By Chaney Latham
Oklahoma Panhandle State University
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Oklahoma Panhandle State University’s Josh Griggs outscored every other roughstock cowboy at the Kansas State University rodeo on Sunday, Feb. 19.
The sophomore from Frazier, Colo., posted an 86-point ride during the short go-round to clinch the bull riding title in Manhattan and joined senior saddle bronc rider Justin Hegwer as Panhandle State event champions. Hegwer, an industrial technology major from Rifle, Colo., scored 79 points in the short round to seal the first-place finish.
Many OPSU vests colored the arena on short round, including bareback rider Ryan McIntyre, who qualified for the championship round with a 76 on his first-round horse. In the saddle bronc riding, five of the top 10 cowboys to qualify for Sunday’s round were Aggies.
Joe Harper was the runner-up in the first go with a 79 and finished fourth in the two-ride aggregate. Preston Kafka finished fourth in the first round with a score of 74, and Whit Peterson and Kafka took fifth and sixth place, respectively, in the cumulative. Daniel Kraft also made it back to the championship round.
Eight of 10 bull riders hit the dirt, but Griggs and teammate Wyatt Gregg made it through with qualified rides. Gregg posted a 77 to finish just behind Griggs in the aggregate. Panhandle State’s Dixon Winn qualified for the short round but failed to in the final round. He also qualified for the short-go in tie-down roping; he and teammate Joe Frost finished in the fifth and sixth spots overall. Dixon roped his first calf in 10.3 seconds, and then roped and tied his second calf in 11.9. Frost posted a 10.6 in the first round and a 14.1 in the championship round.
Weston Taylor was the only steer wrestling qualifier for the Aggies. While he tied with Bacone College’s Austin Mason for the long-round win, Taylor had a little tough luck in the final round; still he managed to finish in 7.9 seconds and gather some points.
Team roper Cody Larsen partnered with Northwestern Oklahoma State University’s Casey Warnock to earn a spot in the final round. The tandem finished fourth place in the two-run aggregate. Frost and Tad Bryant also qualified for the short round.
Kaylee Moyer earned a spot in the finals in both goat-tying and breakaway roping. She had a 6.4-second goat-tying run in the long round, but the goat got up in the short round, resulting in a no-time. She had a 2.9-second run in the opening round, then posted a 3.0 to finish fifth in the aggregate.
The Aggies have their shortest road trip of the season this coming weekend at the Garden City (Kan.) Community College Rodeo. The season wraps April 26-28 as OPSU hosts the Doc Gardner Memorial Rodeo.
For results and more collegiate rodeo information, visit collegerodeo.com.