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Platteville duo qualifies for NHSFR
Vesperman defends state title in steer wrestling and wins Reserve All-Around Cowboy; Heer qualifies for nationals in three events
Vesperman
Platteville’s Jesse Vesperman won the state title in steer wrestling, qualified for nationals with a second-place finish in trap shooting and third place finishes in small bore rifle shooting and tie-down calf roping, and was named the Reserve All-Around Cowboy at the Wisconsin High School Finals Rodeo in Richland Center June 8–11.
Heer
Platteville’s Wyatt Heer will be returning to the National High School Finals Rodeo in July after placing second in tie-down calf roping, third in boys cutting and fourth in team roping at Richland Center two weekends ago.

RICHLAND CENTER — Recent Platteville graduates Jesse Vesperman and Wyatt Heer are heading back to the National High School Finals Rodeo later this summer.

The Hillmen duo qualified for the NHSFR by capping top-four finishes in multiple events this season at the Wisconsin High School Finals Rodeo two weekends ago at the Richland County Fairgrounds.

Vesperman competed in six events at the state finals, qualified for nationals in four and finished as the Reserve All-Around Cowboy with 459 points. He was second to only Fort Atkinson’s JB Bound (521 points). Vesperman was the Wisconsin All-Around Cowboy a year ago as a junior.

The Platteville cowboy defended his state title in steer wrestling as the season-long champion in the event after he was the only cowboy to catch all three of his steers over the weekend at the state finals.

Vesperman finished second in trap shooting on the season with 144 points, after shooting 72 of 75 clay targets during state championship competition, Thursday, June 8.

He also qualified for nationals with third place finishes in the small bore rifle competition, and the tie-down roping competition.

Vesperman finished sixth in the boys cutting event — an event he competed in for the first time this year at the state finals — scoring 10 crucial points that helped him edge Justin Gukenberger (457) by just two points for the Reserve All-Around Cowboy title. He also teamed with Waunakee’s Clare Burcalow to place 13th in the team roping event.

Vesperman, who made the difficult decision to sit out his freshman year of rodeo to save money for a horse, made another hard decision last year to forego his senior year of football at PHS so he could attend regional rodeo shooting events in the fall. 

Its safe to save both decisions have more than paid off.

Vesperman, who as a NHSFR qualifier in four events a year ago, and a national qualifier in the trap shooting competition two years ago, will finish his high school career as a three-time state champion (two-time steer wrestling, once in trap shooting), a two-time runner-up in trap shooting, an All-Around Cowboy inner (2022), a Reserve All-Around Cowboy (2023) and a nine-event NHSFR rodeo. 

“It feels pretty good,” said Vesperman, who will continue his rodeo and educational career in the fall at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa. “I am excited for another chance to go to Wyoming.”

This year, Vesperman will be joined by friend and teammate Wyatt Heer. 

After qualifying for nationals two years ago as a sophomore in team roping, Heer just missed out on a return trip to the NHSFR after placing fifth in Wisconsin in both team roping and tie-down roping last year as a junior. The top four finishers in each event qualify for the NHSFR each year.

This year Heer is a three-event national qualifier, after placing second in the boys cutting (33.5), second in tie-down roping (202.5) and fourth in team roping with partner Trent Parr from Mondovi.

The NHSFR will be held July 16–22 in Gillette, Wyom.

After competing together one final time as prep Cowboys in July as part of Team Wisconsin, Vesperman and Heer will teamup again in the fall as Heer will also continue his education and rodeo career at ICCC.

“I haven’t really thought too much about college rodeo yet,” said Vesperman. “I am just concentrating on the national finals right now.”

Before Gillette and Fort Dodge, Vesperman, who has also been competing in Great Lakes Circuit pro rodeos in Madison (April 15), St. Paul, Minn. (April 29), and Atlantic, Iowa and Bellevue, Iowa this past weekend, will also compete in the National Little Britches Rodeo Finals in Guthrie, Olka. July 2–8.

Vesperman qualified for NLBRF in four events after winning Illinois Little Britches state titles in steer wrestling, tie-down calf roping and dally ribbon roping. He and Richland Center’s Keegan Cooley also placed third in team roping.

Vesperman qualified for nationals by competing in 18 rodeos in Sheridan, Ill. — once a month, three rodeos per weekend — from Oct. 2022 until Labor Day weekend.


Wisconsin High School Finals Rodeo
(from Thursday–Sunday, June 8–11 @ Richland Center Fairgrounds)
All-Around Cowboys Standings — 1.J.B. Bound (Fort Atkinson) 521, 2.Jesse Vesperman (Platteville) 459, 3.Trent Parr (Mondovi) 457.
All-Around Cowgirls Standings — 1.Josie Laue (Richland Center) 597.5, 2.Clare Burcalow (Waunakee) 591.5, 3.Raelynn Johnson 585.5, 4.Lainee Burks (Lancaster) 558.
Rookie Cowboy — Jayden Johnson 251.5.
Rookie Cowgirl — Carley Gukenberger 209.
(Livestock Event Winners)
Bareback Bronc Riding — 1.Kade Parrish 200, 2.Ty Sova 145, 3.Braxton Bretsch 117.
Barrel Racing — 1.Lainee Burks (Lancaster) 228, 2.Tierra Hauser 205, 3.Josie Laue 184, 4.Ali Butler 157.
Boys Cutting — 1.Trent Parr 39.5, 2.Wyatt Heer (Platteville) 33.5, 3.Brady Uppena 31, 4.Justin Gukenberger 29.
Girls Cutting — 1.Carley Gukenberger 37, 2.Josie Waldenberge 36, 3.Josie Laue 27, 4.Raelynn Johnson 21.
Breakaway Roping — 1.Ella Lawton 228, 2.Clare Burcalow 206, 3.Raelynn Johnson 184, 4.Mary Thiel 165.
Bull Riding — 1.Ty Sova 149, 2.Kade Parrish 109, 3.Theison Folk 10.
Goat Tying — 1.Lainee Burks (Lancaster) 226, 2.Clare Burcalow 213, 3.Sara Siegenthaler (Darlington) 175, 4.Josie Laue 160.
Pole Bending — 1.Ali Butler 252, 2.Camilla Hauser 203, 3.Brynlea Hoffman 174, 4.Keira Elsner 152.
Reining Cowhorse — 1.JB Bound 39, 2.Justin Gukenberger 37, 3.Taylor Donskey 26.5, 4.Carley Gukenberger 24.5.
Saddle Broncs — 1.Tripp Kite 170, 2.Ethan Archer 109.
Steer Wrestling — 1.Jesse Vesperman (Platteville) 237, 2.Walker Goffard 206, 3.Brody Kielley (River Ridge) 179, 4.Gukenberger 143.
Team Roping — 1.JB Bound/Justin Ochs 221, 2.Brady Breitsprecher/Treyton Carlson 197, 3.Brady Uppena/Bryce Bunting 180, 4.Trent Parr (Mondovi)/Wyatt Heer (Platteville) 167.
Tie-Down Roping — 1.JB Bound 261, 2.Wyatt Heer (Platteville) 202.5, 3.Jesse Vesperman (Platteville) 191, 4.Justin Gukenberger 175.
(Shooting Event Winners)
Trap Shooting — 1.Sam Morehead 162.5, 2.Jesse Vesperman (Platteville) 144, 3.Tyler Spiegelberg 131, 4.Lucas Miller 117.
Small Bore Rifle — 1.Josie Waldenberger 71, 2.Ethan Olson 68, 3.Jesse Vesperman (Platteville) 60, 4.Rachel Sova 59.