SULPHUR — Bell City’s Jude Leonards and St. Louis Catholic’s Katie Schlang finished strong Saturday at the Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo as each claimed their first state championship.

Schlang had little room for error in the short-go round with a 1.8-point lead on Iowa’s Alyssa Gary in goat tying. The junior recorded her third consecutive sub- 8.5-second run and placed second in the final round with a time of 8.31 seconds. She won the average title (24.47 seconds) for another 12 points to beat Gary 112.4- 108.6.

“It feels nice,” Schlang said. “I had enough points coming in so I just needed to make three solid runs.

“I worked on being consistent. Last year I would have either really good runs or really bad runs.”

Schlang opened the state rodeo with a 7.76-second run to win the first-go round and a second-place finish in the second-go (8.40). She placed third last year and fifth in 2020.

Leonards turned up his practice regimen to win the saddle bronc riding title in his final high school season. His last ride was the best of the week at 4.09 seconds to finish with 103.2 points. He was sixth in 2021 and placed seventh in 2020 despite winning the average title.

“It felt like a blessing to get it off my back,” Leonards said. “I just needed to go out there and get a good time, and it would work out.”

Leonard never finished worse than third on the high school circuit this season.

“This year I just came in and stayed in the average everywhere I went and ended up first (in the state),” Leonards said. “I practiced every day. It feels great to win it in my senior year.”

Life Christian Academy freshman Hudson Gros claimed a pair of runner-up titles, won the Rookie All- Around Cowboy title and was second to Hicks’ Kase Busby in the Boys All- Around standings.

Gros was the runner-up in steer wrestling and team roping along with partner Channing Johnson (South Beauregard High School). Gros and Johnson won the team roping short-go round (7.43 seconds) and placed second in the average (17.90 seconds) but were edged by last year’s runners-up Busby and Will Thibodeaux 178.8-172.8.

Rosepine’s Trey Carroll won the bull riding average title with rides of 61, 83 and 81 points, winning two rounds, but was beat out for the state title by Livonia’s Taylor Allen 95.6-90.2.

University View Academy’s Rylee Jo Maryman and Airline’s Landan English shared the Girls All-Around and Rookie All-Around titles with 183.2 points each.

Bareback Riding — Jacob Owens, Ethel (76 points)

Saddle Bronc Riding — Wyatt LaVergne, DeQuincy (71 points)

Barrel Racing — Landan English, Bossier (16.035 seconds)

Tie Down Roping — Jayden Broussard, Broussard (8.19 seconds)

Breakaway Roping — Camille Losey, Church Point (2.02 seconds)

Steer Wrestling — Jude Leonards, Bell City (4.09 seconds)

Goat Tying — Mackenzie Floyed, Ville Platte (8.14 seconds)

Team Roping — Channing Johnson, DeRidder/Hudson Gros, Sulphur (7.43 seconds)

Pole Bending — Kenzie King, Iowa (19.858)

Bull Riding — Trey Carroll, Rosepine (84 points)

Bareback Riding — Jacob Owens, Ethel (223 points/3)

Saddle Bronc Riding — Wyatt LaVergne, DeQuincy (182 points/3)

Barrel Racing — Lexi Lege, Duson (48.403 seconds/3)

Tie Down Roping — Kase Busby, Hicks (29.38 seconds/3)

Breakaway Roping — Madeline Hagan, Hicks (7.39 seconds/3)

Steer Wrestling — Kase Busby, Hicks (19.55 seconds/3)

Goat Tying — Katie Schlang, Lake Charles (24.47 seconds/3)

Team Roping — Grace Dubois, Church Point/Luke Dubois, Church Point (64.23 seconds/3)

Pole Bending — Kenzie King, Iowa (61.425 seconds/3)

Bull Riding — Trey Carroll, Rosepine (225 points/3)