Mani Martin steps to the plate against Prairie City in March 2004 as the first Dayville High School baseball player to swing at a pitch since 1971. Martin made it worth the wait with a base hit. He also scored the team's first run of the new era. Prairie City welcomed Dayville back to the diamond with a 16-4 pounding. The Eagle/Tim Adams

January

Tiger basketball team wins New Year’s Classic

LONG CREEK – The Monument/Dayville boys were crowned champions at the Long Creek New Year’s Classic basketball tournament on Saturday, Jan. 3.

Mascall’s last-second basket defeats Enterprise in OT

JOHN DAY – Senior Maci Mascall scored a put-back basket after a missed shot by teammate Whitney Simmons in the final seconds on Saturday, Jan. 10, to give the Grant Union girls a 45-44 victory over Enterprise in overtime, earning the Lady Pros a split in weekend Wapiti League games.

March

Grant Union ‘Gold’ dancers bring home silver

PORTLAND – Grant Union “Gold” dancers placed second in the 1A/2A Division at state competitions Saturday, March 20, with Santiam placing first. This is the first time the team has placed since winning state in 1996.

Team members are: assistant coach Alex Ashby-Andrew, assistant coach Maggie Willis, Jessica Hutchison, Natasha Holmstrom, co-captain Kellyn Joslin, Sarah Jacobson, co-captain Leah Supulski, assistant coach Sherri Preston-McGuire, Valerie Purnell, Sarah Hubbird and coach Shannon Woodcock.

Pros trounce teams at Icebreaker

JOHN DAY – Runs came in bunches for the Grant Union High School baseball team as the Prospectors opened the 2004 season with a pair of victories at the Grant Union Icebreaker Tournament.

On Friday, March 19, Grant Union blew the game open with eight runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to defeat Madras 14-3.

Saturday’s game against Salem Academy began as Friday’s contest finished, with the Prospectors pushing eight runs across the plate in the opening inning to cruise past the Crusaders 12-2.

High school baseball returns to Dayville

DAYVILLE – More than three decades have passed since Dayville fielded a high school baseball team.

The long wait between seasons came to an end Wednesday, March 17, when the newly formed Tiger squad squared off against Prairie City in the first game of the season for both teams.

The weather was perfect, the new facility on the west end of the football field was more than adequate and a 16-4 loss at the hands of the Panthers didn’t make any difference to the large crowd of loyal Tiger supporters on hand to cheer the team. Most importantly, baseball was back at Dayville High School.

“The last time Dayville had a team was in 1971, at least that’s what some of the graduates told me,” Tigers’ coach Butch Sagaser said. “No one can remember having a team after that.”

Sagaser, Lippert winners at Anthony Lakes Snow Blast

NORTH POWDER – Ryan Sagaser from Mt. Vernon and John Day’s Dustin Lippert were winners at the annual Ski Anthony Lakes Snow Blast on Saturday, March 13.

Lippert was the winner of the Big Air competition on skis, while Sagaser captured the title in the 440cc class snowmobile race.

Elliott wins Pocatello bull riding event

POCATELLO, Idaho – Former Grant County Rodeo Club bull rider Dustin Elliott brought a packed Holt Arena crowd to its feet with a 94-point ride at the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo Saturday night, March 20.

Riding a bull named Broken Bones, the former Grant County resident proved to be master over his rank mount which had the reputation of not being ridden too often.

The victory earned Elliott the gold championship belt buckle and a very healthy pay check for the evening’s work.

April

Corwins win Bass Club Tournament

-RICHLAND – The John Day Valley Bass Club held its first tournament of the year at Brownlee Reservoir Saturday, March 27, with a total of nine boats, 18 adults and two youths participating.

The team of Jerry and Steve Corwin out-distanced the competition with the largest fish of the tournament, a 3.77 pound largemouth, and hauled in a total five fish weighing 12.12 pounds.

May

Ceremony dedicates resurfaced track at Grant Union

JOHN DAY – The bleachers at Three Flags Field were full, the Grant Union High School band and choir were in attendance and even the weather cooperated as a dedication ceremony for the newly resurfaced track facility was held under sunny skies on Saturday, May 1.

The renovation project was made possible thanks to a $30,000 joint grant from NikeGo and Cycle Oregon. The track was resurfaced using approximately 75,000 pairs of recycled shoes donated by Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe Program. The program collects, separates and grinds up athletic shoes to produce materials which are utilized in athletic surfaces such as basketball and tennis courts, in addition to running tracks.

Bygness inducted into bowling hall of fame

JOHN DAY – On April 21, approximately 40 people attended a surprise presentation honoring the latest inductee into the Grant County Women’s Bowling Association (GCWBA) Hall of Fame.

Norma Bygness was honored for her many years of involvement and dedication to bowling in Grant County.

Current GCWBA President Deanna Bezona crowned Bygness, while past Hall of Fame inductee Nancy Chase acknowledged many of Norma’s bowling accomplishments for the past 20 years. She was presented a bouquet of red roses and a plaque by the association in recognition of her efforts.

Senior softball girls play first-ever games

JOHN DAY – For the first time in history, senior girls in Grant County have a softball league of their own.

Although there are just two teams in the league, excitement is running high as the TLC Nail Design Mariners squared off against the Outpost Diamondbacks at the Seventh Street Athletic Complex on April 22.

Vidourek wins district golf title

MISSION – Two days of cold, windy and sometimes rainy conditions didn’t deter Grant Union golfer Bobbie Vidourek from winning the 2A District championship at the Wildhorse Resort golf course on Monday and Tuesday, May 10-11.

Monday, the Prospector senior carded a 94 to take a five-stroke lead over her nearest competitor, Mandy Villanueva from Umatilla.

In Tuesday’s closing round, Vidourek shot a score of 100 to finish four strokes ahead of the second-place Viking golfer.

Grant County High School Rodeo a success

JOHN DAY – Despite inclement weather Saturday that turned portions of the Grant County Fairgrounds Arena into a muddy mess, the 2004 edition of the Grant County High School Rodeo brought out some of the top high school cowboys and cowgirls from around the area for two days of fun-filled competition.

Pros baseball wins district

UNION – Home runs, combined with strong pithing performances from Matt Curtis and Kerry Ashmead earned Grant Union the championship at the Special District 8-2A/1A Baseball Tournament on a rain-soaked Optimist Field in Union on Saturday, May 22.

In the opening game against Imbler, which had eliminated Prairie City from the tournament on Thursday, the Prospectors battered two Panther pitchers for five home runs and a total of 15 hits to cruise to a 13-3 victory. They beat Nyssa, 6-1.

Lady Panthers finish seventh at Monmouth

MONMOUTH – Paced by Lindy Black’s second-place finish in the long jump and a third-place finish by the 4×100 relay team made up of Black, Cherise Ricco, Kayla Reid and Danielle Ricco, the Prairie City girls track team finished seventh at the OSAA/U.S. Bank/Les Schwab Tires Class 1A Track and Field Championships at Western Oregon University on Saturday, May 22.

GU finishes 15th, 27th at state track meet

MONMOUTH – Pitted against the top Class 2A track athletes in the state, Grant Union turned in some personal best performances at the OSAA/U.S. Bank/Les Schwab Tires Class 2A Track and Field Championships at Western Oregon University on Friday and Saturday, May 21-22.

Competing in sometimes windy conditions, the boys scored 15 points to finish in 15th place out of 42 teams, while the girls finished in a tie for 27th out of 44 teams with nine points.

June

Bonanza trounces Pros in quaterfinals

BONANZA – Eight home runs and eight errors brought an end to the Grant Union baseball team’s 2004 season as Bonanza trounced the Prospectors 33-17 in a quarter-final game of the OSAA/U.S. Bank/Les Schwab Tires Class 2A baseball championship on Friday, May 28.

Nichols, Kennedy winners of ’62 Days Gold Rush Run

CANYON CITY – Russ Nichols from Canyon City and John Day’s Lindsey Kennedy were the men’s and women’s overall winners of the 3.1 mile Gold Rush Run Saturday, June 12.

The race is sponsored annually by the Whiskey Gulch Gang and the Strawberry Striders, and covers a 5,000-meter course around historic Canyon City as part of the ’62 Days Celebration.

Nichols, 31, set a course record of 18.07 in winning the race, with Kennedy finishing seventh overall in a time of 21.54 to win the women’s half of the event.

Both runners were awarded silver dollars for their efforts.

Thunell named 1A/2A Player of the Year

Grant Union’s Bo Thunell was named the 2004 Class 1A/2A baseball player of the year by a vote of coaches from around the state.

The junior catcher, who had a team-high .652 batting average, led the Prospectors to their second consecutive Wapiti League championship and a eighth-straight league title.

Also named first-team all-stars were Grant Union senior pitcher Matt Curtis and junior outfielder Toby Thomas.

Team Ram-Rod 3rd Annual Strawberry Mountain Relay winners

PRAIRIE CITY – With Team Ram-Rod nearly passing the favored Gambler Animals team, who started the race 45 minutes before Team Ram-Rod, it was certainly a dramatic finish for the third annual Strawberry Mountain Relay.

Hans Magden, captain of the Gambler Animals team, chose to run hard from out in front. Ultimately, this strategy failed to win the day. The Gambler Animals were comfortably in the lead until about three miles from the finish, at which point Team Ram-Rod made its move.

Led by Kayla Reid and Bradi Voigt, Team Ram-Rod, all members of Prairie City High School, appeared from out of nowhere.

July

Legg wins Silver State Breakaway title in Nevada

FALLON, Nev. – Grant Union High School junior Jessie Legg emerged as the big winner at the Silver State International High School Rodeo June 29-July 2 capturing the breakaway roping title.

The 16-year-old “veteran” competitor who said she began her career years ago in Pee Wee rodeos, finished in ninth place at the Oregon State Championship Rodeo in Klamath Falls June 17-19 to earn a trip to Fallon.

Legg won the first go round at the Silver State with a blistering time of 2.50 seconds before coming back with a fifth-place finish in the second go round in a time of 3.00.

She then won the short go-around in the competition in a time of 2.60 to capture the overall championship.

Harney/Grant Babe Ruth All-stars win at district

BAKER CITY – The Harney/Grant County Americans and Nationals were both winners on Monday, July 5, in the fourth day of action at the Intermountain District 3 Babe Ruth Baseball All-star Tournament.

In the opening game, the Harney/Grant County Americans took a 2-0 lead after two innings and went on to best the SRV Americans 6-3.

In the second game, the Harney/Grant County Nationals rallied from an early 1-0 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to pull out a 5-2 win over the SRV Nationals team.

Americans, Nationals winners in Babe Ruth

BAKER CITY – The Harney/Grant County Americans and Nationals were both winners on Monday, July 5, in the fourth day of action at the Intermountain District 3 Babe Ruth Baseball All-star Tournament.

In the opening game, the Harney/Grant County Americans took a 2-0 lead after two innings and went on to best the SRV Americans 6-3.

In the second game, the Harney/Grant County Nationals rallied from an early 1-0 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to pull out a 5-2 win over the SRV Nationals team.

Slam! Bam! Zowie! Derby time!

JOHN DAY- A standing-room-only crowd filled the grandstands at the Grant County Fairgrounds Arena Saturday, July 17, for an evening of slam-bam action at the 16th Annual Whiskey Gulch Gang’s Demolition Derby.

Billed as the highest-paying demolition derby in Eastern Oregon, 25 drivers from as far away as Jerome, Idaho, were on hand vying for the $1,500 first-place prize.

September

Girls begin first season

JOHN DAY – Fall athletics at Grant Union High School will expand in 2004, with the Prospectors fielding a girls soccer team for the first time.

There were 16 girls out for the team at a recent practice, under the direction of head coach Lindsey Kennedy, who brings years of coaching experience, including collegiate play to the program.

The Prospectors have a mixed bag on the roster, ranging from several girls who played on the junior varsity team last season, to foreign exchange students from Germany and Japan, and those who are first-year players.

Senior members include Sylvia Dowdy and Rachael Baughman, who were both junior varsity players last year; Amanda Myers, who kept stats for the boy’s varsity team; Alyssa Gilliam and Cassandra Coxen, who didn’t play last year; and foreign exchange student Kira Vinke from Germany.

Junior players include Montana Kowing, who played JV soccer last year, and Japanese exchange student Miy Lee.

Experienced sophomores include Jyla Hill and Becky Born, along with first-year players Hilary Ashmead, Angie Allen and Alina King.

Rounding out the team are freshmen Sarah Young, Leta White and Bree Echerveria.

First loss doesn’t dampen spirits

JOHN DAY – Uncooperative weather did little to dampen the spirits of the Grant Union High School girls soccer team as the Lady Pros took the field at Humbolt Elementary School on Monday, Sept. 13.

Squaring off against the Summit junior varsity in the first soccer match played by a Grant Union all-girls team, the ladies were greeted by intermittent rain mixed with sleet that made for water-soaked and slippery playing surface.

Despite the poor conditions and the girls’ overall inexperience as a team, Prospectors’ coach Lindsey Kennedy said she was pleased with the effort in the 8-3 loss.

Grant Union tops Burns for first time in 14 seasons

BURNS – Friday’s (Sept. 23) 22-7 victory by the Grant Union football team has been a long time coming.

The last time a team came away with a win over the Hilanders was in 1990 – but 14 years of frustration on the high school football field came to an end as Grant Union spanked its former Greater Oregon League rival.

The two teams in adjoining Harney and Grant counties have had an on-going rivalry over the years and despite Grant Union’s move to the Wapiti League two seasons ago, the teams have continued to square off every season.

PC rolls up 544 yards to beat Crane again.

CRANE – Victories against Crane by a Prairie City High School football team have been a rare occurrence in recent years.

Back-to-back wins are unheard of, as is a victory over the Mustangs on their home turf. But that’s exactly what happened Friday afternoon as a determined bunch of Panthers rolled up an impressive 544 yards in total offense to hammer the Mustangs 66-34 in the first-ever TriCo League meeting between the two squads, who were both members of the Old Oregon League last year.

October

Mustangs pound Redmond to remain undefeated

MT VERNON – The Mt. Vernon Middle School eighth-grade football team put together an impressive performance Saturday, Oct. 2, rolling up 440 yards in total offense to remain undefeated on the season with a 44-0 shellacking of Redmond.

Sports seasons canceled at county schools

LONG CREEK – Low student numbers in a school district are not only a problem for teachers and administrators, they sometimes wreck havoc on an athletic program as well.

Such is the case with two small high schools here in Grant County.

At Monument/Dayville, where the two schools combine to have enough players to field volleyball, football and basketball teams, the school was forced to cancel the 2004 football season after only eight or nine players turned out for the squad. Prior to 2003, Monument/Dayville combined with Mitchell for football, but for the past two seasons the Loggers have had their own program.

Now, the same thing has happened to the Long Creek High School volleyball team, which was forced to fold the program less than three weeks into the TriCo League season.

The Mountaineers were hampered right from the get-go when just six players came out for the team and a combination of eligibility problems and little, nagging injuries made things even worse.

Pros crush Savages in first Wapiti test

ENTERPRISE – Grant Union, the defending Wapiti League football champion, had the offense running in high gear and the defense playing rock-solid in the first league game of the year on Friday, Oct. 8, against Enterprise.

The result was a 52-0 shutout victory for the Prospectors in a game where the clock ran unabated from the 11:47 mark of the third quarter on the 45-point rule.

Grant Union ran the ball at will against the undersized and inexperienced Enterprise lineman and Justin Bartlett got the game off to a roaring start with a 62-yard touchdown run on the Prospectors’ first series of plays.

GU riders wrap up fall season

COTTAGE GROVE – The Grant County High School Rodeo team wrapped up the fall season at the Cottage Grove No. 1 and No. 2 Rodeos on Sept. 17-19.

Jessie Legg was the top finisher for the local team, taking fourth place in pole bending at the Cottage Grove No. 1 event.

Amanda King was fourth in pole bending at Cottage Grove No. 2 and was named rookie cowgirl at the Moro and Condon rodeos on Sept. 3-4 and Sept. 4-5, where she won the pole bending championships.

She also was third in barrel racing at Moro and fourth in Condon, and continued her point-winning ways with a third-fourth split in cow cutting at Condon and seventh-eighth split at Moro.

Kayla Kilby was second in barrel racing at Moro and split seventh-eighth at Condon, and was fifth in pole bending at Condon and seventh in Moro.

Chad Finley placed sixth in tie down roping at Cottage Grove No. 2, and placed eighth in the same event at Cottage Grove No. 1.

Also making appearances for the Grant County Rodeo Team at all four events were Shilo Burton, Jeremy Finley and Logan Titus.

Mt. Vernon Mustangs finish season undefeated

MT VERNON – For the first time in school history, the Mt. Vernon Middle School eighth-grade football team finished the season undefeated with a 30-18 victory over Baker on Thursday, Oct. 21.

Finishing the season with a perfect record didn’t come easy and Mustangs’ coach Pete Piazza said he knew going in the game against Baker was going to be a tough one.

“They have a good team and had a 5-0 season record before they played us,” he said.

Sporting a 5-0 season record themselves, the Mustangs fell behind 6-0 in the first quarter after an intercepted pass led to a Baker touchdown.

“They didn’t get the conversion and after they kicked off, it took us 18 seconds to score. We got the conversion and never trailed after that,” Piazza said. “We played an outstanding game as a team and left everything we had on the field.”

The Mustangs rushed for 421 yards in the game and put up another 102 through the air.

Mt. Vernon averaged over 43 points per game this season, while holding opponents to less than seven points. The Mustangs had 1,985 yards in rushing offense in six games and 742 in passing.

November

Pros kick their way to state

JOHN DAY – Taylor Myers’ three-goal hat trick and a strong defensive effort on a wet field at the Seventh Street Athletic Complex lead the Grant Union boys soccer team to a 5-0 victory over Horizon Christian on Tuesday, Oct. 26.

The win earned the Prospectors the second seed from the Mountain West Conference into the Class 1A/2A state playoffs.

Under gray skis and a steady, chilling rain, the Prospectors scored two quick goals to open the match and then put on a defensive clinic against the Hawks to advance to state playoff competition for the third straight year.

Panthers win Trico with 28-20 victory

JORDAN VALLEY – A 10-yard touchdown by quarterback Willie Rockhill in the second overtime period combined with a strong team defensive effort, earned Prairie City the 2004 TriCo League football championship on Friday, Oct. 29.

Prairie City beat Jordan Valley, 28-20.

Rockhill connected with Gary Moulton on a 20-yard scoring pass in the opening quarter, and a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Brandon Lovell accounted for the Panthers’ second score of the game.

In the third period, Rockhill hooked up with Greg Waggoner on another 20-yard scoring pass, but it was the defense that carried the way late in the game.

Jordan Valley tied the score 20-20 and had a chance to pull the game out in regulation, but Waggoner shut down the point-after attempt to keep the contest deadlocked.

Mustangs stun Panthers in TriCo final match

JORDAN VALLEY – A long bus trip and a long wait for the match to begin contributed to Prairie City’s undoing as the Panthers dropped a 21-25, 25-15, 25-12, 27-25 decision to Jordan Valley in the final regular season TriCo League volleyball match on Friday, Oct. 29.

The loss throws the standings into a threeway tie, with Prairie City, Jordan Valley and Spray finishing with 8-1 league records.

Panthers ranked 10th in state

PRAIRIE CITY – Like the Boston Red Sox, a numbers of years have elapsed since the last time a Prairie City High School football team has been league champion.

The last time the Panthers’ reached the Class 1A state championship game was in 1990, when the team finished as runnerup, and players on the 2004 squad said the last league title came in 1986.

Playing in the Old Oregon League for a number of years, Prairie City was a regular participant in the district playoffs thanks to third or fourth-place finishes in the league and usually came away with a win in the opening round against an opponent from the TriCo League. However, the second round proved to be a bugaboo, as the team went up against one of the “powerhouse” squads from the OOL, Powder Valley in recent years and prior to that Cove, which resulted in a season-ending loss.

Leagues were realigned in 2004 and Prairie City became one of the two new members of the TriCo. As a result, the Panthers ended their 18-year title-less streak, finishing a perfect 6-0 in league games and 6-1 overall.

“It’s great to win the league championship, we love it,” junior Yazzie Voigt said. “We’re all pretty excited.”

Vikings travel by ground to title

VALE – In high school football, tradition is often as important as the quality of players on the field.

On Friday, Nov. 5, the second-ranked Vale Vikings showed exactly why the team has a 50-3 home-field record, defeating Grant Union 21-0 to win the 2004 Wapiti League championship.

Vale’s big linemen dominated play on both sides of the ball, and speed in the Viking’s backfield proved to be just too much for the sixth-ranked Prospectors to handle.

The Vikings’ defense shut down the Prospectors’ running game, holding Grant Union to just 36 yards on the ground while rolling up a total of 239 yards in rushing offense of their own.

PC volleyball finishes in tie for TriCo title

JOHN DAY – Despite a fifth-place finish at the District 4-1A Volleyball Tournament on Saturday, Prairie City coach Eva Saul said the 2004 season was a successful one for the Panthers.

Prairie City entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed from the TriCo League thanks to a 19-25, 25-14, 15-25, 25-8, 15-9 playoff victory over Jordan Valley at Nyssa High School on Wednesday, and finished the season as TriCo League tri-champion.

Senior Lindy Black was named a first-team all tournament all-star.

Grant Union earns trip to Vernonia

JOHN DAY – Grant Union rode the throwing arm and kicking leg of senior Toby Thomas to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter and went on to defeat Regis 34-14 in the opening round of the OSAA/U.S. Bank/Les Schwab Tires Class 2A football playoffs on Saturday, Nov. 13.

With the victory, the Prospectors (8-2) advance to the second round of the state playoffs and will face Vernonia, the No. 1 team from the Northwest League, at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20 in Vernonia.

The win also erased a year of frustration for Grant Union, which was eliminated in last year’s opening round of the playoffs by Regis.

Eagles end Panthers’ season with 30-22 victory

PRAIRIE CITY – Dillon Bellmore scored on an 8-yard run with 2:13 remaining in the game and the McKenzie Eagles ended Prairie City’s football season with a 30-22 victory over the Panthers in the opening round of the OSAA/US Bank/Les Schwab Tires Class 1A on Friday, Nov. 12, at Don L. Parker Memorial Field.

The contest was a hard-fought, evenly played matchup between two good football teams, which saw Prairie City and McKenzie combine for 712 yards in total offense.

The Panthers had the advantage gaining 329 on the ground and 63 through the air, compared to the Eagles’ 283 rushing and 47 passing, but came up short on the scoreboard.

Loggers end Prospectors’ season

VERNONIA – Out-scored 21-6 in the second half, Grant Union’s 2004 quest for the Class 2A state football championship came to an end Saturday as the Prospectors lost 35-20 to Vernonia in the second round of the OSAA/US Bank/Les Schwab playoffs.

The Prospectors finished the season as the second-place team in the Wapiti League, with an 8-3 overall record.

Grant Union started out strong against the Northwest League champion Loggers (8-1) after Toby Thomas atoned for an earlier fumble by picking off an errant pass, giving the Prospectors possession on the Vernonia 35-yard line. However, the interception proved costly as Thomas, the Wapiti League’s offensive player of the year, suffered a hip injury on the play and saw limited action for the remainder of the game.

December

GU wrestlers ranked third in state

JOHN DAY – Led by four seniors, the Grant Union wrestling team is anticipating another successful season this year. In the latest Class 2A/1A coaches poll has Grant Union ranked as the No. 3 team in the state, up from the No. 23 position it held last year.

Senior Josh Arnall set a milestone for the team Dec. 11-12 at the Calhoun Classic on Friday and Saturday, notching his 100th varsity victory. He won the championship in the 140-pound division.

Rockhill, Moulton, Fast are all-stars

PRAIRIE CITY – Seniors Willie Rockhill, Evan Fast and Gary Moulton from the TriCo League football champion Panthers have been selected to play in the 8-man All-Star football game at Eastern Oregon University in La Grande on June 18.

Local cowboys make big splash in the big time

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – “Viva Las Vegas,” was the promotional cry we heard at the National Finals Rodeo every time we turned around.

In truth, the rodeo was great, but you can have Las Vegas – I’ll take John Day.

The two local cowboys did themselves proud in this, their first-ever appearance at the National Finals Rodeo, despite starting out with a couple of glitches.

Dustin Elliott was bucked off a couple of bulls that he thought he should have ridden and Trevor Knowles lost the handle on a couple of his steers and ended up chasing them on foot.

However, both of them righted their respective ships and finished strong.

Elliott came into the finals sitting No. 1 in the world in bull riding and maintained that position, with some very good rides to take home the world championship gold buckle.

Knowles began the rodeo in 14th place in steer wrestling and put together some good runs in the final go-rounds to finish the year in 10th place overall.

“Next year will be even better,” Knowles said.