Marysville's DeForest ropes college scholarship

Recent Marysville High graduate Chant DeForest is taking his cowboy attire to the heartland.

The Wheatland resident and two-year starting quarterback for the Indians' football team has signed a national letter of intent to join the rodeo team at Western Oklahoma State College in Altus, Okla., next season.

There DeForest will be an active member of the Pioneers' prestigious rodeo program, participating in calf roping, steer wrestling and team roping events.

"I went back and visited three weeks ago and roped a little and met the coach and a couple of guys on the team," said DeForest during a phone interview Tuesday from the California High School Rodeo State Finals in Bishop. "I like it. It's a small school and there's not a lot of people in the classes."

At WOSC, DeForest will work under rodeo coach and agriculture instructor Guy Smith while majoring in livestock management.

"My schooling is paid for and on top of that I get three stalls paid for and three horses," DeForest said. "If I make the team, I get some traveling money, too."

Although the school doesn't have a football team, DeForest said that rodeo is huge in the town and the surrounding area.

"The community and the school is really behind the rodeo team," he said. "It's a pretty big thing out there."