The Northern Rodeo Association Finals are on this weekend, Oct. 22-24, at the Majestic Valley Arena in Kalispell. Rodeos start at 6:30 p.m. each night with the doors opening at 5:45 p.m.

Mission Valley will be well represented, with one cowgirl and seven cowboys competing.  

The contestants 

Craig Bagnell, Polson, is in the slot seven for the NRA finals in tie-down roping. 

A college football coach at Bemidji State from 2014-2017, where he directed a record-setting offense, Bagnell then returned to his alma mater, the University of Mary, where he was the all-time passing leader at quarterback. Bagnell was head coach from 2018-2022. He went to the University of South Dakota as a wide receiver coach in 2023 before he, his wife Julia and their kids moved home, and he started roping calves again. This is Bagnell’s second appearance at the finals. 

Quinn McQueary, sixth place in the tie-down roping, won the tie-down roping title at the 2024 and 2025 NRA Finals.

A former star quarterback for Manhattan High School and Montana Tech, McQueary helped Montana Tech's offense reach its highest offensive numbers in school history in 2017 when the Orediggers scored 43.4 points per game. 

McQueary shares football and calf-roping with Bagnell, and he is a newlywed — he married Jessica Bagnell, Craig’s sister, earlier this summer. 

Kyle, Craig, their dad, Tim and McQueary travel together to hit rodeos across the northwest. And you know they’re mounted if Tim and Kelly Bagnell are involved.

Wyatt Lytton is in tenth place in heeling with nowhere to go but up. Lytton comes from a roping family — Lee Lytton, his father, brothers Willy, Hoke and Jesse. Jesse and Wyatt are tie-down ropers also.

Seth Sinclair is in fourth place in the junior breakaway roping. Trey Sinclair and Nicole Starkel; Gail Sinclair is his grandma.

An Arlee cowgirl, Rainey Wilcox sits seventh in the NRA Junior All-Around Cowgirl standings. She barrel races, pole bends, and goat ties in high school rodeo.

Koy McAllister is a Ronan saddle bronc rider who’s eighth in the standings for the NRA standings. 

He attended Mid Plains Community College in North Platte, Neb., and is the 2026 Great Plains Regional Saddle Bronc champ. The men’s team also won the Great Plains Region Crown.

Then McAllister transferred to Sheridan Community College in Sheridan, Wyo., and won first in steer wrestling at Sheridan’s Pat Hamilton College rodeo and third in dogging at Laramie Community College rodeo. But he’s riding saddle broncs at the finals.

McAllister’s older brother Trapper is a bareback bronc rider and sits fourth coming into the finals. One of his latest good rides was a 91.5 on Boot Barn’s Night Crawler at the Missoula Stampede.

Koy and Trapper also have an older brother, Trevor, who’s also a bareback bronc guy. Trapper and Trevor have plans to set their sights on a spot at the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Finals in Las Vegas in 2027.

Kyler McDonald, Ronan, comes into the arena in tenth place in bull riding.

    Tie-down roper Craig Bagnell leaves the arena at last year's NRA Finals. (Berl Tiskus/Leader)