Fallon’s Norcutt wins national rodeo title

On Friday, Fallon’s Ali Norcutt took matters in her own hands — along with the help of a trusty steed — and benefited from lower scores from those in front.

Following a fifth-place finish in the 2018 National High School Finals Rodeo as a freshman, the sophomore went to No. 1.

Norcutt won the short-go, riding “Soula Hickory Star,” also known as “Kenny.”

She tied for fourth place in the first round — marking her high score of the rodeo with 290.5 points on Monday morning — but a 286-point run (20th in round two) on Thursday night painted an uphill climb for a bid to win the whole thing.

Mission accomplished anyway.

When Trail Townsend, of Earth, Texas, rode in the arena Friday afternoon, his two-round total of 578 points ranked fifth, Norcutt’s tally of 576.5 a point and a half and two spots behind.

He went to the lead of the average — then tying for first in the short-go with a final-round 287.5 — his three-round total of 865.5 moving to the top.

Lapoint, Utah’s Sydney Davis grabbed the high mark of the short-go with a 288.5; the girl behind her none other than Norcutt.

The lead changed hands twice in two runs, Norcutt needing a 289 for first in the short-go and a 289.5 for the national championship.

She hit the 289.5-point nail right on the head — winning the final round by one point — claiming the grand prize by half of a point with a three-run work of 866 points.

Norcutt has a lot of support from her family, but her horse-trainer dad, Darrel, and mom, Cari, were far from being the only people in her corner.

“That was fun. Nevada had the biggest cheering crowd,” Cari Norcutt said. “I thought it was so cool we had so much Nevada support.”

Congratulations to Ali Norcutt for the phenomenal success she has achieved in two-short years during her high school rodeo career, her reined cow horse national championship and for putting the country on blast that the youngster is a force to be reckoned with for quite some time.