ROCK SPRINGS — The first two go-rounds of the National High School Finals Rodeo wrapped up Saturday morning at the Sweetwater Events Complex, and no Wyoming athlete has made a bigger impression so far than Yoder’s Hadley Thompson.
Thompson vaulted to the top of the standings in two events — breakaway roping and goat tying — and leads the all-around cowgirl race heading into the short go. The Yoder standout delivered a scorching 2.24-second run in the second go of breakaway roping, the fastest time of the round, which boosted her all the way from 15th to first overall with a combined 5.19. She also tops the goat tying field with a 13.71 combined score, thanks to a lightning-quick 6.54 in her opening round, which remains the second-best single time of the week.
Thompson’s dominance extends to the AQHA Horse of the Year standings as well, where her horse, CD Smokin Miss Kitty — nicknamed Salty — is also sitting first for goat tying and barrel racing points.
Locals Battle Through Two Rounds
For the southwest Wyoming area’s competitors, the second go brought mixed results.
Boulder’s Kloe Nichols, competing in barrel racing, was consistent through both runs with times of 17.742 and 17.708, giving her a combined 35.45 — just shy of cracking the top 20. Nichols ended 31st overall, narrowly missing the cut for the short go by less than three-tenths of a second.
Green River’s Teague Goodman was poised for a strong showing in steer wrestling after his opening 8.37-second run put him inside the top 20, but he had no time recorded in the second round and fell to 60th overall.
Big Piney’s Kaleb Miller showed grit in his two events, finishing 62nd in boys cutting (384 average) and 86th in reined cow horse (424.5). Teammates Cael and Hays Espenscheid also started strong in team roping with a 7.55 in the first go but failed to record a time in the second round, dropping them out of the top 20. Cael also competed in tie-down roping, finishing with a combined 21.23 at 147th.
Lyman’s Annalene France, competing under Idaho in pole bending, finished 44th with a two-run total of 43.017.
In the shooting sports, Rock Springs’ Isaac Frandsen finished 73rd in light rifle with 275 and added a 35th-place finish in trap shooting after scoring 93, just shy of qualifying for the short go. Lyman’s Brix Hooten also represented locally in trap shooting, scoring 85 for 74th.
Other Wyoming Contenders Shine
Several other Wyoming athletes advanced to the short go in strong position. Big Horn’s Bleu Butler is seventh in goat tying at 14.55, while three more cowgirls are among the top 20 in pole bending: Newcastle’s Emeree Tavegie (sixth, 40.73), Gillette’s Abby Millburg-Holcomb (13th, 41.158) and Wright’s Caitlin Moore (19th, 41.61).
In bull riding, Cheyenne’s Brenson Bartlett is sixth with 140 points, and Cody’s Owen Monfeldt claimed the 20th and final qualifying spot with 75. Bareback rider Braunson Sims, of Evanston and competing for Utah, is 14th at 145.
Team ropers Thompson and Asa Pixley sit 38th after two rounds, just outside the cut.
Looking ahead
The short go is set for Saturday night in Rock Springs, where Thompson will lead the Wyoming contingent with multiple chances at national titles and a shot at cementing herself as the top all-around cowgirl in high school rodeo.
For Nichols, Goodman, Miller, the Espenscheids, France and Frandsen, the NHSFR experience still serves as a capstone to hard-fought seasons and a chance to compete on the sport’s biggest stage.
