High School rodeo at Contoy draws 350 Utah riders

A group of women ride side by side on horses.
A line of barrel racers stands ready for their ride during the high school rodeo on Saturday in Mt. Pleasant.

Intense concentration is evident on the face of this barrel racer while competing at the Contoy Area on Saturday.
A woman holding a goat by it's legs with a rope in her teeth.

A participant in Saturday’s rodeo scrambles to tie up a small goat.
A drone view looking down on a building surrounded by cars. It appears that parking is full.

This aerial view of Saturday’s high school rodeo at the Contoy Arena shows dozens of horse trailers surrounding the complex, a testament to the large attendance.
A group of people getting their horses ready, with a large mountain being shown behind them.

Rodeo participants get their horses ready against the back drop of Horseshoe Mountain.

MT. PLEASANT—High school rodeo athletes from Sanpete County posted strong results in competition with dozens of riders from across the state at the Contoy Arena in Mt. Pleasant.

The Sanpete High School Rodeo Club hosted the spring event, which featured more than 350 entries across multiple events. Local competitors earned top finishes in several categories.

In pole bending, Oaklee Beckstead claimed second place out of 70 entries with a time of 21.027 seconds. Oaklee Payton finished 10th in the same event at 22.116 seconds. Teammates Kortlyn Brotherson, Skylee Millett, and Brenna Brotherson also ran solid races.

Sanpete athletes also stood out in barrel racing, which drew 113 entries. Kortlyn Brotherson placed second with Ellie Stephensen finishing 13th and Brenna Brotherson taking 15th. Other Sanpete County students who competed included Skylee Millett, Oaklee Payton, Kadience Allred, and Oaklee Beckstead.

In breakaway roping, Skylee Millett took ninth and Ellie Stephensen took 15th out of 112 competitors.

Sanpete County students took the top two spots in girls cow cutting with Audrey Tree taking first place and Baylee Denton placing second.

In bareback riding, Hagen Nielson rode to a fourth place finish with a score of 58. Other riders competed but didn’t place, with club organizers noting, “Everyone else worked hard but may have had a little tough luck—but that’s rodeo.”

The Sanpete High School Rodeo Club, which includes 21 student athletes is one of 18 clubs affiliated with the Utah High School Rodeo Association. The season will continue with the state finals in Heber City this June.

For more information or to join the club, contact Cathie Beesely at sanpeterodeo@gmail.com or 469-0663.