WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2018
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A11
SPORTS
Hermiston Grid Kids Championships
PHOTO COURTESY OF MELISSA PURSWELL
The Jets held off the Chiefs 56-44 to in the fifth-sixth grade Hermiston Grid Kids “Trampis
Bowl” Championship on Oct. 27 at Kennison Stadium. Kellen Young scored four touchdowns
for the Jets - three on passes from Drake Devin (in photo). Devin also ran for two touchdowns,
and Young had two interceptions. For the Chiefs, Isaac Corey threw for four touchdowns and
ran for two more. Owen Osmin caught three touchdown passes.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LISA MCELROY
The Lions defeated the Seahawks 33-0 to win the third-fourth grade Hermiston Grid Kids
“Trampis Bowl” Championship on Oct. 27 at Kennison Stadium. It was the fifth consecutive
title for the Lions, and their sixth in the past eight years. Lane Simmons ran for one
touchdown and threw for another for the Lions. Ryan Allen caught two touchdown passes.
Adam Thomas (in photo) and Carter Olsen also scored for the Lions.
HERMISTON BARREL
RACER CROWNED
CANADIAN CHAMPION
Callahan Crossley of
Hermiston rounds a barrel
in 2014 at the Farm-City Pro
Rodeo in Hermiston.
HH FILE PHOTO
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CANADIAN RODEO FINALS
RIGHT: Callahan Crossley was named the 2018 barrel racing champion at the Canadian Rodeo Finals on Sunday.
By BRETT KANE
STAFF WRITER
A
Hermiston cowgirl has made it big
in the Great White North.
Callahan Crossley, 24, was
crowned the barrel racing cham-
pion at the Canadian Finals Rodeo on
Sunday during the competition’s first
year being held in Red Deer, Alberta.
Crossley claimed the title over six
days of racing with a total aggregate time
of 81.887 seconds on the back of her fam-
ily horse Brownie. The 20-year-old horse
was a gift from her aunt and uncle, Mary
and Butch Knowles - Butch was the 1987
saddle bronc champion at the National
Rodeo Finals, and now works as a rodeo
commentator for television.
The Canadian victory comes after a
long season of “highs and lows,” accord-
ing to Crossley. Her main season, which
ran from May to October, kicked off with
a first-place win at the Cloverdale Rodeo
in the British Columbia, and a $20,000
payday. Winter and mid-summer were
rough for the racer, but thanks to the
CFR, she was able to end the season on
a high note with $73,575 in total earnings
at the Red Deer competition.
Her Sunday paycheck was the most a
barrel racer has earned at the CFR. The
check also brought her season’s earnings
up to $99,190 - another CFR record.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be the
Canadian champion barrel racer,” Cross-
ley said. “I didn’t think it was possible
this year, but Brownie had other plans.
All that was going through my head was,
‘Don’t get ahead of yourself and start
each day as if the last day didn’t exist.
Brownie will do his job.’”
Crossley won second place in the
CFR’s first go-round event, first place in
the next three, second place in the fifth
round, and her sixth-round time of 13.488
seconds gave her the win. Diane Skoc-
dopole of Big Valley, Alberta, was her
runner-up with an aggregate of 84.268
seconds.
Sunday marked the end of Crossley’s
third year competing in Canada. She
qualified for the finals for the last two
years, being named the reserve cham-
pion in 2016, and placing in the top four
in 2017.
And after all of her success, she’s now
headed back home to Hermiston, but
she’s not sure for how long – she’s eye-
ing the Montana Circuit Finals in January
as her next stop.
“It seems like the rodeo season never
ends,” she said. “2019 has already
started.”
WIN
Enter To
$3,000
Newspaper sponsored • Local Shopping Survey
Enter to win now, go to:
www.pulsepoll.com