Gearing up for nationals: Three Native cowboys make cut in rough stock events

PRESCOTT, Ariz.

Tonalea, Arizona, bareback rider Cauy Betony has some unfinished business.

The Monument Valley High junior earned his second qualification for the National High School Finals Rodeo over the weekend.

He is headed to Gillette, Wyoming, for the finals in mid-July to compete in the weeklong event. And although he got qualified last summer, Betony will get on his first horse at the coveted event as he sat out last year’s finals due to appendicitis weeks before the rodeo.

“I had surgery done a month before, so I had to call it off,” Betony said. “I had to recover.”

Houck, Arizona, saddle bronc rider Shane Phillips and Peridot, Arizona, bull rider Rawley Ben Jr. will also be making the trip to Wyoming.

Phillips earned his first qualification as he finished the saddle bronc season standings in second place with 49.5 points.

At the state finals, he rode 1-of-3 draws, taking second in the second round with a 56-point score.

“I’m pretty shocked,” the Valley High graduate said. “I’m a first-timer going to nationals.”

The recent Valley Sanders High graduate said he’s been competing for over a year now. In that time, he’s learned that riding broncs is more of a mental game.

“It’s all in your mind,” he said. “My mom (Marjorie Wilson) always reminds me that it’s up to me on how I want to (compete).”

Phillips said he attended last year’s nationals to watch his cousin, Jacob Yazzie, compete, so he understands what the stocks are like. With that, he feels that he has his work cut out for him.

“They use pretty strong horses,” he said. “They’re pretty big too. I got a month to prepare, and I’m going to keep training.”

Ben earned his first high school qualification by making a qualified ride in the second round at the state finals. He rode his bull for 80 points, which placed him first in the round.

“I ended up with a reride bull because the first one fouled me at the chute,” the San Carlos junior said. “I got on another one, and he just fit into my style.”

With that score, he finished third in the average race, collecting 22 points for the year-end standings.

“It’s my first time making it to nationals in one event,” Ben said while adding that he got qualified in two events during the 2018 National Junior High Finals Rodeo.

And although he competed all season in the team roping competition, Ben started riding bulls until the Sonoita rodeo in early April as he competed in three rodeos.

“I got a late start, but, you know, team roping is more like what I’ve grown up doing,” he said, “so you could say I’m better than that.”

“I’m going to try and ride all of my bulls,” Ben said when asked about his goals for nationals.

On Saturday, the San Carlos and Diné cowboy was looking to make another qualified ride, but he got bucked off seconds into his ride.

With that, he rode 1-of-3 draws.

Betony, meanwhile, was a perfect 3-for-3.

“I’m really happy about that,” Betony said. “I’m just proud of myself because I qualify for nationals again. It’s time for me to shine at nationals.”

Betony said he was bummed that he couldn’t participate in last year’s finals.

“I was really mad,” he said. “I really want to go because all my brothers made it too.”

Cauy is the fourth youngest of five siblings, with older brothers Wyatt and Evan making it to nationals. Of the two older brothers, Evan finished third during the 2017 national finals.

“I was real happy for him,” Betony said of Evan while adding that he was about 11 years old when his brother finished near the top.

“I started off riding sheep, and growing up, I watched my brothers do high school rodeo,” he said. “It just made me want to do it too.”

“They have been giving me tips on what to do, how to start, and how to do it,” he added. “I just learned from them. My dad did it too, so it’s all in the family.”

Of his three qualified rides at state, Betony said his best attempt came in the opening ride when he rode Victoria for 74 points, which placed him first in the round.

“That kind of set the tone for me,” he said.

In the second round, he posted a 76-point ride as he finished second to go-round winner Kooper Heimburg, who scored a 77-point ride on his draw.

In Saturday’s short round, he took second with a 73-point attempt, and those three rides gave him an aggregate of 223 points as he finished second in the average race.

He finished the season standings in third place with 61.5 points.

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