CASPER, Wyo. — The Pearl River rodeo season came to a close last weekend at the College National Finals Rodeo, and the Wildcats had fantastic showing with a pair of top-20 finishes.
“I was really pleased with this season,” head coach Frank Graves said. “We qualified for Nationals as second in the Ozark Region, finishing runner-up to the eventual National Champions, West Alabama. This was a young team, so it really meant a lot to me. We will have a lot of them back, so I think next year will be another really good year.”
Molli Rae Kinchen (Tickfaw, La.; Ponchatoula) was the only Wildcat to make it to the championship round and finished 11th overall in breakaway roping.
“Molli Rae had a really good week,” Graves said. “She rode really good until the short round and just didn’t draw a good calf that time. The calves were really tricky out there this year.”
Kate Eiland (Kentwood, La.), who also competed in goat tying, finished 16th overall in breakaway roping.
“Kate broke a barrier to be the fourth callback,” Graves said. “She just barely missed out. It was a really good week for her out there, too.”
Karrigan Cagley (Kentwood, La.) and Sydney Poole (Robertsdale, Ala.) also competed at the National Tournament.
“Karrigan made some good runs but didn’t draw the best calves,” Graves said. “Sydney had a call go against her in the first round, and that just got her from behind from the start.
Pearl River’s lone male competitor, Blake Lyons (Ethel, La.; Silliman Institute), teamed up with West Alabama’s Clarke Gordon. The duo won second place in the third round but did not make it to the short round.
“Team roping wasn’t easy this year,” Graves said. “The steers were really uneven. I was proud of them for how they competed.”
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