Last year, Cyle Denison left the Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo without a team roping championship and missed out on the National High School Finals Rodeo.

But this year, the senior home school student out of Iowa has teamed up with his cousin Britt Buller (Fenton) with the hope of going out on top this week at the 2017 Louisiana Finals Rodeo in Burton Complex.

Denison and his 2016 roping partner, Cody Hogan, the top rookie heeler in the PRCA this year, finished fifth last year.

“Last year my partner and I didn’t make it to high school nationals,” Denison said. “That was a big letdown.

“That was what we were supposed to win in. My main reason for wanting to go to the high school rodeos this year is to come back in the team roping. I don’t want to end on a bad note.”

The duo has won three straight rodeos heading into the finals and sit just 18 points (178-160) behind leaders Noah Briley (Northwest HS) and Seth Smith (Old Bethel Christian) while defending champs Tyler McGuffee (Bossier City) and Mason Pitts (Haughton HS) are in third with 124 points.

Denison, who plans on turning pro next year, could end the week with two championship buckles. He trails Kase Bacque (Port Barre) by just one point in the all-around cowboy standings, 202.5 to 201.5.

The state rodeo will start today with boys’ and girls’ cutting at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

All other events, besides reined cow horse, will be Tuesday–Saturday with performances at 6:30 p.m.

Reined cow horse will start at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday with a second round at 12:30 p.m.

The top four in each event advance to the National High School Finals Rodeo in Gillette, Wyo., on July 16–22.

It also won’t be long before Iota High School senior Judd Hebert collects his third consecutive state bull riding championship.

Hebert, who won the NHSFR and IFYR bull riding titles last year, holds a substantial lead with 100 points while Dutchtown High School’s Cody Martinez is second with 27 points. Even so, Hebert doesn’t plan on taking it easy.

Since seventh grade, Hebert has won a state title every year except his freshman season and plans to turn pro soon.

“It hasn’t really hit me yet how I am going to move on to bigger stuff,” Hebert said. “One of my dreams and goals is to make it to the NFR.”

Last year, Sulphur High’s Brooklyn Gunter stunned the  rodeo circuit by winning two pole bending national championships (NHSFR, IYFR) but let slip the state championship.

Gunter and her horse Blaze have been nearly unstoppable this season winning 10 of 11 rodeos on the state circuit.

The duo’s top time this year was a 19.011-second run at the DeRidder rodeo and Gunter is confident they can go lower.

Gunter had two of the fastest times at the state finals last year but posted a 24.286-second run in the first go round, leaving her a bit nervous heading into this week’s finals.

“I am actually nervous because last year the first round didn’t go as expected,” Gunter said. “Going into state last year, I wasn’t really focused as much as should have been. That is going to be one of my main goals — to be more focused.”

Sulphur High senior Garrett Ellender is looking to defend his saddle bronco riding state championship but he enters the finals in unfamiliar territory. He currently trails Beekman Charter’s Michael Womack by 11 points, 88 to 77.

Iowa High School’s Kaylee Cormier won goat tying last year but holds just a seven-point lead over Cedar Creek’s Kelly O’Neal, 98 to 93, with 2016 runner up Kamryn Duncan (Live Oak HS) lurking in third with 84 points.

Sulphur’s Rhett Goodner leads the boys’ cutting standings by 14 points over Bacque (Port Barre), 126.50 to 112.5.

Hackberry’s Charli Little leads the reined cow horse standings while Welsh’s Cameron Gotreaux leads the steer wrestling standings by just half a point over Sacred Heart-Ville Platte’s Gavin Soileau.