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Crawley wins Youth title
By Chris Gay
Staff Writer
When her run was over, Priscilla Crawley reached out and gave helper David Puryear a high-five.
It was that good a run.
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Priscilla Crawley from Unadilla, GA won the Area 18 Youth Scholarship competition with a score of 222.0.
SPECIAL
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Twelve-year-old Crawley, on Smart Spurs, marked a 222 and won the Area 18 Youth Scholarship Cutting by 5 points at the Augusta Futurity Thursday night.
With the win, Crawley earned a $3,000 scholarship. Monty Nix III, of Barnwell, S.C., Dusty Davis, of Milledgeville, Ga., Drew Hestad, of Jackson, Ga., and Jesse Miller, of Statesboro, Ga., all tied for second place at 217. Each won $2,000 scholarships.
"This is really cool over here," said Crawley, of Unadilla, Ga. "I thought I'd do good, but I didn't think I'd win it."
This was just the third time she has ridden Smart Spurs, a 5-year-old stud by Smart Little Lena out of Spurs And Roses. But the sixth-grader at Fullington Academy meshed with the horse.
The two cut two cows with 46 seconds remaining. She then went back into the herd of cattle and had plenty of time to cut her third cow.
"I just tried to kind of even out my time," Crawley said. "I got all I wanted out of that (second) cow, so I went back and cut another one."
Crawley has shown cutting horses for three years, competing in this event each of those years.
Her best finish before Thursday night was a fourth place, in which she earned a $500 scholarship.
Crawley doesn't know which college she will attend yet. However, her dad, Charles, said she will go to an agricultural college.
Meanwhile, defending champion Nix began the 12-horse competition and marked a 217 on Sugs Little King, the same 18-year-old gelding he rode to victory a year ago. He wasn't disappointed in his finish.
"It's kind of hard to win when you're the first rider out," said Nix, an 18-year-old senior at Barnwell High School. "(Crawley) had a good run. She deserved every bit of it."
Adam Koontz, of Belton, S.C., won the $50,000 Amateur 4-Year-Old finals on Yellow Rose Vandal Sunday. But on Haidas Peprico in the Youth event, Koontz lost his first cow and managed a 180.
The youth cutting, in its 11th year, brought together the top 12 point-getters in the Area 18 Cutting Horse Association, which consists of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Contestants must be 19 or younger to qualify.
Final results
222-Priscilla Crawley, Unadilla, Ga., Smart Spurs. 217-Monty Nix III, Barnwell, S.C., Sugs Little King. 217-Drew Hestad, Jackson, Ga., War Docs Romeo. 217-Jesse Miller, Hazlehurst, Ga., Lou Cindas Toy. 217-Dusty Davis, Milledgeville, Ga., Freckles Fox Fire. 213.5-Ryan Wing, Wingate, N.C., Misses Lena Pep. 213.5-Jeffrey May, Statesboro, Ga., A Lil Per Acre. 213-Kristen Mooney, Zirconia, N.C., Haidas Lil Jewel. 212.5-Mary Ellen Graves, Hilton Head, S.C., Decidedlys Lil Haida. 208-Zachary Williford, Vidalia, Ga., A Fine Squeak. 180-Coleman Flynn, Greer, S.C. Flo-N-Peppy. 180-Adam Koontz, Belton, S.C., Haidas Peprico.
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