STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The brawl between the Missouri Valley College and Tennessee-Martin men's rodeo team wages on.

The Vikings assumed the top spot in the NIRA Ozark Region standings before the mid-season break, but the Skyhawks took it back in the opening event of the second semester by winning the Mississippi State Rodeo last week. Valley was second, but saw its 50-point lead turn into a 95-point deficit by trailing in points, 870 to 625.

The Vikings got 365 points out of its three saddle bronc riders -- freshman Will Smith, senior Kirk Nelson and sophomore Adam Gilchrist finishing second, third and fourth in the event. Sophomore Jake Shaw added 150 points by coming in fourth in steer wrestling, seventh in calf roping and sixth in team roping while paired with Gilchrist.

Valley's top performance was a second place in bareback riding from sophomore Matt Cossitt, the New Albany, Miss., native returning to his home state. He wasn't on the Vikings' official six-man line-up, so his 150 points didn't count for the team.

The Valley women got all 80 of their points from junior Casey Chapman's third place in breakaway roping. The Lady Vikings were sixth in the meet won by Arkansas-Monticello with 475 points, giving the Boll Weevils a commanding 1,115-point lead in the season standings over West Alabama.

Valley will have three weeks off before going to the Arkansas-Monticello Rodeo on March 27.