The Panola College rodeo team traveled to Uvalde, TX this weekend for the 2nd on 10 southern region rodeos.
Freshman, Travis Chapman won his event of bareback riding with two great rides. Chapman scored 72 points on his first horse and won 2nd in the long go round. Travis followed that ride with a 73 point short go ride to clench the title on two head. Travis is from Spurger, TX, and as a freshman has helped his team and his regional standings by placing in his first two college rodeos. Travis will by all means be a contender for the regional championship and a qualifier for the college finals.
Canadian bareback rider Bailey Plaisier made an outstanding ride in the first round to earn a 76 point score. The ride was good enough to win 1st in the long go and help his team gather very important team points. Bailey drew a very rank horse in the short go round, a round where the top ten in each event come back for a shot at the average title, and was buck off in a very rough position. Bailey suffered two broken bones in his back and will be out of competition for some time. Bailey is a key player on our team. He will be missed and it will be a hard spot to fill, but he will hopefully be back in time to make his goal of a college national finals qualification.
Logan Cook placed in the saddlebronc riding with a 2nd place finish in both rounds and in the short go round. Logan earned himself very valuable points for the team as well as individual points that will help increase his chances at his first of many college finals qualifications. Logan is one of the few cowboys to compete on both ends of the arena, meaning in the rough stock and the timed events as well. Cook has had a huge impact on our team and will continue to grow to be a vital part of our success.
Caleb Cogbill is becoming a regular in the steer wrestling. Caleb did not place super high but, he completed a super task. Caleb threw his first steer in 7.8 seconds, fast enough to make the short round but not fast enough to earn team points. Cogbill drew a steer in the short round that two other talented cowboys had run and where unable to get a time on, because of his strength and run. Caleb, full of grit like always, was able to down the steer in 7.1 seconds. The run was good enough to place in the short go and earn very important team points. Efforts like that of Caleb's are what defines our team and defines the heart of a true cowboy.
Sophomore barrel racer, Abby Phillips, is ready to make her statement in college rodeo. Abby and her horse, Fame, did just that this weekend. The first run they put together was a 17.27 second run, good enough for 7th place in the long go and a shot at Saturday night's short go. Fame and Abby where on their game in the short round posting a time of 16.8 seconds, making it the second fastest run of the weekend. Abby is a crucial part of this team and we expect to be hearing a lot from her as the season continues.
The Panola College Ponies teams ended up in good standings after all the dust settled, Panola men's finished 4th, while the women's team finished 6th. The Ponies will be back in action in Pittsburg, TX, October 21-22 for the NETCC annual rodeo.