EMCC men's rodeo team places third in Arkansas-Monticello event

MONTICELLO, Ark. – Following a month's layoff from competition, the East Mississippi Community College men's rodeo team finished third in the Boll Weevil Stampede hosted by the University of Arkansas at Monticello.  The three-day rodeo event concluded Saturday night at the Drew County Fairgrounds.

After scoring a runner-up finish in their spring-opening rodeo held Feb. 23-25 at Cossatot Community College in Texarkana, Ark., the EMCC Lions totaled 445 points this week to finish behind perennial NIRA Ozark Region rodeo powers Tennessee-Martin (815 pts) and Missouri Valley College (620 pts).

Now with 1,920 composite team points on the season, the Lions moved up two notches in the regional team standings from sixth to fourth place.  With MVC (5,160 pts) and UTM (3,915) sitting comfortably at No. 1 and 2, respectively, atop the Ozark Region standings, the EMCC men have passed Troy and Murray State within the team standings and now stand just 130 team points behind third-place Southern Arkansas.

Individually at the UAM rodeo, EMCC was led by freshman cowboy Scooter Scarbrough, of Florence, who paired with Southern Arkansas' Caleb Erwin to collect top honors in the team roping event with 155 points apiece.  In addition, former Noxubee County High School product D.D. Hunt teamed up with Kemper Academy's Jesse Rush to place third in team roping.

Scarbrough, who attended Simpson County Academy, also placed second in calf roping to contribute an additional 120 points to the Lions' cause.  For his efforts, Scarbrough won the All-Around individual title for the UAM-hosted rodeo.  Sophomore transfer Andrew Yates, of Crystal Springs, finished fifth in calf roping to tally 65 points for EMCC.

EMCC's remaining points on the men's side came from Leake Academy's Ethan Bobo, who earned 105 points with a third-place showing in the steer wrestling event.

In women's competition, EMCC's Lady Lions finished sixth as a team with DeKalb's Leslie Pevey accounting for the team's 40 total points in the barrel racing event.  The Missouri Valley women edged Tennessee-Martin, 415-400, to claim the women's team title.

Coach Morgan Goodrich's EMCC rodeo teams will be back in action April 12-14 at the University of Tennessee at Martin.