By Rich Winter

605 Sports

CREIGHTON — A year ago Wall’s Quinn Moon failed to make the short go-round in the steer wrestling competition at the South Dakota High School Finals Rodeo.

In 2023, after attending a steer wrestling camp prior to the start of the high school rodeo season, Moon was a South Dakota state champion and headed to the National High School Rodeo Finals in Gillette, Wyoming, from July 16-22 for the first time. 

“Me and Stran Williams went to a camp over by Long Valley and they reintroduced the entire concept of bulldogging,” Moon said. 

They refer to Tom Carney and Oat Berry who shed some wisdom to Moon. Those finer points helped Moon come from nowhere to win the steer wrestling competition at the South Dakota High School Finals Rodeo in June. 

At his first regional rodeo Moon laid down times of 5.4 and 4.2 seconds. At the state finals Moon had runs of 7.1 and 7.7 seconds and finished the state competition with a 15.7 second run. 

When the dust had settled Moon finished with 78 points, ahead of Springfield’s Terran Talsma (70), Buffalo’s Grey Gilbert (70) and Camp Crook’s Gage Gilbert (61).

“Winning a state title gave me a lot of confidence,” Moon said. “When you are steer wrestling there are always people there to push you.” 

It wasn’t just the steer wrestling camp that propelled Moon to summer success. He and Williams, who just missed a national finals appearance (fifth place at state finals) spend a lot of time working on their craft. 

“One day we’ll chute dog and then we’ll run sticks,” he said. “We run horse and steer saver, we jump steers a couple times a week and then we have to keep our horses in condition.” 

Moon’s horse is named Felix and this is the first year the pair have been competing together. 

Moon is a multi-sport standout for Wall having played nose tackle and offensive line for the 2022 9AA state champion Wall Eagle football team. In February Moon finished seventh (195) in the Class B state wrestling tournament competing for the Philip/Kadoka Area/Wall Badlands Brawlers. 

Moon feels like wrestling in particular contributes to success in steer wrestling.

“Rodeo and wrestling are both individual sports and you have to have a certain mindset that team sports don’t give you,” he said. “It helps to be bigger and stronger and both sports require attention to detail and little technique things that make a steer wrestler better.” 

The son of Andy and Lisa Moon is gearing up for the National High School Rodeo Finals by competing in rodeos in White River and Interior this week.