FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- It's been quite a while since Chadron State cowboy Parker Johnston and his faithful friend Fury won the steer wrestling, but it happened again this past weekend when they teamed up to capture the event at the Colorado State University rodeo in Fort Collins.
             
They were first in both go-rounds to leave no doubt who were the winners.  Their times were 5.3 and 10.2 seconds.  That was 3.9 seconds faster than the runners-up total. 
             
"I drew two good steers and we made two good runs," said Johnston, a 2020 graduate of Maywood High School. "It was nice to win to finally win again."
             
Their last win was Sept. 17-19, 2021 in Chadron.  Those times were 5.4 and 4.9 seconds.  They also won the steer wrestling in 4.6 seconds at the Sheridan College rodeo in March 2021, when only one go-round took place. 
             
Johnston noted both he and Fury, a black gelding, missed a couple of rodeos last fall because of injuries.    

Both Johnston and Fury are 21 years old.  Johnston said Fury were born the ranch belonging to his grandparents, Jim and Judy Johnston near Thedford.  After being one of his father Chad's "ranch horses" for several years, Parker's brother Pake used him while team roping. 

When Pake was forced to give up rodeoing because of a health issue, Parker "inherited" Fury and converted him into his steer wrestling partner.

Although 21 is considered elderly for a horse to still be "chasing steers," Parker said Fury remains capable when he's is healthy.

Unlike the previous weekend when 11 Chadron State contestants reached the finals at Torrington and most of them earned some prize money, Johnston was the only CSC contestants to have much success last weekend.

Cinch Kiger of Overton, Neb., scored 74 points to place fourth in the first go-round of bareback riding, but his second bronc didn't have much energy and the 64-point score wasn't enough to earn a paycheck.

Sierra Lee of Rhame, N.D., had runs of 15.50 and 15.48 seconds to barely miss placing in the barrel race. Payton Gorwill of Arthur, Neb., was third in the first go-round of the barrels in 15.36 seconds, but knocked over a barrel in the finals.

Brooklyn Williams of Buffalo, S.D., caught her first calf in 3.0 seconds to be among the 13 breakaway roping finalists, but she didn't catch her second calf. 

Because of Easter, no rodeo will take place in the region this weekend.  The Casper College rodeo is set for April 14-16.

Weather moves softball to Friday and Saturday

CHADRON, Neb. -- April 4, 2023 --  The Chadron State College softball team will have yet another schedule change due to weather, this time having their home series against Adams State moved to Friday and Saturday.
 
The games were originally scheduled Thursday and Friday due to Easter weekend but a blizzard warning is in effect for Chadron until Tuesday at 6 p.m.
 
The Eagles were in Las Vegas, New Mexico, last weekend for a series with New Mexico Highlands. The two teams split the series, 2-2.
 
This week's opponent, the Adams State Grizzlies, are 9-26 overall and 6-18 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.
 
Offensively, Breck Smith has a batting average of .407 to lead the visitors. Smith has 37 hits in 91 at bats, while scoring 12 runs. She has a team high 13 doubles and six homeruns.
 
Tayler Duncan has the best ERA for Adams State at 9.65. With a record of 2-6, Duncan has struck out 24 batters and walked 20 while pitching 59.2 innings.
 
First pitch for Friday's games is scheduled at 12 and 2 p.m. Saturday's will begin at 11 am and 1 p.m.

Weather delayed first meet on CSC’s new track

CHADRON, Neb. -- The Chadron State College track and field program was hoping it could host its first meet on its new all-weather track last weekend, but Old Man Winter interfered and the meet had to be cancelled.
             
Coach Seth Mischke had worked diligently with South Dakota Mines at Rapid City and four North Dakota teams to make the meet happen.  Initially the meet was supposed to open with the hammer and javelin throws on Friday afternoon, with the rest of the events taking place on Saturday.
             
But Chadron received several inches of snow early Friday morning, so the schedule was moved to Sunday.  However, Mischke noted that more snow fell than was anticipated and the white stuff took its time melting. So, he had no option except to call his fellow coaches that their southern trip was impractical.
             
Thus, the Eagles' only outdoor meet involving a majority of the team members so far was at Colorado State-Pueblo on March 24 and 25. On Monday, Mischke was checking weather forecasts, hoping he could find a meet for his athletes this weekend.  He said options included those at Colorado Mines, Northern Colorado and Kearney. 
             
Missing a meet, the coach noted, isn't a tragedy in the college track and field world because with an indoor facility like the Nelson Physical Activity Center the Eagles can continue to work out and hone their skills. 

However, it would have been good for Chadron State to have hosted a meet prior to April 28-30, when the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships are due to take place on the new CSC facility. It takes a lots of personnel to stage a major track meet and some experience with the various duties prior to the main event would have been helpful. 
             
The Eagles will not be at full strength when they swing back into action.  Mischke said Daniel Reynolds, who placed fifth in the 35-pound weight throw at the recent NCAA Division II Indoor Championships, and standout high jumper Jourdaine Cerenil have decided to redshirt during the 2023 outdoor season, hoping that in the long run the extra time to prepare for bigger and better things will pay off.
             
On the other side of the coin, the Eagles' other exceptional thrower, Shane Collins, is ready to resume throwing the hammer and shot this spring after missing the indoor season because of a shoulder problem.  Last spring, Collins set the RMAC hammer throw record while Reynolds set the CSC record. When the season ended, Reynolds' career best was 203 feet, 7 inches and Collins' best was 203-3.  
 
Some of CSC's top sprinters also were sidelined during all or much of the indoor season, but hopefully can compete again outdoors.  They include Morgan Fawver, Quincy Efeturi and Greg Logsdon.
             
Fawver also is hoping to long jump after going 24-3 last year before pulling a hamstring that prevented him from competing the national outdoors meet and continued to plague him this winter.