Plenty of local rodeo competitors showed out at the state championship, with a few state champions in the mix.
“We were there for a solid six days,” Bayler Faulkner said. “It was a good state finals. It was nice and cloudy, so not super hot.”
The state championships were May 25-29 in Lovington. The final results, rather than just from that week, were tabulated from all of the year’s competitions from around the state from Farmington to Hobbs.
A year ago, Bayler Faulkner started the Escalante High School Rodeo Team to coordinate competitors from around the school. This year, Jacob Martinez became the team’s president.
Monte Faulkner won first place in saddle bronc, winning his second-straight state championship. He qualifies to compete at the National High School Finals Rodeo in Wyoming on July 16-22.
Wacey Trujillo from Abiquiú, who won a national championship last year in goat tying for middle school, finished second in the high-school girls rookie all-around points total, and won state in goat tying and was fifth in breakaway. She, along with her cousin Stetson Trujillo, finished 11th in team roping.
Bayler Faulkner finished the year in fifth place in barrels.
Addison Tixier, a Coronado freshman, finished ninth in goat tying in her first year competing in high school. And Martinez finished sixth in bull riding.
“Even on the bad days, it was awesome to be there and get to compete for my senior year,” Bayler Faulkner said.
At the middle school level, Teagan Trujillo, Wacey’s seventh-grade sister, won first place in girls goat tying while finishing seventh in the “All Around Cowgirl” standings.
Other local performers included Reed Trujillo, who tied for fourth in boys goat tying and qualified for the national competition, held in Georgia starting Sunday.
Paige Trujillo finished 12th in the “Rookie All Around Cowgirl” standings. Aleyana Baca was 10th in girls goat tying. Maison Chavez and Waylan Valdez also competed, with Valdez 10th in the “Rookie All Around Cowboy” standings.