With just five event champions out of 13 returning from last season, several area cowboys and cowgirls look to fill the void at the Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo this week.

The LHSFR kicked off Monday at the West Cal Arena in Sulphur with the first round of reined cow horse and the first two rounds of boys’ and girls’ cutting.

The first go round will be split into two performances. The first will start at 10 a.m. on Thursday followed by the second at 7 p.m.

The second go round will start at 10 a.m. Friday followed by the second performance at 7 p.m.

The top-15 in each event advance to the championship round on Saturday at 10 a.m.

Iowa cowboy Lane Touchet is the only returning champion from Southwest Louisiana. But the defending boys cutting champ will face stiff competition from Grand Lake’s Bobby Constance II, who leads by four points, 59-55, going into Monday’s rounds.

Sam Houston’s Camryn Richard, Laney Walker of DeRidder, DeQuincy’s Wyatt Lavergne, Bell City’s Jude Leonards and team ropers James Austin (Rosepine) and Gentry Silver (Iowa) lead their respective events heading into the finals.

Richard won six of eight regular season rodeos and leads the barrel racing standings with 72 points with Academy of Scared Heart’s Allie Frey and Rylee Maryman (St. Francisville) not far behind at 64 points. Richard finished third last year.

Walker was narrowly edged by Sulphur’s Kaylee Kinney by 2.15 points for the girls’ cutting title last year and looks to take home the championship saddle this week. She holds slim two-point lead on Vinton’s Emma Berry, 56-54.

Lavergne, a freshman, holds a commanding lead in saddle bronc with 60 points, while St. Louis Catholic’s Jace Nixon is second at 37.

Steer wrestler Leonards placed in the top-three in two rounds at last year’s finals and finished sixth, missing out on a trip to nationals. This time around head leads the vent with 80 points and is ahead of South Beauregard’s Judd Morrison by 13 points.

In team roping, Austin and Silver are at the top with 140 points, but last year’s runners-up, Kase Busby (Pitkin) and Will Thibodeaux (Oak Hill), are just two points back.

Busby (179) is after his second consecutive All-Around Cowboy title, but right behind him is a trio of Sulphur cowboys in Hudson Gros (126.5), Ryden Martin (103) and William Gunter (103).

Grand Lake’s Marcie Mudd (breakaway roping), Trey Carroll of Rosepine (bull riding), St. Louis’ Katie Schlang, Lydia Touchet of Iowa (girls’ cutting) are currently ranked second in their respective events.

2022 LHSRA standings

Prior to state finals

Boys All-around

Rk., Athlete, City Pts.

1, Kase Busby, Leesville 179

2, Hudson Gros, Sulphur 126.5

3, Ryden Martin, Sulphur 103

4, William Gunter, Sulphur 103

5, Judd Morrison, Longville 88

Girls All-around

Rk., Athlete, City Pts.

1, Landan English, Bossier 138

2, Rylee Maryman, St. Francisville 132

3, Camryn Richard, Lake Charles 117

4, Allie Frey, Eunice 115

5, Annamarie Pierce, Cloutierville 112.5

Bareback riding

Rk., Athlete, City Pts.

1, Mason Ortego, St. Francisville 68

2, Jacob Owens, Ethel 48

3, Travis Ragsdale, Winnsboro 29

Barrel racing

Rk., Athlete, City Pts.

1, Camryn Richard, Lake Charles 72

2, Allie Frey, Eunice 64

2, Rylee Maryman, St. Francisville 64

4, Gracie Heitman, Alexandria 61.5

5, Landan English, Bossier 53

Boys cutting

Rk., Athlete, City Pts.

1, Bobby Constance, Lake Charles 59

2, Lane Touchet, Iowa 55

Breakaway roping

Rk., Athlete, City Pts.

1, Grace Dubois, Church Point 58.5

2, Marcie Mudd, Lake Charles 51

3, Mackenzie Floyed, Ville Platte 44

4, Abby Hillman, Pioneer 42

5, Josie Martin, Sulphur 37

Bull riding

Rk., Athlete, City Pts.

1, Taylor Allen, Glynn 64

2, Trey Carroll, Rosepine 55

3, Baler Raymond, Oak Grove 36.5

4, Trevor Hebert, Prairieville 27.5

5, Landon Ruybal, Princeton 17

Girls cutting

Rk., Athlete, City Pts.

1, Laney Walker, DeRidder 56

2, Emma Berry, Vinton 54

3, Lydia Touchet, Iowa 41

4, Cathryn Dionne, Ragley 17

5, Savannah Stafford, Holden 7

Goat tying

Rk., Athlete, City Pts.

1, Annamarie Pierce, Cloutierville 85

2, Katie Schlang, Lake Charles 78

3, Alyssa Gary, Lake Charles 77

4, Marcie Mudd, Lake Charles 57

5, Arabella Litton, Heflin 56

Pole bending

Rk., Athlete, City Pts.

1, Landan English, Bossier 85

2, Avery Tate Church Point 64

3, Ava Nunez, Bell City 60

4, Mariah Crosby, Epps 54

5, Allie Frey, Eunice 49

Reined cow horse

Rk., Athlete, City Pts.

1, Savannah Stafford, Holden 39

2, Lydia Touchet, Iowa 29

3, Laney Walker, DeRidder 26

4, Mary Thibodeaux 17

5, Cooper Broussard, Estherwood 16

Saddle bronc riding

Rk., Athlete, City Pts.

1, Wyatt Lavergne, DeQuincy 60

2, Jace Nixon, Lake Charles 37

3, Caleb Miller, Welsh 30

4, Trent Broussard, Estherwood 28

5, Jack Thomas 18

Steer wrestling

Rk., Athlete, City Pts.

1, Jude Leonards, Bell City 80

2, Judd Morrison, Longville 67

3, Hudson Gros, Sulphur 64.5

4, Ryden Martin, Sulphur 58

5, William Gunter, Sulphur 52.5

Team roping

Rk., Athlete, City Pts.

1, James Austin, Rosepine 140

Gentry Silver, Iowa

2, Kase Busby, Leesville 138

Will Thibodeaux, Elmer

3, Hudson Gros, Sulphur 124

Channing Johnson, DeRidder

4, Connor Harper, Hineston 84

Damien Lavery, Leesville

5, Colby Creamer, Campti 76

Kolby Lasyone, Winnfield

Tie down roping

Rk., Athlete, City Pts.

1, Jayden Broussard, Broussard 114

2, Kase Busby, Leesville 72

3, CJ Covalt, Youngsville 63

4, Cougar Racca, Iowa 55

5, Ross Hebert, Kinder 53