Garner ropes all-around

LINCOLN — Josh Garner made winning his second straight boys all-around California State High School Rodeo Association's District 3 championship look easy.

The Live Oak cowboy won the steer wrestling, bull riding and was part of the winning team roping duo for the two-day event at the Lincoln Arena.

Haley Brum of Galt captured the girls all-around title, when the seasons points leader, Nicole Tsosie of Eureka, was unable to compete because of an injury sustained at a rodeo the week before.

Entering the season finale, Garner led Daniel Rice of Acampo by 13 points. But Rice didn't have his best outing, and he ended up losing to Garner, 834.5 to 769.5.

"I did all right," Rice said. "Just not as good as I needed to do."

"It's been back and forth between me and him all year," Garner said.

The pair will have one final go at each other next season as both are only juniors.

Besides winning the all-around title, Garner also won the steer wrestling championship for the season and teamed with Preston Vandeburgh of Cottonwood to win the team roping title.

By virtue of his second-place finish in the all-around, Rice received reserve all-around honors.

For most of the season, the two competed in the same four events — team roping, steer wrestling, tie-down or calf roping and boys cutting.

Garner, who enjoys fighting bulls at rodeos, finally convinced his mother to let him ride bulls for the season finale. She has resisted, citing the danger, but her husband talked her way out of it.

"Josh lives and breathes the whole aspect of rodeo," his father, Tim, said Sunday afternoon. "He's not a one-event cowboy."

Even if Garner had not rode bulls this weekend, he still would have won the all-around title because of how well he did in the other events.

Garner hopes to add bull riding as a regular event next season as he goes in search of a three-peat all-around championship. He even hinted he might like to compete in a second roughstock event — saddle bronc riding.

Rice, however, prefers to stick with his four main events and try to do well in all of them, making sure he gets his animals and posts a time.

A lot of being a good cowboy has to do with skill, but there also is some luck involved, especially when it comes to the animal each cowboy draws, Rice noted.

As an example, at Saturday's event, Rice finished ahead of Garner in the steer wrestling when Garner didn't have that good of an animal.

"Sunday, I got Josh's animal and he finished ahead of me," Rice said.

While the two are competitors in the rodeo arena, Rice added they are also good friends.

"We cheer for each other," Rice said, adding if one has a good day the other one congratulates the winner and if one has a bad day, the other consoles the loser.

Brum ended up winning the goat tying on the final weekend. She finished the season with 752.5 points in the all-around chase. Tsosie was reserve champion, despite not competing this weekend.

Brum, who trailed Tsosie by 21 points going into the weekend, was sad the title couldn't have been decided in the arena.

"I wouldn't have wished that on anybody," Brum said of Tsosie's injury.

Still, Brum was happy to win the all-around title, especially since she is a senior and this was her last chance to win the prestigious honor. She plans to continue rodeoing at the collegiate level next year, either in Coalinga or San Luis Obispo.

For the season, Brum also was the barrel racing and breakaway roping champions. Tsosie, meanwhile, was the goat tying champion

Winners from the weekend two-day rodeo were Garner (bull riding, steer wrestling and team roping), Katie LeMaster of Somerset (pole bending), Logan Naillon of Greenwood (saddle bronc riding), Chant DeForest of Wheatland (tie-down roping), Brum (goat tying), Dani Wise of Galt (breakaway roping), Vandeburgh (team roping), Kayla Mitchell of Wilton (barrel racing), Tommy Diaz of Woodland (boys cutting) and Michael Diaz of Woodland (girls cutting).

The top five finishers for the season in each event qualify for the state high school rodeo finals, which will be held in Bishop, starting June 15.

Contact sports reporter Richard Myers at 749-4714 or rmyers@appeal-democrat.com