GUTHRIE, Okla. – J.P. Wickett has been in this position before.
Wickett, a 14-time Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping qualifier from Sallisaw, Okla., leads the average with a five-round cumulative time of 66.3 seconds on Friday night. More importantly, Wickett won two go-rounds and has pocketed $14,231 heading into Saturday’s final five rounds with great momentum.
“I’ve had good first days before, and I’ve always backed off on the second day,” Wickett said, explaining that he took a less aggressive stance through the final few rounds of the competition. “Tomorrow night I think I’m going to approach it like I did tonight. I think I’m going to go full tilt, run at the barrier every time and be real aggressive with my rope.
“There’s the old saying that you dance with the girl that brung you to the dance.”
Wickett hopes to do plenty of dancing on the final night of the steer roping championship, but he’ll be just a little bit of the fireworks set for the Lazy E. The race for the 2013 World Champion Steer Roper is as tight as ever, with Trevor Brazile making a big move Friday night to catch world standings leader Rocky Patterson.
The two men who own the last six gold buckles are separated by $5,095, just a little more than the payout for winning a go-round, $5,077. Brazile, a 17-time world champion from Decatur, Texas, failed to complete a score in Friday’s opening round, but he won more than $13,000 on Friday. That no-time meant he is likely out of the race for money in average, which pays out the cowboys with the top five cumulative times through 10 runs at the conclusion of the NFSR.
Patterson, the three-time and reigning world champion from Pratt, Kan., placed in two go-rounds, but suffered a no-time in the fifth round late Friday. Now both men will try to make as much money through the go-rounds.
Brazile said his plan is to “try to win as much money as you can through the ninth round, then you go see what you’ve got to do. After you go out on the first one, the next game plan you make is after the ninth round.”
It’s the same approach Patterson will take. But the two top-rated cowboys have played this game before. Patterson won the 2012 title on his last steer of the season.
Wickett came into the Clem McSpadden 10th in the world standings, but his opening night propelled him to fifth. He now trails Patterson by $24,116 and holds an outside shot of catching the standings leaders.
“You always want to win at the top,” Wickett said of winning the first round. “It kind of takes the heat off you that you’re going to get skunked. In the first round, everybody seems to be kind of tense and a little uptight. I try to just be relaxed and try to go after that first one and make it happen then so I can go make some money.”
It worked on opening night of the 2013 Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping. Can it happen on Night No. 2?
Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping
Lazy E Arena
Nov. 8-9, 2013
First round: 1. J.P. Wickett, Sallisaw, Okla., 11.8 seconds, $5,077; 2. JoJo LeMond, Andrews, Texas, 12.3, $4,077; 3. Rocky Patterson, Pratt, Kan., 13.0, $3,077; 4. Joe Wells, Cisco, Texas, 13.9, $2,077; 5. Cody Lee, Gatesville, Texas, 14.2, $1,077.
Second round: 1. Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas, 11.9 seconds, $5,077; 2. Scott Snedecor, Fredericksburg, Texas, 12.3, $4,077; 3. Tony Reina, Wharton, Texas, 12.4, $3,077; 4. Jess Tierney, Hermosa, S.D., 12.9, $2,077; 5. Bryce Davis, Ovalo, Texas, 13.8, $1,077. Average leaders: 1. Tony Reina, Wharton, Texas, 27.8 seconds on two head; 2. (tie) Scott Snedecor, Fredericksburg, Texas, and J.P. Wickett, Sallisaw, Okla., 27.9; 4. Jess Tierney, Hermosa, S.D., 28.0; 5. JoJo LeMond, Andrews, Texas, 28.2.
Third round: 1. J.P. Wickett, Sallisaw, Okla., 11.3 seconds, $5,077; 2. Jess Tierney, Hermosa, S.D., 11.4, $4,077; 3. Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas, 11.6, $3,077; 4. Rocky Patterson, Pratt, Kan., 12.1, $2,077; 5. Bryce Davis, Ovalo, Texas, 13.7, $1,077. Average leaders: 1. J.P. Wickett, Sallisaw, Okla., 39.2 seconds on three head; 2. Jess Tierney, Hermosa, S.D., 39.4; 3. Rocky Patterson, Pratt, Kan., 42.1; 4. Tony Reina, Wharton, Texas, 43.7; 5. JoJo LeMond, Andrews, Texas, 43.9.
Fourth round: 1. Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas, 10.5 seconds, $5,077; 2. Tony Reina, Wharton, Texas, 11.1, $4,077; 3. Jess Tierney, Hermosa, S.D., 11.5, $3,077; 4. Scott Snedecor, Fredericksburg, Texas, 11.7, $2,077; 5. Cody Lee, Gatesville, Texas, 11.8, $1,077 Average leaders: 1. Jess Tierney, Hermosa, S.D., 50.9 seconds on four head; 2. J.P. Wickett, Sallisaw, Okla., 54.5; 3. Tony Reina, Wharton, Texas, 54.8; 4. JoJo LeMond, Andrews, Texas, 56.2; 5. Cody Lee, Gatesville, Texas, 58.4.
Fifth round: 1. Dan Fisher, Andrews, Texas, 11.2 seconds, $5,077; 2. J.P. Wickett, Sallisaw, Okla., 11.8, $4,077; 3. (tie) Scott Snedecor, Fredericksburg, Texas, and Joe Wells, Cisco, Texas, 12.2, $2,577 each; 5. (tie) Tony Reina, Wharton, Texas, and Mike Chase, McAlester, Okla., 12.3, $538 each. Average leaders: 1. J.P. Wickett, Sallisaw, Okla., 66.3 seconds on five head; 2. Tony Reina, Wharton, Texas, 67.1; 3. JoJo LeMond, Andrews, Texas, 68.8; 4. Cody Lee, Gatesville, Texas, 72.3; 5. Chet Herren, Pawhuska, Okla., 104.1.