Poised champ, Lavergne locks up fourth consecutive state title with strong bounce-back ride
The first-go round Thursday at the Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo at Burton Coliseum was a rare miss for DeQuincy's Wyatt Lavergne, but the seasoned cowboy was unfazed.
He turned in one of his best rides of the season Friday in the second-go round and locked up his fourth consecutive saddle bronco riding state championship.
'It is a blessing to say (I have won four state championships),' Lavergne said. 'I don't know how many people have done it. I am sure there are a few. I am definitely proud of what I have accomplished.'
He scored a 75-point ride Friday morning in the first session of the second-go round.
'I thought I did everything I could do with the stock that I drew,' Lavergne said. 'It was fun, and I had a good time.'
In four trips to the state finals, Thursday's miss was Lavergne's first at the state rodeo, but his experience showed Friday. It was the eighth time in 11 rounds at the state rodeo that he scored more than 70 points.
'I knew what I did wrong,' Lavergne said. 'I just needed to go full throttle (Friday) morning and give it everything I had, and it ended up working out.
'I knew what I could do. I knew it didn't set me back yesterday. It was just a mental thing. I just had to overcome that challenge and forget about it. If you keep looking at the rear view you are going to run into something.'
Rosepine's Austin James was the lone saddle bronc rider scheduled for the evening session. Even if James tops Lavergne's 75-point ride, the eight points for second place would give Lavergne 97 points and an insurmountable 34-point lead.
The top 15 in each event will compete in the short-go round at 5 p.m. Saturday. The top four in each event qualify for the National High School Finals Rodeo in Rock Springs, Wyoming, July 13-19.
First-go round
Jeff Davis cowboy Cale Carpenter won the first round of steer wrestling with a stunning sub- 4-second time of 3.56 seconds on Thursday.
Welsh High School's Wyatt Sonnier teamed up with Teddie Austin Guynn to win the opening round of team roping at 7.64 seconds and 0.15 seconds ahead of Stratton James and Gus Dorris. Sonnier and Guynn moved up to fourth place in the standings.
In tie down roping on Thursday, Cougar Racca, the 2023 state champion, edged Cruz Melancon for the top time of the day at 8.41 seconds. Melancon posted a time of 8.57 seconds.
The battle for the breakaway roping title remains tight after the first round. Kensley Mudge (Magnolia Bend Academy) and Jillian Fontenot (Beau Chene) lead with 41 points each, and Caroline Fontenot (Beau Chene, 36.1) and Saige (Sulphur, 36) Martin and Faith Dubois (34.5) were not far behind.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
American Press
22-07-2025
- American Press
Long road to national title, Ty LaVergne tames bulls at NHSFR
Rodeo life means thousands of miles and countless hours on the road, but it allows for ample time for reflection. DeQuincy sophomore bull rider Ty LaVergne spent 15 hours and 1,000 miles from Shawnee, Oklahoma, to Rock Springs, Wyoming, thinking about his scoreless week at the International Finals Youth Rodeo. By the time he arrived at the National High School Finals Rodeo, he knew what he had to do and won his first high school national championship. 'I just knew I had to do my job,' LaVergne said. The championship came down to the final round on Saturday at the Sweetwater Events Complex. LaVergne watched the other 19 short-go round qualifiers make a run at the title before he got his shot close 10 p.m. that evening. He needed 63.5 points, but left no doubt that he is one of the rising bull riders in the country with a career-best 87-point ride. After a couple of leaps right out of the game, the bull didn't take it easy on LaVergne as he spun left away from his hand. He spun LaVergne round three times, but he held on for the highest-scoring ride of the week. He didn't show any nerves in his first NHSFR appearance and was the only bull rider to score 80-plus points in all three rounds. He won the first go-round with 86 points and was fifth in the second-go round with 80 points. 'It feels pretty good,' LaVergne said. 'I had a lot of fun. 'I drew really good (bulls) and executed. I drew to win.' LaVergne finished with 253 points while runner-up Wyatt Bowman (Plain City, Utah) had 229.5 points. Carter Shaw of Haughton was third with 228 points. LaVergne's championship at the NHSFR is the first for a Louisiana cowboy or cowgirl since 2020, when Sulphur's Kolby Stelly was the top bull rider and Josey Murphy won the breakaway title. LaVergne and his older brother, Wyatt, each won state championships in May at the Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo at Burton Coliseum. LaVergne beat defending state champion Brennan Polito 126.4-102.25. The elder LaVergne, the four-time defending Louisiana saddle bronc riding state champion, was looking to win his first NHSFR title, but got off to a rough start after his horse flipped over out of the chute in the first-go round and he was bucked off on his re-ride. He placed seventh in the second-go round at 75.5 but didn't make the short-go round. Wyatt was named as the 2025 recipient of the 35th annual Lane Frost Memorial Scholarship of $4,000. He placed third at the IFYR the week before. Also at the IFYR, Fisher Burnworth of DeQuincy won the bareback riding title with rides of 74, 78 and 83 points. Sulphur's William Gunter finished ninth in steer wrestling at the NHSFR with an aggregate time of 25.37 seconds. His top time was 5.25 seconds, the second-best time in the short-go round on Saturday. He placed third in the first-go round at 5.17 seconds before a 14.95-second time in the second-go round.
American Press
11-07-2025
- American Press
His own man
Bill Armstrong promises to be true to himself as he takes over the Cowboys. (Roderick Anderson/American Press) B ill Armstrong isn't Will Wade. He isn't the complete opposite of him either. In many ways, the new McNeese State men's basketball coach is nothing like his predecessor. Wade was a two-year wild ride through the raging rapids. Armstrong is more like a pleasure cruise over calm seas. But in a few key areas, they're very much alike. 'Will is like a brother to me,' Armstrong said. 'He is one of my best friends in the world. We just go about things differently.' That is apparent just by watching the two go through film sessions with their players. Armstrong's voice stayed smooth while Wade's could peel the paint off the walls of the Legacy Center. Armstrong is your chemistry professor, trying to get you to understand a toxic formula that could be used in the high school lab. Wade, the gym teacher, is attempting to get you to do 10 more push-ups. Both have the same goal: to teach, but they approach it in very unique ways. However, don't be confused by the easy-going demeanor of Armstrong; he has just as big a fire inside him, roaring to win. 'We are both very, very competitive,' said Armstrong. 'I want to win just like he does. That's why I came here. I want to build on what he started.' And when his players mess up in practice, Armstrong is more than capable of getting them back on track, but he does it his way. Wade took McNeese to two straight Southland Conference championships and their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory last spring when they beat Clemson. Despite it all, Armstrong isn't worried about filling any shoes. Armstrong takes over for Wade, whom he worked for at LSU, after two historic seasons. The Cowboys went 58-11, including 41-2 against the Southland, with postseason results included. That only made the job more attractive to Armstrong, who is getting his first chance at being a college head coach. 'Not many people get the opportunity to take over a program that's doing so well,' Armstrong said. 'Usually, you have to take over a bad team and build it. This is special because we're ready to keep on winning.' One fan Armstrong doesn't have to win over? Will Wade. He fully endorses his friend's hiring and is behind him 100 percent. 'He is going to make you guys forget all about me,' said Wade. 'There is no bigger fan of Bill Armstrong or McNeese basketball than me. 'Bill is the most consistent person I have been around. You know what to expect and what you are going to get from him every day.' Armstrong took over the program just days after Wade accepted his new gig at North Carolina State, taking a good portion of his staff with him. The transition to Armstrong, who came over after spending one season as an assistant at Baylor, could not have gone smoother. 'Bill has done a fantastic job since being hired,' said McNeese Athletic Director Heath Schroyer. 'I could not have asked for more from him and his staff. 'He's his own man and has his own personality, but the nuts and bolts of the program and how it's run on a day-to-day basis? It's the same.' And the standards are the same, too. 'Our expectations for this program remain just as high,' said Schroyer. 'I do not doubt at all that Coach Armstrong will continue to move this program forward.' Armstrong and Wade are connected through their LSU hardships. Both were let go over recruiting allegations that rocked the Tiger program at the time. Armstrong wondered if he'd ever get a shot at the head coach's gig. 'You think about that, and it was a low point,' said Armstrong. 'You wonder if you will ever get to tell your story and if anybody will ever take a chance on you.' Armstrong ended up in the head coach's chair at Link Academy, a nationally elite high school basketball program in Missouri. He won a national title and went to another Final Four in his two seasons before Baylor. Armstrong understands what it means to get a second chance; he just doesn't talk about it as openly as Wade does. 'I use that chip on my shoulder a little differently than Will,' Armstrong said. 'But I am just as appreciative of McNeese and this community for embracing me, my family and my staff. They have been great to all of us. 'I could not have drawn things up moving here any better. Now we want to just keep winning and take this program to an even higher level.' With that, he sounds (at least a little) like… You know who.
American Press
05-07-2025
- American Press
American Press Female Scholar Athlete of the Year: Baumgarten eager to lend helping hand
2025 South Beauregard High School graduate Jolie Baumgarten is this year's American Press Female Scholar Athlete. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) A desire to help others was the force for recent South Beauregard graduate Jolie Baumgarten. And it's that same drive that pushed her to go all in the classroom, on the court and in her community. 'One thing that was very important to me was making sure that I was well-versed,' Baumgarten said. 'Throughout my high school career, I wanted to do everything possible. I also wanted to do that while I maintained good academics because that was always the most important thing. I just wanted to make sure that I really got the high school experience.' And she did just that. With a 4.23 grade point average, 35 college credits, and a 28 on the American College Testing exam while earning all-district first team and American Press All-Southwest Louisiana Big Schools second-team honors, Baumgarten is the American Press Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. She was also an active member of Student Council and BETA Club, preferring to stay busy more often than relaxing. To keep it all together, she said she kept a detailed calendar that seldom had a blank space. 'I love to stay busy,' Baumgarten said. 'I'm not a homebody. 'I really just have that passion and drive to just do everything I can to help others. Pretty much every day, I'm doing something. 'My calendar really does help me stay organized, but I always make sure I get my priorities first. My top priorities are always family and God. Everything else falls in place after that. That's something my parents (Angela Harrison and Chad Baumgarten) always told me. Just to keep my faith and be confident in what I do. That if I work hard and stay grounded, I'll be successful.' Baumgarten said she plans to attend LSU in the fall and pursue a marketing degree, not to promote herself but to use it to continue to serve others. 'I love helping others,' Baumgarten said. 'So marketing, I really do believe that I can get into the right company that will really do good for America and our people and not just push the wrong agenda over them. 'I want to be very truthful and open and honest with my marketing strategies and just make the world a better place by serving others. I think it helps to know what our community is lacking, like world hunger and climate issues. I think that's very important to know what exactly we need to be giving back, because if we aren't really catering to the most desperate need, then I feel like we aren't really solving the biggest issue at hand.' As a student council member, Baumgarten participated in community events like the homecoming parade and a Thanksgiving food drive. She also made regular visits to local nursing homes. The activity that had the most profound impact on her, she said, was Bright Days, hosted by the student council. 'It was like a field day for special education students, and I believe that it taught not just me but pretty much everybody in our school that it's not just about us,' Baumgarten said. 'That we need to include them too. 'I know that they do not have a normal high school experience, and maybe they feel excluded from things. I know that really had an impact on them, and it really did have an impact on me too. It was very fun and I enjoyed making them happy over myself.' Baumgarten said several teachers helped push her to success and see the broader world around her, especially Jeff Lejeune and counselor Jessica Hungerford. 'I really do feel like I am very well prepared because of the dedication and sincerity that our teachers put into us,' Baumgarten said. 'They really do care for us. We are not the smallest school, but we are a smaller school. 'So it really does help with personal relationships. I've had amazing teachers like Mr. Lejeune, who opened my eyes to the real world and where my values need to lie. Ms. Hungerford, my counselor, has always pushed us to go beyond our limits.' On the court, Baumgarten, a guard who averaged 11.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.0 assists a game, helped lead the Lady K's to the Non-select Division II quarterfinals in her final season and the state championship game as a junior. 'I knew basketball would teach me many life lessons that just school would not teach me,' Baumgarten said. 'It would prepare me for the real world.'
