First-time winners highlight Kayenta Fourth of July Rodeo

KAYENTA

The recent 2025 Kayenta Fourth of July Rodeo produced some first-time winners earlier this month.

Lukachukai, Arizona cowboy Michael Williams emerged as the tie-down roping champion as he won the aggregate in 23.44 seconds with the short round taking place on July 5.

“This was a good win,” Williams said. “The cards fell in the right place. I’m planning on going to Canada for a couple of rodeos with some family and friends and this is going to help me get there.”

The 21-year-old cowboy won the long go round with an 11.31 run behind Window Rock’s Noah Haven, who posted a 10.9 run.

In the short round, Williams placed first with a 12.13 effort as he edged Chinle’s Gavaro Harrison for the average win. Harrison recorded a 12.17 run during the short round, which put his two-round aggregate at 23.54.

Haven, meanwhile, placed third in the average with 24.23 aggregate after posting a 13.53 run on the final day of the rodeo.

“I didn’t see how my calf run in the earlier rounds, so I was going off what people were telling me,” Williams said of his final calf. “I could have been faster, but it worked out.”

As for his long go run, Williams says he had the best calf in the pen.

“That was the calf that Gavaro had in the short round, so it was good,” he said.

Williams credited his horse, Rampage, for giving him a chance.

“I named her after Shad Mayfield’s roan horse,” Williams said. “I’ve had her since 2020 and she’s a little green, but lately she’s been doing her part and she’s been working really good.

“She was a little nervous getting into the box,” he added, “but other than that, she gets me out there and it’s a matter of me working with her.”

In the team roping, the top three teams in the long go round finished 1-2-3 in the short round with local cowboys Chance Littleben and Trail Yazzie winning the aggregate race in 12.10 seconds.

“This is my first time winning here,” said Littleben, who grew up in Kayenta. “I’ve entered here ever since I was in high school, you know, with the junior rodeo. The past three, four years I entered in the open and I didn’t do good.

“I finally got the win,” he added. “It feels amazing to win my hometown rodeo.”

And although he resides in nearby Rough Rock, Arizona, Yazzie considers the Kayenta rodeo as his hometown rodeo.

“I graduated with most of the guys here and I think it’s great that we won it,” the 19-year-old cowboy said. “I was looking forward to competing here and I couldn’t wait for it. It’s pretty sweet that we won.”

The duo won the team roping straight across, finishing first in the long and short go rounds. They stretched their first steer in the 5.79 seconds, and they added a 6.31 run in the short round.

“We just went out there and made another practice run,” Littleben said of their final run. “That is why we practice. We go to practice, and we work on our horses, and we can’t do this without our horses.”

Littleben said his horse, Ranger, gives him the best opportunity “to score” every time he steps into the arena.

“He rides up to the steer and he puts me in a spot to where I’m comfortable roping,” he said. “And Trail is a good healer and I trust him to do his job.

“All I have to do is give him a good handle, and he’s going to clean it up.”

In every round, the pair beat out the team roping combos of Wesley Ben/Hank Benally and Wesley Ben/Andre Beard.

The Benally combo finished second in the long and short go rounds as they roped two draws in 12.47 seconds. Wesley added a third place showing with Beard as they recorded two runs in 12.79 seconds.

“The steers we drew were perfect,” said Yazzie when asked about how they were able to come out on top despite having low classification numbers. Littleben is a 6 header while Yazzie is a 4-plus heeler.

“Our steers were not too fast,” Yazzie said. “They were just perfect. Chance just made it easier for me on the backside to catch two feet.”

In the barrels, hometown cowgirl Faith Whitehorse was another first-time winner. Whitehorse placed first in the long go with a 17.483 and she backed that up with a second place run of 18.070 in the short round for an aggregate win of 35.913 seconds.

As the long go winner, Whitehorse was the first to make her run among the 12 short round qualifiers.

“It’s an advantage,” Whitehorse said of having the top ground.

“I just shut everything else out when I got into the arena,” she said. “I just gave it my best shot.”

Whitehorse, who is set to start her senior year at Monument Valley High School next month, finished behind short round winner Karli Jones, who posted a 17.752 run. With that, Jones took second in the average with her two runs totaling 36.248.

“I’m just trying to improve and do better than what I did last year,” Whitehorse said. “I want to see a lot of improvements and it’s coming along. I just have to keep pushing forward even if I don’t get the best outcome.”

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