By Rich Winter

605 Sports

LONG VALLEY — While plenty of recently graduated high school seniors are getting ready for college, Long Valley’s Denton Good is strapping on his boots and gloves, ready to get to get after the next chapter in his life. 

With a hearty appetite for work, and a degree already under his belt, Good appears to be ready for that next step. 

“I have a fencing company and an auctioneer degree,” Good said. “I’ve been shoeing horses since I was 10 and I do all my horses and quite a few of the neighbors horses.” 

While that keeps Good busy, he and brother Carson each run about 70 head of cattle and are currently busy putting up hay near their home in Long Valley. When things slow down this fall Good plans on jumping in a truck and driving for a nearby trucking company. 

In his spare time, when he’s not earning a living, Good can be found working on his passion, steer wrestling. 

“We have our own steers and we also train steer wrestling horses,” Good said. 

The son of Allen and Beth Good has been bull dogging from the moment his dad gave him the green light about six years ago. 

“I think I irritated my dad long enough that he let me start steer wrestling when I was about 12,” he said. 

That early start in his favorite event has given Good a platform to showcase his skills. At the recently completed South Dakota High School Rodeo Finals Good earned a second consecutive trip to the National High School Rodeo Finals. 

“I made a good run in the first go-round (6.970 seconds), ended up seventh and just missed a really solid run,” he said. “I had a longer run in the second go-round (9.010 seconds) but finished third overall which put me in a good position going into the short go.” 

Good nailed his final run (5.590 seconds), finishing second in the short go round and capturing the steer wrestling competition with 78 points. 

At the 2021 national finals, Good finished 18th in the steer wrestling average. He expects that experience to pay off when the best high school rodeo athletes gather in Gillette, Wyoming, on July 17-23. 

“Having been there you know what it’s all about and you know what you have to do,” he said. 

Earlier this year Good was using his horse Hitch as his primary horse for steer wrestling. During the regional rodeos he began using buddy Tate Petrak’s yellow horse, Honey Nut Cheerios who he will ride at the national finals. 

Right after his 18th birthday in November, Good applied for and received his pro rodeo permit. He and brother Carson will be attending a bunch of rodeos in the coming weeks gearing up for the appearance in Gillette. 

“I’ve been ready to pro rodeo for a long time,” he said. 

Good said one of the biggest factors in his success is the support of his family.

“I can’t thank my family enough for all they’ve done,” he said. “Even my grandmother and grandfather who man the ranch when I’m off rodeoing.”