With the National High School Finals Rodeo looming in a little more than a week, the Sutton family brainstormed an idea to get some of South Dakota's best high school cowboys in front of a national finals-type crowd.
The Sutton family, who are from Onida, annually provide the stock for the Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo.
Enter the 36th annual Stampede, which for the past two nights has drawn more than 2,400 fans. Temperatures rose into the high 90s at Friday night's performance.
In each of the last two nights, and again tonight and Sunday, the rodeo will be hosting a High School Challenge at the end of some events in an effort to get some of the best local cowboys heading to the national finals a chance to perform in front of the big crowd.
Branden Baade, a 2006 Mitchell High School graduate, will be participating in the national finals, which run from July 24-30 in Springfield, Ill., in the tie-down roping competition. Each of the last two nights, Baade has been able to show his wares in front of the 3/4-full Horseman's Sports Arena crowd.
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On Thursday, he participated in the tie down, finishing in 22.8 seconds -- a 10-second penalty applied because he broke the barrier -- and on Friday he finished in 13.1 in the event and teamed up with younger brother Blake to finish in 13.9 seconds in the team roping competition.
"A lot of it is just us being able to go out in the arena and compete with everyone else in front of a crowd," said Baade, 19, who will attend the University of Nebraska next year and study agricultural engineering. "What we're doing is getting ready for nationals and getting our horses in front of a crowd."
If any of the participants in the high school challenge -- pickup man Brett Sutton also will compete in the high school finals later this month and has finished with times of 16.7 and 7.2, respectively, in the steer wrestling each of the last two nights -- finishes in the top two in the rodeo, the Sutton family will donate money back into the High School Rodeo Association as well as the state's Youth Rodeo Association.
"It's a good deal for that," Baade said.
While the Stampede crowd noticeably gets behind its high school athletes, the bull riding competition easily stole the show Friday night.
Cory Maier and Aaron Brewer were the only full rides on Thursday, each finishing with a 73. On Friday, four of the seven rides went all eight seconds and each topped the opening night's score.
Joe Meling, Pendelton, Ore., overtook first place overall for the rodeo and won Friday's performance with an 87, followed by Wade Sundell of Ohumwa, Iowa, who finished with an 86. Colby Reilly of Stratford, Wash., and Ardie Maier of Timber Lake -- Cory Maier's older brother -- finished with an 84 and 83, respectively.
Justin Williams of Desoto, Kan., and Casey Gale of Sioux Falls both finished with a 76 in the bareback riding and Matt Gilbert of Buffalo took the steer wrestling on the last steer of the night, clocking in at 4.9 seconds.
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Dusty Hausauer of Dickinson, N. D., won the saddle bronc with a score of 79 and Friday's performance in the tie-down roping went to Todd Graff in nine seconds flat.
Ronda Lee Potts of Boone, Iowa, won the women's barrel racing in a time of 16.28, which also overtook first place overall for the rodeo.
A pair of teams tied for first in Friday's performance in the team roping competition. The team of Preston Billadeau and Clint Cobb along with the duo of Wayne Knutson and Eddie Rauth each finished in 6.6 seconds.
The rodeo continues tonight and Sunday with performances beginning at 8 p.m. each night.
