Kason Knight earns 2019 Jacob Jackson Master Showman Award
As the 2019 Stephens County Junior Livestock Show was drawing to a close Saturday morning, five final contestants assembled in the arena to compete for the fifth annual Jacob Jackson Master Showman Award. Kason Knight, who showed sheep in the stock show, won the award.
Knight is a freshman at Breckenridge High School and the brother of Kyler Knight, who won the award in 2016.
The Jacob Jackson Master Showman Award contest includes the senior showmanship winners from the SCJLS divisions of rabbit, sheep, goat, swine and cattle. Participants may only win the award one time.
In the contest, each exhibitor must show a rabbit, sheep, goat, swine and steer/heifer, regardless of which category they originally won in. The contestants often borrow the other animals from their friends and fellow exhibitors and seek out advice on showing the animals they are not accustomed to showing.
Lee Stanley judged the competition, as well as most of the categories in the SCJLS, and he got emotional as he made his final decision. “You can’t get a better situation than what y’all do here,” he said. “I’ve had so much fun here this week. I think the livestock has been spectacular, but most importantly, the young people that y’all have here are the best I’ve ever been around.”
As the winner, Knight received $1,000 and a belt buckle displayed in an embossed leather frame.
The contestants in the 2019 Jacob Jackson Master Showman Award competition were:
- Kason Knight — Sheep Division Senior Showmanship winner
- Baylee Young — Rabbit Division Senior Showmanship winner
- Caroline Turner — Goat Division Senior Showmanship winner
- Morgan Robertson — Swine Division Senior Showmanship winner
- Riegen Robertson — Cattle Division Senior Showmanship winner
The award is named after the late Jacob Jackson, who died in 2014 at the age of 33. The award was first given out in 2015, and it was presented to Knight by Tye Jackson and Addalyn Jackson, Jacob’s brother and young daughter.
The Master Showman Award is the last competition in the annual livestock show. This year’s show took place Jan. 10-12 and included more than 200 local youth who competed in 72 classes. The Breckenridge Texan staff is compiling all of the results and photos and will begin posting articles and photo galleries as soon as possible.
The SCJLS participants will be honored at the annual awards ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 24.
Kason Knight, center, was named the winner of the 2019 Jacob Jackson Master Showman Award at the conclusion of the Stephens County Junior Livestock Show last week. The award was presented by Tye Jackson, left, and Addalyn Jackson, in front, brother and daughter of the late Jacob Jackson, for whom the award is named. Competing with Knight for the award were, Riegen Robertson, Morgan Robertson, Baylee Young and Caroline Turner. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Story by Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
Cutline, top photo: Stock show judge Lee Stanley shakes Kason Knight’s hand as he names him the winner of the 2019 Jacob Jackson Master Showman Award while the other contestants look on. Also competing for the award were Morgan Robertson, Baylee Young, Caroline Turner and Riegen Robertson. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
(Click here to go to the main 2019 SCJLS page.)
