and I’m just focused.”

With the experience he gained last year, Holyan said he’s looking to win a national title.

“Obviously, my goal is to win it, but all in all I just to have fun,” he said. “I just want to have a good time and enjoy it.”

And while he has the talent to just do that, Holyan wanted to spotlight his 16-year old trusted horse, Chief.

“It’s a horse that my dad (Ed Holyan) trained,” he said. “He won an INFR buckle off of him a couple of years ago. He’s a little up there in age but he’s the one that taught me about roping calves so I decided to use him my last year.”

Other national qualifiers include the team-roping combo of Trey Begay and Cody Lansing, as the pair finished as Arizona’s reserve champions with 52 points each.

They finished two points ahead of the duo James Arviso and Jaken Todacheenie.

The breakaway event had three locals qualify with Flagstaff cowgirl Sherina Singer heading the group with a second place finish in the year-end standings with 45.5 points.

She finished ahead of a two-way tie for third-place between Indian Wells, Arizona, cowgirl Janae Todacheenie and Flagstaff roper Shaelene Singer.

In New Mexico, Gallup cowboy Landon Munoz was the only local qualifier to make nationals as he will compete in the steer-wrestling event.

With the recent rise in coronavirus cases, Taylor said he has some concerns about attending the finals. As a precaution he’s going to follow the guidelines suggested by the CDC and the local health authorities.

“With what’s going on I’m going to try and keep my distance,” he said. “I’m going to wear a mask, too, because I want to be as safe as I can.”

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