Elko County tops high school rodeo state titles

WINNEMUCCA — During the Memorial Day weekend, Elko County was well represented at the Nevada High School Rodeo Association state finals.

In Winnemucca, two local cowboys and a pair of local cowgirls — four state champs in total — hauled home five state titles in their respective events.

Wells’ Eyer Morrison captured two state championships, winning both the saddle bronc and the bull riding.

Aboard the broncs, Morrison racked up 328.5 points — entering the state finals with a total of 226.

At state, he claimed the average win with a three-horse score of 196 points.

He won the second round with a 69-point ride, topped the short go with a mark of 62 and ranked second in the first round with a 65-point effort.

In the bull riding, Morrison mounted 299 points on the season — 194 prior to state — and led second place by 209 points.

He knocked down his second average win with a three-bull tally of 228 points.

Morrison won all three go-rounds with respective rides of 76, 73 and 79 — saving his best ride for the short-round.

Lamoille’s Emmett Silva topped all competitors in the tie-down roping, scoring 322 points on the year and 242 prior to the state rodeo.

At state, Silva was the average winner — roping and tying three calves in 44.18 seconds.

He saved his best run for last, winning the final round with a time of 11.02.

Silva was fifth in the second round with a 12.35-second run and opened with his longest run of the week in 20.81 seconds for seventh place.

AUDREY WRIGHT

Spring Creek’s Audrey Wright was the state champion in the girls cutting with 310.25 points, totaling 216.5 before the finals.

Wright topped the average with a three-work score of 415 points.

She bookended the state rodeo with her best finishes — ranking second in the first round and the short-go with marks of 138 and 139 points, respectively — and split third place in the second round with a work of 138.

Jack Creek’s Marinna Mori bested all the breakaway ropers and amassed 271.25 points, posting 224.5 before state.

She finished fifth in the average with a three-calf total of 19.37 seconds, which included a 10-second penalty.

Her fastest run came in round one with a time of 3.36 seconds — tying for fourth place — and she solidified her state title with a sixth-place 3.61-second catch in the short-go.

In round two, Mori laced her loop on the calf in 2.4 second but broke the barrier.

She also qualified for the national finals in the reined cow horse, finishing second in the state with a total of 215 points — 11 points off the pace of Humboldt County’s Natalie Mori.

At state, Marinna Mori ranked second in the average with a three-work tally of 850.5 points.

In the short-go, she scored 288 points — her best run of the week — for second place.

She was third in the first round with a mark of 282 and finished fourth in round two with a score of 280.5 points.

INDIVIDUAL HONORS

All-Around Cowgirl

Fernley’s Olivia Process — 1,115.75 points

All-Around Cowboy

Fernley’s Kade McKnight — 1,085.25 points

Reserve All-Around Cowgirl

Humboldt County’s Matti DeLong — 1,079.25 points

Reserve All-Around Cowboy

Humboldt County’s Billy DeLong — 1,043.25 points

Rookie Cowgirl

Eureka’s Quil Filippini — 819.75 points

Rookie Cowboy

Humboldt County’s Lane Byrd — 384.75 points

STATE CHAMPIONS

Bareback Riding

Fernley’s Ian Leavitt — 210 points

Barrel Racing

Humboldt County’s Brynn Barto — 294.5 points

Boys Cutting

Fernley’s Kade McKnight — 347.75 points

Breakaway Roping

Tuscarora’s Marinna Mori — 271.25 points

Bull Riding

Wells’ Eyer Morrison — 299 points

Girls Cutting

Spring Creek’s Audrey Wright — 310.25 points

Goat Tying

Fernley’s Kylie Ann Behrendt — 341.5 points

Pole Bending (Tie)

Eureka’s Quil Filippini and Humboldt County’s Emma Garijo — 282 points apiece

Reined Cow Horse

Humboldt County’s Natalie Mori — 226 points

Saddle Bronc Riding

Wells’ Eyer Morrison — 328.5 points

Steer Wrestling

Douglas-Carson’s Andrew Morian — 266 points

Team Roping

Walker River’s Blake VanStavern and Noah Williams — 329 points each

Tie-Down Roping

Lamoille’s Emmett Silva — 322 points

Rifle Shoot

Spanish Springs’ Ainsley Woodward — 103 points

Trap Shoot

Douglas-Carson’s Quinn Rasmussen — 90 points

Queen for 2024-2025 season

Washoe County’s Kashlin Hill

NATIONAL QUALIFIERS

Bareback Riding

Fernley’s Ian Leavitt — 210

Barrel Racing

Humboldt County’s Brynn Barto — 294.5

Humboldt County’s Emma Garijo — 248

Eureka’s Quil Filippini — 230

White Pine’s Brooklynn Sena — 209.5

Boys Cutting

Fernley’s Kade McKnight — 347.75

Wells’ Tucker Shippy — 328

Humboldt County’s Billy DeLong — 317.25

Humboldt County’s Lane Byrd — 266.25

Breakaway Roping

Jack Creek’s Marinna Mori — 271.25

Humboldt County’s Emma Garijo — 219

Eureka’s Scarlett Buchanan — 211.5

Humboldt County’s Matti DeLong — 211.5

Bull Riding

Wells’ Eyer Morrison — 299

White Pine’s Travis Rimington — 90

Elko County’s Ethan Wakefield — 84.5

Wells’ Zachary Oros — 74

Girls Cutting

Spring Creek’s Audrey Wright — 310.25

Douglas-Carson’s Ellie Gansberg — 297

Wells’ Taylor Gardner — 296

Fernley’s Ollivia Process — 277

Goat Tying

Fernley’s Kylie Ann Behrendt — 341.5

Eureka’s Scarlett Buchanan — 260.5

Humboldt County’s Matti DeLong — 237.5

Fernley’s Ollivia Process — 237

Pole Bending

Eureka’s Quil Filippini — 282

Humboldt County’s Emma Garijo — 282

Fernley’s Ollivia Process — 281.5

Battle Mountain’s Italy Jo Holman — 235.5

Reined Cow Horse

Humboldt County’s Natalie Mori — 226

Jack Creek’s Marinna Mori — 215

Fernley’s Olivia Process — 200

Reed Station’s Maggie Van Norman — 160.75

Saddle Bronc Riding

Wells’ Eyer Morrison — 328.5

Humboldt County’s Billy DeLong — 263

Wells’ Ian Livingstone — 212.5

Wells’ Wade Wakley — 82.5

Steer Wrestling

Douglas-Carson’s Andrew Morian — 266

Fernley’s Kade McKnight — 253

Fallon’s Jace Jepson — 241.5

Humboldt County’s Billy DeLong — 225

Team Roping     

Walker River’s Blake VanStavern and Noah Williams — 329

Fallon’s Jace Jepson and Fernley’s Kade McKnight — 306

Fallon’s Jarrett Peek and Wyatt Peek — 207

Battle Mountain’s Amelia Lancaster and Eli Lancaster — 206.5

Tie-Down Roping

Lamoille’s Emmett Silva — 322

Alamo’s CJ Christian — 287.5

Fallon’s Jace Jepson — 266.5

Walker River’s Noah Williams — 262.5

Rifle Shoot

Spanish Springs’ Ainsley Woodward — 103

Alamo’s CJ Christian — 97.5

Alamo’s Flint Higbee — 83

Alamo’s Matt Higbee — 74.5

Trap Shoot

Douglas-Carson’s Quinn Rasmussen — 90

Eureka’s Oliver Buchanan — 89.5

White Pine’s Hannah Benjamin — 70.5

Humboldt County’s Logan Marshall — 65

NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL FINALS RODEO

The National High School Finals Rodeo will take place from July 14-20 at the Sweetwater Events Complex, in Rock Springs, Wyoming.