Preps Beat: Turner, Adams capture rodeo state titles

Written by Andy Griffin on June 13, 2012 in Canyon View, Cedar City, Desert Hills, Dixie High, Enterprise, Hurricane, Pine View, Snow Canyon, Sports, Top Sports Stories - No comments

Dixie cowboy Kurtis Turner competes in the UHSRA Finals in Heber City. | Photo submitted.

HEBER CITY — Recent Pine View graduate Kurtis Turner capped off his senior year by capturing the state championship in Bull Riding over the weekend.

Turner, who was ranked third in the state early in the season, had a great spring, pulling himself into the top spot by last week’s championship go-round. He was bucked off on his first ride, but notched stellar scores of 81 and 85 the next two rounds to clinch the state championship.

“These were tough bulls, some of the toughest in the country,” said Kendall Turner, Kurtis’s father. “Only Texas is comparable with the quality of bulls we have. Typically Utah kids do well at Nationals. In fact, a Utah kid has won the last two in a row.”

Kurtis, 18, lives in Washington City, but rides for the predominant rodeo club for youth in southern Utah, Dixie Rodeo Club. His state score, combined with his 70 points for winning the the regular season title, gave him the state championship by a whopping 22 points over second-place finisher Justin Gardner of Uintah Basin. Turner and Gardner were the only two bull riders to actually stay on the beasts more than once at the UHSRA Championships.

Turner, who won a new saddle and a belt buckle, will now prepare for the National High School Rodeo Finals, which take place July 15-23 in Rock Springs, Wyo.

Another Dixie rider, Brody Adams, also won state and will participate in the NHSRA Finals. Adams, with Clay Crozier of Uintah, won the team roping competition.

Dason Coronado, Cedar City, was also crowned state champ in the Boys Cutting event.

Several more Dixie Rodeo competitors qualified for Nationals by placing in the top four in their respective events.

They include: Kyna Hafen (second in Breakaway Roping and second in Goat Tying); Lane Burgess and Ben Prisbrey (fourth in Team Roping), and Dax Barnson (second in Tiedown).

Enterprise riders who qualified for Nationals include: Carol Lee Holt (second in Barrel Racing, third in Pole Bending); Katelyn Holmes (third in Barrel Racing), and Kanton Vause (fourth in Steer Wrestling).

For full state high school rodeo results, go to http://uhsra.org/results/rgn1rod144.htm.

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About the Author

Andy has been in sports media since 1989, when he graduated from American Technical College and accepted a job as the night disc jockey at Z104 in Logan. While there, he worked at the classic rock station and also served as the beat writer covering the Utah State Aggies and the Utah Jazz. Since earning a journalism degree at USU in 1992, Andy has carried on a dual career as both a sports writer and a sports broadcaster and has been heard around the country. He has also been published in USA Today, Sport magazine, The Sporting News, Fairways magazine, the the Los Angeles Times and locally in the Deseret News, the Salt Lake Tribune and the Spectrum. Andy was “The Voice of Region 9 sports,” for many years. He also hosted a daily sports talk show for three years called AG in the a.m. Andy has been married to his college sweetheart Shelly for 23 years and has five children ages 8 to 21.