The West Alabama rodeo was good to the Pearl River rodeo team as the Wildcat men’s team took home fifth place, and the women’s team earned fourth.

“We had a pretty good weekend, especially with the injuries that we’ve had,” head coach Frank Graves said. “We had some freshmen step up this week and they did really well. I think that we’re going to keep building and have a chance to be really good by the end of the year.”

WEEKEND RECAP
Evan Bourdon (Sheridan, Ind.) picked up 115 points in steer wrestling after a second-place finish. The sophomore earned a first-round time of 7.0 and improved tremendously in the second round with a 5.5. 

“Evan is one of the better steer wrestlers in this region, so I expect Evan to do good the rest of the year,” Graves said. “He was going through a horse issue, but I think we’ve got that worked out. I expect Evan to have a great finish to the year.”

Team roping was Pearl River’s best weekend event, with a pair of top-3 placements. Trenton Davis (Poplarville) teamed up with Preston Fox of Three Rivers College, and the duo took home second place. In the first round, they grabbed a time of 7.7 and followed it up with a stellar 5.8 in the second round. It earned them 150 points for the weekend. 

“Trent and Preston are a good team,” Graves said. “They had a little tough luck in their first rodeo, but they got it lined out this time. They should be really good for the rest of the season. That’s a real good team.”

Blake Lyons (Ethel, La.; Silliman Institute) and West Alabama’s Clarke Gordon took home third place in the event, earning a 7.8 in round one and a 7.1 in round two. The third-place finish earned them 100 points.

“Blake and Clarke rode together last year,” Graves said. “They were a good team last year, and they kept it up this week.”

Freshmen Cole Lansford (Fayetteville, Ala.) and Cayden Roland (Fayetteville, Ala.) had a time of 9.4 in the first round but didn’t register a time in round two. 

“I was really proud of Cole and Cayden,” Graves said. “They placed at the first rodeo and got back to the short go this time. They had some bad luck and broke the barrier, but I was really proud of them.”

In calf roping, Bryson Crawford (LaBelle, Fla.) finished in eighth place with an average of 33.2.

The women’s side was once again led by Kate Eiland (Kentwood, La.), who won first place in goat tying. Eiland was steady across both her runs, finishing with a time of 8.6 in each to tie for first place, earning 165 points. 

“Man, that Kate is unbelievable,” Graves said. “She won breakaway last week. Whenever she puts both events together at one rodeo, she will really stand out. She’s a freshman, so that’s special.”

Erin McLaughlin (Bunnell, Fla.) finished eighth in average with a 21.2. 

Mollie Rae Kinchen (Tickfaw, La.; Ponchatoula) was lightning quick in her first run of breakaway roping with a time of 3.3, but a second-round time of 12.5 moved her into 5th place.

Karrigan Cagley (Kentwood, La.; Grace Christian Academy) earned a 3.0 in the first round of the event but unfortunately couldn’t register a time in her second ride. 

UP NEXT
Pearl River returns to action Thursday for the Three Rivers College rodeo in Sikeston, Mo.

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