• Locals qualified for state
The Idaho District 8 Finals Rodeo was held at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds in Afton this past Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The event capped off the high school rodeo season for the 2023-24 school year, including rodeos in the fall and spring. Athletes earned points from the rodeos over the course of the year, with the top six in each round qualifying for state.
The top two team ropers from the district are both from Star Valley with Tristen and Ross Hilton of Afton finishing in first place. The two brothers finished ahead of Case and Ryder Kerr, another set of brothers from Afton, who finished the season in 2nd place. Both teams qualified for state. Case and Ryder also qualified for state in Tie Down Roping, finishing in 4th and 6th place respectively in the end-of-year standings.
Case Kerr and Ross Hilton also finished well in the All-Around, with Kerr taking 3rd place overall and Hilton in 4th.
Kaylee Leseberg of Star Valley Ranch just missed a district championship in Barrel Racing, finishing in 2nd place overall. The finish does qualify Leseberg for state in the event.
In bull riding, Clay Teichert of Cokeville was the only rider who scored points over the course of the year, giving him a first place finish in the district and also qualifying him for state.
Star Valley and Cokeville athletes who qualified will compete Idaho’s state rodeo, as the athletes have been part of the Idaho District 8. The state event will take place June 8-15 in Pocatello, Idaho. At the state event, the top four in each event will qualify for nationals, which will take place July 14-20 in Rock Springs, Wyoming.
