Three sophomores will look to defend their state titles in Welsh’s Coy Hebert and Kylie Conner and Sulphur’s Kolby Stelly this week at the Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo at the Burton Coliseum.

The state rodeo will start today with first go-round of cutting at 9 a.m. followed by the second go-round at 2 p.m. The first round of the reined cow horse event will start at 4 p.m.

Tuesday will start with the cutting championship round at 10 a.m. and two rounds of reined cow horse (11:30 a.m., 4 p.m.).

The main performances will start at 6:30 p.m. each night starting on Tuesday and finishing on Saturday with the short go round.

As a freshman last year, Conner won a state title in barrel racing and is at the top of the standings again.

“I am a little nervous this time,” Conner said. “I just want it really bad, but I know I just have to let it happen.

“If it is meant to be, it is meant to be. Hopefully, I will be going to nationals.”

She has just a two-point lead over University Academy of Central Louisiana’s Averie Vidrine, 72-70, leaving no room for error. Conner knocked down a barrel in the championship round last year, but still managed to win the championship.

“I just have to be consistent and try to get the average points,” Conner said. “I am only two points ahead of the girl behind me, so I will not have any room for mistakes.”

Conner won the All-Around Cowgirl title last year 282-254 over Iowa’s Kaylee Cormier, but has a lot of ground to make up this time. She currently sits third in the all-around standings with 165 points and trails Central School’s Josey Murphy (330) and Live Oak’s Kamryn Duncan (208).

Conner is ranked fifth in breakaway roping and eighth in goat tying.

Hebert easily won the saddle bronc title in 2018 by 75.5 points. But St. Edmund’s Isaac Richard is just 27 points behind, so Hebert will not have much margin for error this time around.

Stelly won the bull riding championship last year by just 1.5 points over Vinton’s Taylor Pierce. While he has a bigger lead, 19 points over H.L. Bourgeois’ Seth Prejeant, heading into the finals than last year (14), Stelly said this year’s competition will be tougher. He has won five of his last six rodeos.

“There are some better riders this year and everyone has stepped up their game,” Stelly said. “I am feeling good. I am ready.”

Stelly also leads the boys cutting standings by 10 points over Iowa’s Clayton Sharpe, 20-10.

Other event leaders from Southwest Louisiana including Basile’s Isaac Ingram (bareback riding), Sulphur’s Kaylee Kinney (girls cutting) and Brooklyn Gunter (pole bending), Grand Lake’s Bailey Mudd (breakaway roping), Iowa’s Kinley Leblanc (reined cow horse) and Kinder’s Britt Buller (team roping).

Gunter won a state title in pole bending in 2017 and national titles in 2016 and 2018, but placed third at the state finals last year.

Buller finished as the runner up in team roping along with then partner Clay McDaniel in 2018 after a state championship run in 2017. Buller was the state runner up in 2016. He is teamed up with Koby Sanchez (Ethel, La.) this year and holds a 22 point lead over the team of Zeb Corkern (Zachary, La.) and Riley Rieken (Arp, Tx.).

In this file photo, Welsh then-freshman Kylie Conner competes in barrels at Burton Coliseum on Saturday, June 2, 2018. Conner won the All-Around Cowgirl title and a state title in barrel racing.

Kirk Meche