Mangham student heading to national rodeo finals

After a week of competition at the Louisiana High School Rodeo Association Finals in Gonzales in June, one local teen is headed to Gillette, Wyoming.

Justin Gray, a 2010 Mangham High School graduate has earned a position on the Louisiana state high school rodeo team and will be traveling to Gillette to compete at the 62nd Annual National High School Finals Rodeo in the Bareback competition.

Featuring over 1,500 contestants from 41 states, five Canadian Provinces, and Australia, the National High School Finals is the world’s largest rodeo. In addition to competing for over $200,000 in prizes, NHSFR contestants will also be vying the chance to be named the National High School Rodeo National Champion.

To earn this title, contestants must finish in the top twenty after two go-rounds of intense competition before advancing to Saturday night’s final championship performance.

The top 36 in each event compete at the Louisiana High School Finals Rodeo for a spot on the Louisiana high school rodeo team.

After competing at state finals, the top four finishers from each event earned the right to advance to the NHSFR in Gillette

Justin has competed for three years. He was selected as the Bareback event director at LHSFR the last two years, a member of the 2008/2009 Wrangler All-Star Team, and was the 2008 LHSRA Bareback Rookie of the Year.

Justin is a member of the Northeast Louisiana High School Rodeo Team.

He is the son of Keith and Linda Gray of Archibald.