Less than a week before he was to leave for his first National High School Finals Rodeo, Newell cowboy Taygen Schuelke broke his back in a fall at the Lemmon Boss Cowman Rodeo on Friday.

"He wanted to get on a couple bulls before he headed off to nationals, so he rode at Lemmon Friday night and had a rough fall," said his sister, Lacey Schuelke. "The doctor said he is really lucky to be walking."

Amazingly, Schuelke competed at the Harding County 4-H Rodeo at Buffalo on Saturday before he realized the severity of the injury.

"He qualified for state in bronc and team roping at Buffalo," Lacey Schuelke said.

But the injury to the C7 vertebra shattered any hopes of competing in bull riding at the nationals in New Mexico.

Schuelke, a 16-year-old who will be a sophomore at Newell High School in the fall, was the youngest area qualifier this year. Even though this would have been the first time for Schuelke at the high school finals, last year he made it to the junior high school finals and took home the Rookie of the Year title. That was also the title he earned at state this year.

Schuelke qualified for nationals as a bull rider but is a multi-event athlete who competes as a saddle bronc rider, calf and team roper.

The Newell Rodeo Club had planned a community celebration/send-off party for Schuelke on Thursday at the North Newell City Park.