Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Colfax High sophomore Mackenzie Marker competes in goat tying at the state finals.
Lance Mills of St. John/Endicott High School works with partner Curtis Kayser, Goldendale, in team roping.
Whitman County junior rodeo competitors went to the Washington State High School Rodeo Association finals May 26-29 at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Kennewick, with five qualifying to compete at nationals.
Jacey Johnson, 18, of Oakesdale, took first in state in goat tying while Tommi Sue Swannack of Sprague, a member of the class of 2017 at Sprague High School, took third. Mackenzie Marker, a sophomore at Colfax High School, finished seventh.
Johnson finished second in state in breakaway roping.
Sydney Berquist, an eighth-grader in Colfax, qualified for junior high nationals in five categories, finishing second in state in breakaway roping, pole bending and fourth in team roping, ribbon roping and barrel racing. She was also named Washington state's “Reserve All-Around Cowgirl.”
For the boys, Caleb Berquist, a junior at Colfax High School, took first in Washington in tie-down roping while Lance Mills, a sophomore at St. John/Endicott, took third.
In team roping, Berquist and partner Chad White (Kennewick) finished third.
Caden Marker, a Colfax seventh-grader, qualified for junior high nationals in three events, taking third-place in state in goat tying, breakaway roping and team roping. He was named “Reserve Rookie of the Year.”
The top-four high-school finishers in state qualified for the national high school rodeo finals in Gillette, Wyo., July 17-22. In junior high, the top-four compete in Lebanon, Tenn., June 19-24.
Junior/high school rodeo season runs in the fall and spring with 16 total rodeos.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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