Monthly Archives: February 2016

EDITOR’S NOTE: As I looked through social media, I came across a post that shared the photo of Josh Pearce of Guymon, Okla. I never met Josh, but I wrote about him – a little about his death, but much more about the short life he lived. Josh died Feb. 26, 2006, in Iraq, where he was fighting for our freedom. I wrote this story the next day for the Guymon Daily Herald. At the end, I will include the sentiments I had that day. In my career, I’ve written about triumphs and treasures, murders and losses. At the request of Josh Pearce’s family, I met with them a day after the loss of their loved one. It was one of the toughest stories I’ve ever told. God bless our heroes.   Joshua Pearce lived each day as if it were his last. He smiled often, loved always and enjoyed all that he did. He was voted “Life of the Party” and “Best Looking” as a senior at Guymon High School in 2003. His gregarious nature was contagious, family members said Monday. “He made everyone feel like you were his best friend,” said his mother, Becky Hilliard. Josh Pearce was a soldier and proud to serve his country. He died Sunday doing so, killed as his vehicle ran over an explosive device in Iraq. He was 21. “He just always wanted to be a soldier,” Becky Hilliard said, noting that he joined the U.S. Army after graduating high school. Pearce had been in Iraq for six months. His brother, Jeremy Pearce, has been serving in Iraq, too. Josh was a vehicle commander and forward observer, and Jeremy is a sergeant in a tank unit. They return to U.S. soil this week. “My oldest son is bringing him home,” Becky Hilliard said. A single yellow ribbon is wrapped around a single tree in front of the Hilliard’s Guymon home. Inside, friends frequently visit, offering comfort and condolences to the family as it mourns. A son’s words Joshua Pearce wrote often to his family. His mother says she talked with him every day, whether by e-mail or instant messaging or by phone. In a letter he wrote for the public on Sept. 11, 2005, Pearce said, “I do not want to die, but if that’s what I was put on this earth to do, then everyone should know that I went for a cause that in my heart was worth dying for.” It helps, some, to know Josh died doing what he loved, that he was proud of his service, that he loved his country. But when young men die, it’s never easy. “This is what he wanted to do,” Becky Hilliard said. “He wouldn’t want us to be here crying.” But tears are there, and they will continue to be there. No matter how noble the cause, no matter how much pride there is, losing a loved one brings out several emotions. That’s what it was like at the Hilliard home Monday. “He told me he was doing this so his nephews didn’t have to do it,” said his sister, Heidi Barncastle. “He was the kind of person who would do anything for anyone and everyone.” Young Josh Despite the tears, smiles emerge easily for Joshua Pearce’s family. The remembrances serve as a coping method, but more, they serve as reminder of how he lived each day. “He always kept us laughing,” Barncastle said. Stories of kitchen dishes buried in the backyard because they were too dirty to clean to Josh’s painting the water tower to his lighting things on fire exorcised the tears and provided hearty laughter. He and a group of male friends even performed as the Spice Girls in a contest once. Rick Hilliard, Pearce’s step-father, said there never was a “step” relationship – “He’s our dad in our eyes,” Barncastle said of Rick. Rick and Josh shared a close bond. “He was my little turd,” Rick said, smiling through his grief. “We had our clashes, but we hugged and loved …” His words trailed off, but the sentiment was there. “Rick was Josh’s favorite person in the world,” Becky Hilliard said, “and he had no problem telling people that.” A son comes home Services are yet to be scheduled for Joshua Pearce, born Nov. 23, 1984. Both Josh and Jeremy requested that if they were to die in action that they receive a hero’s burial at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. “You never saw Josh frown,” Becky Hilliard said. “In every letter, he wrote that he’s still smiling. That’s just who he was. “He was the most amazing, genuine and gentle person.” The family will have a large memorial service at the First Baptist Church in Guymon, though details have yet to be ironed out. The surreal nature of Josh’s death is still new to the family. Time will heal, they know, but the pain is strong. “It’s just not reality, I guess,” Barncastle said. “I keep thinking I’m going to wake up and it’ll all be a dream. “My brothers have always been invincible to me.” Rick Hilliard plans to do everything in his power to keep this from happening to the family’s oldest son, Jeremy. “I don’t know how we’re going to do it,” Rick Hilliard said, “but we need him here. This is just too much.” The Hilliards have four other children: Jeremy Pearce, Brandon Widows, Heidi Barncastle and Shanese Hilliard. Their family will come together to mourn, to love, to remember. “I never let him say ‘goodbye’ on the computer,” Becky Hilliard said. “He could say, ‘See you later,’ or something like that, but never goodbye.” Goodbye is inevitable, but a solder is coming home. I know I’m supposed to be unemotional, but I just couldn’t help it this time. As I saw the emotion in their eyes as we talked about Josh today, tears kept appearing in my eyes. Not very professional, I know, but I can’t deny my human feelings.  Continue Reading »

CINCH TIMED EVENT CHAMPIONSHIP HAS BEEN PART OF STATE’S LANDSCAPE FOR 31 YEARS GUTHRIE, Okla. – The CINCH Timed Event Championship is a staple in Oklahoma, as much as anything along the red-dirt landscape. Dubbed the “Ironman of ProRodeo,” the event has crowned some of the greatest champions in rodeo history over its 31-year history, men like reigning titlist Trevor Brazile and hall-of-famers like Paul Tierney, Jimmie Cooper and Leo Camarillo. There has never been a champion from Oklahoma win this prestigious event. Four men making up one-fifth of the field hope to change that during the 2016 CINCH TEC, which features five challenging go-rounds from Friday, March 4-Sunday, March 6, at the Lazy E Arena. The overall winner will earn the $100,000 first-place prize. “It would be great to be the first Okie to win that,” said Clay Smith of Broken Bow, Okla., the 2014 reserve champion. “Whoever wins that is a pretty good cowboy, and that’s what this whole sport is all about. It’s not only about being good with a rope but also being able to ride your horse and make 25 runs over three days. “It takes good horsemanship and a lot of grit. I’ve had a lot of fun there, and I would love to win that deal.” Smith will be joined in the exclusive field of 20 competitors by three other Oklahomans: Cody Doescher of Oklahoma City, Trell Etbauer of Goodwell and Brodie Poppino of Big Cabin. They’ll test their skills against the greatest all-around timed-event talent in the game, including seven-time champ Brazile, three-time winner Daniel Green, two-time titlist Kyle Lockett and two other champions, Josh Peek and Paul David Tierney. They will compete in all five rodeo timed events: heading, heeling, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and steer roping. There will be two rounds each on Friday and Saturday, beginning at noon and 7:30 p.m. each day, and the final round will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday. “They only invite 20 guys, so to get the invitation is pretty special,” Etbauer said. “There’s not another event like it. It’s a cowboy event. Not everybody can go out there and do every timed event, so it’s just a battle to see who is the better hand.” Over the history of the game, nobody has been recognized as “the better hand” more than Brazile. In addition to his seven CTEC titles, he is a 23-time ProRodeo world champion and only one of two men to have earned qualifications to the National Finals in all four roping disciplines – Brazile owns world titles in steer roping (6), tie-down roping (3) and heading (1). He also knows how to handle the challenges that come up over the course of the “Ironman of ProRodeo.” “It brings out the guys’ strengths and weaknesses and shows their mental toughness more than anything, even on top of their physical toughness,” said Poppino, a second-generation cowboy who will compete in the CTEC for the first time in his career. “It’s called the ‘Ironman’ for a reason; it’s a big-time challenge, and that’s what I like about it. “Everybody has their strong points, and everybody has their weak points. It’s about overcoming their weak points, and that’s why it gives anybody a chance to win it.” Doescher returns for the third straight year, and he has experienced every aspect of the game in his two previous campaigns. He understands what a grueling test the Timed Event is for all 20 combatants. “It’s such a cowboy competition and not just a rodeo,” he said. “Guys get out of their comfort zone and have to do things they don’t do every day. It brings out the weaknesses everybody has and the mind games, and you have to overcome it in one event. That’s what makes it such a great event.” Of the four Oklahomans in the field, Etbauer and Smith are the longest tenured; both men were rookies in the 2013 CTEC, and both have earned nice paychecks over their three previous outings. In 2014, Smith came within a whisker of claiming the championship, finishing second to Paul David Tierney that March. He hopes to parlay a terrific start to his 2016 ProRodeo season into another shot at the coveted CTEC gold buckle. “To win that deal, your horsepower has got to be good, and you’ve got to have good help,” said Smith, who will lean on his brother, Jake, as his partner in the team roping disciplines and his hazer in steer wrestling. “I really love being in the Timed Event, but if something happened and I couldn’t enter, I’d still love to go watch it. “You get to see guys who do other professional events and see them out of their element. You see people who do something they’re not used to doing, and then you get to see how they react to it. It’s really amazing to watch.”

BAY CITY, Texas – The stars come out brightly at the Matagorda County Fair and Rodeo. The annual event – set for 7 p.m. Thursday, March 3-Saturday, March 5, at the Matagorda County Fairgrounds – will be a combination of rising stars and established veterans all competing top dollar and a big championship in this south Texas community. A big reason why is because of Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo, which produces the annual event. “With Pete Carr, we know we’ve got some of the best stock coming in to our rodeo,” said Daniel Tucker, chairman of the fair’s rodeo committee. “We’ve got a great representation from the NFR cowboys, and a lot of the stock that is at our rodeo has been to the NFR. I’m sure the top stock is a very big reason why we get some of the best cowboys to our rodeo.” The Carr firm is the largest stock contracting company in ProRodeo and has been nominated for Stock Contractor of the Year for each of the past three years. No other stock contractor in the PRCA has had more animals at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in that same time frame. Each year, those animals are a drawing card for the biggest names in the game. Last year’s field included numerous world champions and even more NFR qualifiers. Only the top cowboys and cowgirls in the game each year advance to ProRodeo’s grand finale. “We get a good crowd at our rodeo, and they know they’ll get a top-rate show,” Tucker said. That show is a reflection of the hard work of the local rodeo committee that works on behalf of the fair and rodeo. For Tucker and his crew of volunteers, the goal is to entertain a crowd of thousands each of the three performances. “We also have slack night on Wednesday night, and people can come in and watch that with just a gate admission to the fair,” Tucker said. “We have specific tickets to the rodeo performances (Thursday-Saturday), but you get into the fair with a rodeo ticket.” In addition, there are several unique events that add a local flavor to the ProRodeo, including mutton busting, a calf scramble, junior steer saddling and wild cow saddling. “Those events are a hit with our local crowd, and they’re always a big deal for us,” he said. The local rodeo is a powerful mixture of world-class competition and family-friendly entertainment, and organizers lean on the Pete Carr crew to handle the top-flight production that helps blend it all together. “I think they bring a real class act,” Tucker said of the Carr team. “They are very professional, extremely friendly and nice to work with. They go out of their way to put on a good performance and a great show. Pete wants to make sure everything works and is successful. It sure makes it a lot easier on me as the rodeo chairman. “I can’t say enough about the crew. We get a lot of people from outside of the county that come to our rodeo, and they really like it. There’s not a bad seat in the house.” That makes it the perfect venue for an amazing rodeo.

GUTHRIE, Okla. – Jimmie Cooper is one of the greatest cowboys in ProRodeo history. From Monument, N.M., Cooper was the 1980 overall, steer wrestling and tie-down roping Rookie of the Year in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. A year later, he was crowned the all-around world champion. He qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in team roping, tie-down roping and steer wrestling. For that, he has been inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Though he scaled back his rodeo schedule in 1985 to focus on his family, Jimmie Cooper remained active enough to continue to win. In fact, he was a three-time titlist at the Timed Event Championship, a once-a-year unique event that features just 20 cowboys competing in all five timed-event disciplines: heading, heeling, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and steer roping. He won the coveted title at the “Ironman of ProRodeo” in 1988, ’92 and ’94 and is one of just 12 men to have earned the event’s gold buckle. He last competed in the Timed Event in 2012, when he was 55 years old. Last March, he was awarded the Clem McSpadden Pioneer Award. This year, he will be remembered again, this time while watching son, Jim Ross Cooper. Jim Ross, a five-time NFR qualifier in heeling, returns to the Lazy E Arena, a place where he grew up watching his father compete with the greatest in the game. This will be the third time the younger Cooper has competed in the event – he also was one of the featured players in 2011-12. This year’s Timed Event takes place Friday, March 4-Sunday, March 5, at the arena northeast of Oklahoma City. Jim Ross Cooper would love nothing better than to show the rodeo world why he owns the genetics of a true legend. “My bulldogging performance in the past has embarrassed me there,” said Jim Ross, a key member of the Tate Branch Auto Group “Riding for the Brand” team of ProRodeo cowboys. “It’s a mountain I have to climb, because I don’t like the feeling of something getting the better of me, so I’m going to have another go at it.” That redemption is always on the back of his mind, but he also loves the format. It’s a true test of a cowboy’s skills, and the five-round championship spread out over just three days not only tests each man’s endurance but also his mental focus. “It’s one of the coolest events of the year for rodeo,” Jim Ross said. “There’s a lot more technical difficulty to it and a lot of cowboy to it. As much as it brings out the best all-around cowboy in rodeo – which is why Trevor Brazile has won it so many times (7) – it shows who has the ability to adjust to the challenges, be mentally tough and figure it out.” That’s where the family’s legendary talent will truly shine.

GUYMON, Okla. – There are certain events in ProRodeo that contestants love to win. The Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo is one of them. That’s one of the reasons it was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame last summer, and it’s why nearly 1,000 competitors will make their way to the Oklahoma Panhandle for this year’s event, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 6; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 7; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 8, at Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena. “It’s a great rodeo to win,” said heeler Jake Long, who won the title last year with then-partner Coleman Proctor. “It works as a double dip for us, because the Prairie Circuit is our home circuit. Any time we can get some money together to get to our circuit finals, it’s a good thing.” It marked the first Pioneer Days victory for Long and Proctor, and they plan to return this spring to defend their titles, albeit with different partners. Long is roping with header Luke Brown, while Proctor is competing with heeler Buddy Hawkins. Still, Long and Proctor have a lot of great memories together, and the Guymon title is one of them. “I know Jake was hungry for this one,” Proctor said. “The first time I headed was in college for Jake, and we won the college rodeo here. We’ve wanted to win the ProRodeo here, so I just wanted to get him turned and give Jake a chance.” Pioneer Days is Oklahoma’s richest rodeo and the only Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association sanctioned event in the Sooner State to have been inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. It holds a long history and has featured the very best cowboys and cowgirls. It’s especially prestigious to those who have ties to the area once known as No Man’s Land. Take Taos Muncy, an alumnus of the Oklahoma Panhandle State University rodeo team, and Shali Lord, who was born in Guymon and spent a good portion of her childhood in Texas County, Okla. Both earned their second Pioneer Days titles last May. “It’s always fun going to Guymon because of friends and family,” said Lord, who last earned the Guymon trophy belt a decade before. “I think the ground has been the best it’s been in years. They had some moisture on it, and they try to keep it good and consistent. “It was really good and really even throughout slack. My horse really liked it. It was hot on Sunday (the final day), but it was good underneath.” Muncy has been back to the Oklahoma Panhandle often since hitting it big in 2007. That year, he parlayed the momentum of his first Pioneer Days title into the college championship, then clinched his first world title that December by having a fantastic run at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Last May, he rode Powder River Rodeo’s Miss Chestnut for 88 points to pull off the victory, outlasting a field of ProRodeo’s elite talent. “This is where it all started for me,” said Muncy, who also won the world title in 2011. “As soon as I came here for the bronc school my freshman year of high school, I knew where I wanted to go to college and where I wanted to hang out.” It’s worked out quite well for the New Mexico cowboy. He has qualified for the NFR eight times in nine years – the only year he missed was in 2008 when he was sidelined for much of the season with an injury. “It’s a big rodeo for us, and that’s a good time of year for us to all get there,” Muncy said. “Guymon is really special to me. I went to school there, and I have a lot of great friends there. “It’s my secondary home.”

Erich Rogers suffered a serious thumb injury over the last few days and will miss the CINCH Timed Event Championship. He will be replaced by Cash Myers, a CTEC veteran who hasn’t been part of the prestigious field for several years. Myers has finished among the best in the business in the all-around, steer wrestling, tie-down roping and steer roping. He is a seven-time qualifier to the National Finals Rodeo and a six-time finalist at the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping. Rogers, who suffered the injury while competing in Tucson, Ariz., had surgery Monday. He should return to action, but it won’t be before the CTEC, which takes place Friday, March 4-Sunday, March 6, at the Lazy E Arena.

ALVA, Okla. – It’s been a long time coming for steer wrestler Brock White. The Northwestern Oklahoma State University senior earned his first college championship this past weekend at the Kansas State University rodeo and helped propel the Rangers men to the team title in Manhattan, Kan. “I really wasn’t expecting much out of it, because I’ve been kind of lacking on practice to start this year,” said White of Earlville, Iowa. “I wasn’t even in the standings, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I decided to look at it like I do ProRodeo: Take a straight look on things and just make your run.” That’s one of the many things he learned from Northwestern rodeo coach Stockton Graves, but it came in handy in Manhattan. As one of the first bulldoggers to compete last Friday, White set the pace early; his 4.5-second run held up to win the first round. He then followed that with a 5.0-second run in the championship round Sunday afternoon to clinch the title. “I knew I had a pretty decent steer on my first one, then I just hung out the rest of the weekend,” White said. “I never really got nervous. When we got to the short round, I just sat in the back and let everybody make their runs. I didn’t panic and didn’t pressure myself. I knew I had a really good steer, and I just needed to score sharp and make a good run. I knew I had to be 5.5 to win it.” He did better than that, and so did the rest of the Northwestern men. While White won the bulldogging title, teammate Chase Lako of Hunter, N.D., finished second. Another Ranger, Jacob Edler of State Center, Iowa, finished sixth. Lako also placed sixth in tie-down roping and won the all-around title at K-State. Three other Northwestern tie-down ropers also had great success in Kansas, including event titlist Bryson Sechrist of Apache, Okla., who roped and tied two calves in 22.6 seconds to win. Mason Bowen of Bullard, Texas, finished second, and Wade Perry finished third. Bareback rider Austin Graham of Jay, Okla., placed third, while heeler Sawyer Barham of Barnsdall, Okla., placed fourth, and the team roping tandem of Taylor Munsell of Arnett, Okla., and Bubba Allred of Kanarraville, Utah, finished fifth. The men scored 488.3 points, distancing themselves by more than 100 points over the No. 2 team, Oklahoma Panhandle State University. The women finished third. Munsell won the women’s all-around title, also earning a spot in the short round in breakaway roping – she was 2.5 seconds to finish in a four-way tie for second. Other women in the short round were barrel racer Sara Bynum of Beggs, Okla., and three tie-down ropers: Tearnee Nelson, Shayna Miller and Katy Miller, all of Faith, S.D. Shayna Miller finished second with a two-run cumulative time of 13.2 seconds, while Katy Miller finished in a tie for fifth. In all, it was a solid performance by all the Northwestern athletes, but none had a bigger weekend than White. Not only did he earn his first college rodeo title, he earned it with a bit of a handicap. White is blind in his left eye, the result of a mishap that happened a little more than two years ago in Alva. He and a group of other Northwestern students were chute-dogging steers. During his turn, the steer popped his head up and caught White directly in the eye. The result was a torn optic nerve and a detached retina. “I was down for about a month,” he said. “When the doctor released me, I contacted Perry Dietz, who had a couple rope horses here in town. I jumped on that horse and roped three in a row like it was nothing. That made me want to do it more.” Roping is one thing, but it is still a difficult task for someone who has vision in just one eye. It was even tougher when White decided to return to wrestling steers. “That depth perception is crazy,” White said. “I had Stockton hazing for me. I looked down, and he looked like he was a long ways away. It took Stockton being on the other side and telling me that I was OK. Now I have the muscle memory, but it took a bit to get comfortable with it.” Those are the realities the young cowboy faces every day. He realized that his vision might limit his working opportunities once he graduates from Northwestern, but he has a great way to look at things. Instead of dwelling on his situation, White pushes forward. He has invested in rental property and still plans to pursue his rodeo dreams. “I never want people to feel sorry for me,” he said. “I just want to show them that it doesn’t matter what happens in your life, anything is possible. It’s more than trying to make people happy. It’s trying to find something to leave behind. If you have the right people backing you, anything’s possible. “I’ve had the support of Stockton and my parents saying I could do it. That’s helped me mature and understand the side of winning.” Figuring out the best way to compete is just part of the battle. Finding the way to win is just as important in competition. That’s something the Rangers do every day in practice. “We definitely dominated the weekend,” White said, noting that both the men’s and women’s teams sit second in the Central Plains Region standings. “We came away with a strong advantage. Stockton always pushes us to go out and win. He’s been there and done that, and he’s taught us how to win.” It’s working.

CLARENDON COLLEGE SOPHOMORE WILL COMPETE SUNDAY AT THE AMERICAN CLARENDON, Texas – Many would love the opportunity to win $1 million. Wyatt Casper has that opportunity. The Clarendon College sophomore will ride at The AMERICAN, a one-day rodeo that will take place Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The event offers a purse of more than $2 million, with $1 million being paid to the winner or winners who earned their way via a series of qualifiers. That’s where Casper’s opportunity lies. “I don’t know if it’s set in on how big of a deal it is,” said Casper, a member of the Clarendon College rodeo team from Balko, Okla. “I’m confident in my bronc riding, and I think I can compete with all the best guys there. I’m sure that riding in front of that big of a crowd it will be real nerve-racking.” It’s all a bit of a whirlwind for the young cowboy, who grew up roping at his Oklahoma Panhandle home. He has competed in team roping and tie-down roping all his life and actually just started riding bucking horses three years ago as a way to increase his opportunities for all-around championships. “It was a pretty goofy deal,” he said. “They had two bronc riders (in his high school rodeo region) in the first semester, and the pot filled up to about $700. That’s what motivated me to start riding. I’ve roped my whole life, ever since I could walk. “Rodeo is all I wanted to do when I was little bitty. My parents didn’t start roping until they met each other, and my dad and grandpa picked it up as a hobby. I’m almost a first-generation rodeo cowboy.” He’s taken to it well. For the Clarendon College rodeo team, he sits third in the Southwest Region saddle bronc riding standings and is eighth in heading. His primary focus before advancing to The AMERICAN was to qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo. Now his eyes are set firmly on the top prize available. “It’s a chance at a million dollars,” Casper said. “It’s what everybody hopes to do, and it could really set you up for the rest of your life.” In The AMERICAN’s inaugural run in 2014, bareback rider Richmond Champion became the first cowboy to win the $1 million prize. Most of the field is made up of invited contestants, and none of the seeded cowboys and cowgirls is eligible for the $1 million. Champion was the only non-seeded winner in 2014. A year ago, there were two, bareback rider Taylor Price and tie-down roper Reese Reimer. They split the top prize. They, along with the other event winners, also won $100,000. That kind of money great incentive for any rodeo competitor. While the saddle bronc riding field at The AMERICAN will feature many of the top cowboys in the game, Casper has had some tremendous lessons, especially from Clarendon rodeo coach Bret Franks, a three-time qualifier in saddle bronc riding to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “He’s been a great role model to me and taught me everything I know about bronc riding,” Casper said of his coach. For his part, the longtime cowboy-turned-coach realizes there’s something special in Casper, who is a big part of the school’s rodeo team. “He’s got a natural talent, and he approaches things very mental,” Franks said. “He was a high school quarterback, so he’s always been a leader. He’s definitely our leader.” That mentality can go a long ways in rodeo. Not only does it take tremendous athleticism to compete in the sport, it takes a strong mind and a willingness to overcome any challenge that comes a cowboy’s way. “There’s nothing better than getting tapped off on a bronc,” Casper said of matching the rhythm of the horse’s bucking action with a strong spur stroke. “Everybody else tries to stay away from bucking horses, and I try to ride them.” In just a few days, he will try to ride a couple for his chance at a million dollars.

SAN ANGELO, Texas – The moment was almost surreal for Justin Davis of Cottonwood, Calif. He was backed into the heeler box inside the San Angelo Coliseum for the championship round of the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo on Friday night. To his left was his best friend, header Spencer Mitchell of Colusa, Calif. In front of them was a steer they knew they could win on. “It’s as good as it gets,” said Davis, who finished off the tandem’s 4.0-second run to win the short round and clinch the San Angelo team roping title. “We’ve roped together our whole lives. We’ve been best friends our whole lives. I was just comfortable roping with him. We’re always on the same game plan.” Mitchell and Davis grew up in the same part of northern California. Over the past few weeks, they made a serious run this West Texas community, placing in all three go-rounds and pocketing $9,490. “We knew we had a good steer, and we just wanted to try not to back down at all and get out of our game plan,” said Mitchell, a two-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier who earned the trip to Las Vegas in 2011-12. “We’d roped aggressive all week before, so we stuck to that.” Mitchell is known for being aggressive, and that works just fine for Davis. It definitely worked in their favor Friday night and turned into the perfect way to close out a solid performance in San Angelo. “Spencer got an unbelievable start,” said Davis, who qualified for the NFR in 2009. “He wants to be on the barrier every time and stay aggressive. He (roped the steer) really fast. As soon as he roped him, the steer checked up like he was going to stop. When Spencer turned him, the steer jumped away. I was just in the right place at the right time. “We knew we had to be 4.6 to win the average, and I knew when Spencer got a rope on him that we were going to be fast.” The solid finish will move both cowboys into the top 10 in their respective standings. It’s quite a bit different than last year, when Mitchell’s horse troubles caused the tandem to finish outside the top 40 in the final 2015 standings. “We had roped together for a little while last summer, but I didn’t have the horses I felt confident in,” Mitchell said. “I just decided to go home until I got those horses. “A friend of mine in Oregon told me at the end of the year that he had a couple of horses I needed to try. I’ve actually worked out pretty well on one of them. I’ve run four steers on her and placed on all four runs.” That 12-year-old bay mare was a key factor in the tandem’s victory in San Angelo. “She’s a little horse, but she has enough attitude and heart that she can make it,” he said. “She fits my style, and she has a lot of try to her. That’s what I like the most about her.” Davis agrees, and he knows horsepower might be what gets the pair a return qualification to the NFR. “That’s our ultimate goal,” Davis said. “I’ve had a fire lit in my ever since this year started. The mare he’s riding is unbelievable, and I’ve got two great heal horses.” The combination allows the bragging rights to being the 2016 San Angelo champions. “This is a huge win for us,” he said. “It’s one of the biggest rodeos of the year, and this is the biggest regular-season win of my life. This is one of the rodeos that was on my bucket list. “There was a lot of energy in that building tonight. The events leading up to ours was good. Bareback riding was outstanding, and then my buddy, K.C. Jones, won the bulldogging. When he won it, I really wanted to win it, so that got me going even more.” There’s no reason for Mitchell and Davis to stop now. San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 5-7, Feb. 12-14, Feb. 17-19 Bareback riding: Round 1: 1. Tanner Aus, 90 points on J Bar J Rodeo’s Pass The Hat, $4,256; 2. Jake Vold and R.C. Landingham, 88, $2,837 each; 4. Caleb Bennett, 86.5, $1,560; 5. (tie) Mason Clements, Jamie Howlett and Tim O’Connell, 84.5, $757 each; 8. (tie) Luke Creasy and Jake Brown, 84, $213 each. Final round: 1. Caleb Bennett, 90.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Dirty Jacket, $1,650; 2. Jake Vold, 89.5, $1,250; 3. Tim O’Connell, 89, $900; 4. Mason Clements, 88, $600; 5. Teddy Athan, 82.5, $350; R.C. Landingham, 81, $250. Average: 1. Jake Vold, 177.5 points on two rides, $4,256; 2. Caleb Bennett, 177, $3,263; 3. Tim O’Connell, 173.5, $2,411; 4. Mason Clements, 172.5, $1,560; 5. R.C. Landingham. 169, $992; 6. Teddy Athan, 165.5, $709; 7. Luke Creasy, 161, $567; 8. Jamie Howlett, 84.5 points on one ride, $426. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. (tie) Josh Clark and Riley Duvall, 3.6 seconds, $3,321 each; 3. (tie) K.C. Jones, T.J. Hall, Dakota Eldridge and Heath Thomas, 3.9, $1,931 each; 7. (tie) Stan Branco and Orrin Fontenot, 4.0, $541 each. Second round: 1. Jacob Talley, 3.5 seconds, $3552; 2. (tie) Blake Knowles and Kody Woodward, 3.8, $2,857 each; 4. (tie) Clayton Tuchscherer and Mike McGinn, 3.9, $1,931 each; 6. Justin Morehouse, 4.0, $1,236; 7. (tie) Rowdy Parrott and Clint Shofner, 4.1, $541 each. Final round: 1. Matt Reeves, 3.9 seconds, $2,001; 2. K.C. Jones, 4.1, $1,656; 3. Jace Melvin, 4.2, $1,311; 4. (tie) Riley Duvall and Dakota Eldridge, 4.5, $794 each; 6. Scott Guenthner, 5.2, $345; Average: 1. K.C. Jones, 12.3 seconds on three runs, $5,328; 2. Dakota Eldridge, 12.8, $4,634; 3. Riley Duvall, 12.9, $3,939; 4. Matt Reeves, 13.9, $3,244; 5. Jace Melvin, 14.2, $2,548; 6. Scott Guenthner, 14.9, $1,853; 7. Nick Guy, 15.1, $1,158; 8. Timmy Sparing, 16.0, $463. Team roping: First round: 1. Adam Rose/Walt  Continue Reading »

SAN ANGELO, Texas – It wasn’t much, but Jesse Bail needed it. On Thursday night during the 10th performance of the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo, Bail matched moves with Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Sin Fire Kate for 82.5 points; that matched Doug Aldridge of Carthage, Mo., who rodeo Carr’s Gold Coast to share fifth place in the opening go-round. Both cowboys pocketed $671. More importantly, they qualified for Friday’s championship round, which features the top contestants in all events from the preliminary rounds. “I won the round on her about two months ago,” Bail said of Sin Fire Kate. “I knew it was a good horse. She stalls (coming out of the chute, but she was good and it worked out good.” The South Dakota cowboy knows the importance of doing well in San Angelo. He won the bronc riding title in this West Texas town in 2013 and also claimed the bull riding championship in 2002. “I haven’t had a lot of luck here, but it’s been really good at times,” he said of his tenure of competing in San Angelo. “It means a bunch, especially this year. I’ve been in San Antonio and didn’t do no good there. This is kind of the end of my winter run. I’ve got this and Tucson, so I was needing to hit a lick.” Bail has been at this game for quite a while. He started competing in ProRodeo 19 seasons ago and first qualified for the NFR in 2000. He hasn’t been back to the sport’s grand finale since 2011, so collecting the title in San Angelo would help pave the way back to Las Vegas in December. “I’ve been coming here for a long time, and every year this rodeo’s just gotten better and better,” Bail said. “Comparing this year to the first year I came, it’s changed a bunch for the better. It’s dang sure one of the top rodeos now, and they put on a good show.” Aldridge has never qualified for the NFR, but he’s been a regular fixture among the top 30 in the world standings at the end of the season. He’s had some big victories along the way, but he’s still new to the game; he joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association just three seasons ago. They’ve got some ground to make up, though. Reigning world champion Jacobs Crawley of Boerne, Texas, won the first round with an 88-point ride on Powder River Rodeo’s Rich n Fancy and owns a 5.5-point lead over Bail and Aldridge heading into the final round. But anything can happen on championship night, and Bail knows that as well as anyone.   San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 5-7, Feb. 12-14, Feb. 17-19 Bareback riding leaders: 1. Tanner Aus, 90 points on J Bar J Rodeo’s Pass The Hat, $4,256; 2. Jake Vold and R.C. Landingham, 88, $2,837 each; 4. Caleb Bennett, 86.5, $1,560; 5. (tie) Mason Clements, Jamie Howlett and Tim O’Connell, 84.5, $757 each; 8. (tie) Luke Creasy and Jake Brown, 84, $213 each; 10. Teddy Athan, 83; 11. Clayton Biglow, 82.5. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Josh Clark and Riley Duvall, 3.6 seconds, $3,321 each; 3. (tie) K.C. Jones, T.J. Hall, Dakota Eldridge and Heath Thomas, 3.9, $1,931 each; 7. (tie) Stan Branco and Orrin Fontenot, 4.0, $541 each. Second round leaders: 1. Jacob Talley, 3.5 seconds, $,3552; 2. (tie) Blake Knowles and Kody Woodward, 3.8, $2,857 each; 4. (tie) Clayton Tuchscherer and Mike McGinn, 3.9, $1,931 each; 6. Justin Morehouse, 4.0, $1,236; 7. (tie) Rowdy Parrott and Clint Shofner, 4.1, $541 each. Average leaders: 1. K.C. Jones, 8.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Dakota Eldridge, 8.3; 3. Riley Duvall, 8.4; 4. Justin Morehouse, 8.7; 5. Stan Branco, 8.8; 6. (tie) Nick Guy and Trevor Knowles, 9.1 each; 8. Jacob Edler, 9.5; 9. (tie) Timmy Sparing and Scott Guenthner, 9.7 each; 11. (tie) Jace Melvin and Matt Reeves, 10.0 each. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Adam Rose/Walt Woodard, 4.0 seconds, $3,506; 2. Colby Lovell/Will Wodfin, 4.1, $3,049; 3. Cody Snow/Dugan Kelly, 4.2, $2.592; 4. (tie) Billy Bob Brown/Garrett Jess and Bart Brunson/Zack Mabry, 4.5, $1,906 each; 6. (tie) Nathan McWhorter/Dustin Davis and Justin Davis/Zane Bruce, 4.6, $991 each; 8. (tie) Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger, Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell and Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis, 4.7, $102 each. Second round leaders: 1. Kolton Schmidt/Shay Carroll, 3.6 seconds, $3,506; 2. (tie) Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis, Brady Tryan/Tommy Zuniga and Tate Kirchenschlager/Trevor Kirchenschlager, 3.9, $2,592 each; 5. (tie) Levi Simpson/Jeremy Buhler, Lane Ivy/Allen Bach, Casey Tew/John Robertson and Drew Horner/Trey Johnson, 4.0, $991 each. Average leaders 1. Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis, 8.6 seconds on two runs; 2. (tie) Adam Rose/Walt Woodard and Colby Lovell/Will Woodfin, 8.7 each; 4. Nathan McWhorter/Dustin Davis, 9.0; 5. (tie) Billy Bob Brown/Garrett Jess and Blake Hirdes/Joseph Shawnego, 9.3 each; 7. Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell, 9.4; 8. Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger, 9.5; 9. (tie) Brandon Webb/Mickey Gomez and Justin Davis/Zane Bruce, 9;8; 11. Kelsey Parchman, 10.0; 12. Cody Snow/Dugan Kelly, 10.6. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Jacobs Crawley, 88 points on Powder River Rodeo’s Rich n Fancy, $3,353; 2. Allen Boore, 85.5, $2,571; 3. Rusty Wright, 85, $1,900; 4. Curtis Garton, 83, $1,229; 5. (tie) Jesse Bail and Doug Aldridge, 82.5, $671 each; 7. Joey Sonnier III, 82, $447; 8. Tyrell Smith, 81.5, $335; 9. Ryan Mackenzie, 81; 10. (tie) Brody Cress and Nick LaDuke, 80. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Jake Pratt, 7.9 seconds, $4,106; 2. (tie) Michael Otero, Caleb Smidt and Neil Dove, 8.0, $3,035 each; 5. (tie) Garrett Hale and E.J. Roberts, 8.1, $1,696 each; 7. (tie) Chant DeForest and Ike Fontenot, 8.2, $625 each. Second round leaders: 1. Marcos Costa, 7.4 seconds, $4,106; 2. Riley Pruitt, 7.7, $3,571; 3. (tie) Timber Moore and J.D. Kibbe, 7.8, $2,767 each; 5. (tie) Hunter Herrin and Justin Macha, 7.9, $1,696 each; 7. Sterling Smith, 8.1, $893; 8. (tie) Tyler Prcin, Quay Howard and Jerrad Hofstetter, 8.2, $119 each. Average leaders: 1. Caleb  Continue Reading »

SAN ANGELO, Texas – At just his second Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event, tie-down roper Neil Dove earned $3,035 Wednesday night at the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo. Competing on his permit, Dove roped and tied his calf in 8.0 seconds, finishing in a three-way tie for second place in the opening go-round. He will make his second run of the rodeo Thursday night. “I just got my permit right before Denver,” he said of the early January rodeo. “Denver was my first ProRodeo, and this is my second.” In order to compete in the PRCA, cowboys must compete on a permit. In order to become a full member of the association, they must then earn at least $1,000 in a year in order to fill the qualifications. Dove has done that, and most of the season is still in front of him. He still has the option of competing this season on his permit, but he’s focus has been on the competition at hand. “They told me I had a good calf,” said Dove, who owns a construction company in Bluff Dale, Texas. “I don’t get too hyped up about it; I just try to do my job. I focused on my start, then I had (the rope) on him quick, and things just went right.” Things have been going right for the 26-year-old cowboy, who has only been competing in tie-down roping a short time. “I started calf roping when I was 18, so I was a little late,” said Dove, who competed on the rodeo team at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. “I went through college and got my business degree. After college, I worked for a few years roofing houses. I didn’t have a whole lot of money, and it takes some money to rodeo, so I worked a few years and got my chickens in a row.” It all seems to be paying off, and it comes at a good time. He and his girlfriend, barrel racer Paige Conrado, are expecting a baby this spring. He also loves the idea of carrying on a family tradition. “Everybody in my family calf ropes,” he said. “My parents split up when I was young, and I played other sports. In fact, I was going to go to college on and run track, but then I got to roping with my granddad. I realized I probably was never going to run in the Olympics, so I just went to calf roping.” In fact, his grandfather, “Shorty” Dove, was an avid tie-down roper. Neil Dove is riding 16-year-old Tommy, the last horse his grandfather trained. “I came home this past summer and started roping,” he said. “My horse is amazing. My granddad got him as a 2-year-old and trained him.” “Shorty” Dove died in September 2014, but he passed the horse on to Neil. “I started roping on him this past summer,” Neil Dove said. “My granddad roped all the way up until he died. This is a God deal for me. He was just saving him for me for the right time. If I would’ve had him early on, he might not be the caliber of horse his is now. Things have been starting to click right now.” If Wednesday’s performance was any indication, it looks like Dove is pushing all the right buttons. San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 5-7, Feb. 12-14, Feb. 17-19 Bareback riding leaders: 1. Tanner Aus, 90 points on J Bar J Rodeo’s Pass The Hat; 2. Jake Vold and R.C. Landingham, 88 each; 4. Caleb Bennett, 86.5; 5. (tie) Mason Clements, Jamie Howlett and Tim O’Connell, 84.5 each; 8. (tie) Luke Creasy and Jake Brown, 84 each. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Josh Clark and Riley Duvall, 3.6 seconds, $3,321 each; 3. (tie) K.C. Jones, T.J. Hall, Dakota Eldridge and Heath Thomas, 3.9, $1,931 each; 7. (tie) Stan Branco and Orrin Fontenot, 4.0, $541 each. Second round leaders: 1. Jacob Talley, 3.5 seconds; 2. (tie) Blake Knowles and Cody Woodward, 3.8 each; 4. (tie) Clayton Tuchscherer and Mike McGinn, 3.9 each; 6. (tie) Rowdy Parrott and Clint Shofner, 4.1 each; 8. Cameron Mormon, 4.2. Average leaders: 1. K.C. Jones, 8.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Dakota Eldridge, 8.3; 3. Riley Duvall, 8.4; 4. Stan Branco, 8.8; 5. (tie) Nick Guy and Trevor Knowles, 9.1 each; 7. Jacob Edler, 9.5; 8. Timmy Sparing, 9.7. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Adam Rose/Walt Woodard, 4.0 seconds, $3,506; 2. Colby Lovell/Will Wodfin, 4.1, $3,049; 3. Cody Snow/Dugan Kelly, 4.2, $2.592; 4. (tie) Billy Bob Brown/Garrett Jess and Bart Brunson/Zack Mabry, 4.5, $1,906 each; 6. (tie) Nathan McWhorter/Dustin Davis and Justin Davis/Zane Bruce, 4.6, $991 each; 8. (tie) Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger, Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell and Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis, 4.7, $102 each. Second round leaders: 1. Kolton Schmidt/Shay Carroll, 3.6 seconds; 2. (tie) Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis, Brady Tryan/Tommy Zuniga and Tate Kirchenschlager/Trevor Kirchenschlager, 3.9 each; 5. (tie) Levi Simpson/Jeremy Buhler, Casey Tew/John Robertson and Drew Horner/Trey Johnson, 4.0 each. Average leaders 1. Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis, 8.6 seconds on two runs; 2. (tie) Adam Rose/Walt Woodard and Colby Lovell/Will Woodfin, 8.7 each; 4. Nathan McWhorter/Dustin Davis, 9.0; 5. (tie) Billy Bob Brown/Garrett Jess and Blake Hirdes/Joseph Shawnego, 9.3 each; 7. Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell, 9.4; 8. Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger, 9.5. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Jacobs Crawley, 88 points on Powder River Rodeo’s Rich n Fancy; 2. Allen Boore, 85.5; 3. Rusty Wright, 85; 4. Curtis Garton, 83; 5. Joey Sonnier III, 82; 6. Ryan Mackenzie, 81; 7. Brody Cress, 80; 8. (tie) CoBurn Bradshaw and Tyrel Larsen, 79.5 each. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Jake Pratt, 7.9 seconds, $4,106; 2. (tie) Michael Otero, Caleb Smidt and Neil Dove, 8.0, $3,035 each; 5. (tie) Garrett Hale and E.J. Roberts, 8.1, $1,696 each; 7. (tie) Chant DeForest and Ike Fontenot, 8.2, $625 each. Second round leaders: 1. Marcos Costa, 7.4 seconds; 2. Riley Pruitt, 7.7; 3. (tie) Timber Moore and J.D. Kibbe, 7.8  Continue Reading »

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story appears in February 2016 issue of Women’s Pro Rodeo News, the official publication of he WPRA. It is reproduced with the consent of the WPRA.    Heather Knerr needed a bright spot in her life. Things had been a little rough for the 23-year-old cowgirl from Grass Range, Mont. A wedding planned for late January had been cancelled, her younger brother had suffered a broken hand while shoeing a horse and her father was in Jakarta, Indonesia, on a business trip when ISIS attacked the city of 9.6 million just days before the RAM Montana Circuit Finals Rodeo. “I felt like God came through for me,” said Knerr, who won the average title in Great Falls, Mont., Jan. 15-17. “Everything came through when I needed it to.” Riding Sparkin Jetolena, a 10-year-old sorrel gelding she calls Sparky, Knerr won the first two go-rounds and the average title, pocketing $7,864 along the way. Those earnings moved her from eighth to fourth in the year-end standings. More importantly, it earned the University of Great Falls graduate student a trip to the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo, which will take place April 7-10 in Kissimmiee, Fla. It’ll be a nice change climate change for Knerr and other qualifiers from the Montana Circuit, who all experience below-freezing temperatures and slick roads as they made their way to the Montana Expo Park. Florida sounds pretty good about now, and so does winning the average championship. “The rodeo team helps out with the whole circuit finals, and they were all there to help cheer me on,” said Knerr, who is in her final semester of college rodeo and serves as an assistant coach for the university’s rodeo program. “That was huge not only for me but for my family.” She and Sparky won the opening round with a 13.19-second run, the fastest of the weekend. Their 13.42 in the second round earned the top spot, then they secured the average title with 13.68; Knerr finished just 27-hundredths of a second ahead of Kaela Murphy. “I didn’t want to check him too early going into the first, and we blew past it,” Knerr said of their third-round run. “He went by the second, too. The third barrel was good, and he clocked pretty good, but he should have placed. That was rider error for sure.” It also was a great learning experience. The weekend marked her second straight qualifications to the circuit finals. Because she’s working toward a master’s degree, she is allowed to compete for a fifth year in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. She will have to miss a regional rodeo the weekend of the RNCFR, but it’s well worth it. “I’m really excited, and I’m not sure it’s all sunk in yet,” said Knerr, who plans to take her family with her to the national championship event. “My brother has a college rodeo, so he won’t be able to go; he’s pouting a little bit. “I’ve never been to Florida. I really like going to new places and seeing new things.” The experience also will feature the young cowgirl running at one of the most prestigious events in ProRodeo. Much has changed for her since moving to Montana a decade and a half ago. “I used to be a figure skater,” she said, pointing out that she spent the first seven years of life in Golden, Colo. “I always liked horses, but we never really rodeoed until we came to Montana. “When I was 12, I had been skating a little bit, but I also had horses. I had to pick what way I wanted to go, and I picked the horses.” Her father, Ken, had competed in multiple events in rodeo as a youngster. A broken back in his late teens forced him to sideline the sport for the most part – Ken Knerr still competes in team roping when he can. Mom Nicki was raised on a ranch in Grass Range. Though she had been around horses all her life, she never really rodeoed, Heather Knerr said. Now mother and daughter work together in training their horses. In fact, that’s how they came to showcase Sparky. His mother, The Range of Vegas, had been one of Ken’s team roping horse. When Heather Knerr transitioned the mare into a barrel horse, they tried to rein in her wild side by breading her to Blazin Jetolena, a well-known stallion. “We were able to fix the things we didn’t do right with his mom,” said Heather Knerr, who has a close relationship with her younger siblings: brother Shane and sister Jenna. “By having her, we were able to learn and figure some stuff out. “He has a super quirky attitude, and he spooks at about everything.” But he runs really well. That’s always a plus. A bittersweet finale Lindsay Kruse had long dreamed of winning the Montana Circuit year-end championship on Lenas Mijo Dulce, a 14-year-old sorrel gelding she’d been running for several years. The tandem accomplished their mission with a fantastic 2015, earning $17,689 through the course of the regular season. That was enough to claim the title, though nobody knew that before the circuit finals had begun. Just days before the opening round, Kruse had Harley euthanized because the talented, 14-year-old sorrel gelding was not overcoming injuries sustained last fall. “It meant a lot to win it for his sake and to close that chapter in his life,” she said. “He deserved to win the title.” Harley suffered a cut in one of his legs. The injury became infected, and the horse never recovered. It wasn’t worth it to Kruse to allow the gelding to suffer any longer. “We did everything we could,” she said. “By the time he lost 800 pounds, you wouldn’t even recognize him. The decision was made over two days. It just didn’t seem right to put him through all that pain trying things, then not knowing whether or not it would work. “I’ve  Continue Reading »

The word has spread quickly, but rodeo legend Lewis Feild lost his battle with pancreatic cancer Monday. He was 59. Feild was a true all-around cowboy who won five ProRodeo world championships – two in bareback riding and three in the all-around from 1985-87 – and also was the father of four-time world champion bareback rider Kaycee Feild. Lewis Feild was known as a cowboy who could handle any task assigned him. He was a rodeo coach and a pickup man; he even was selected to pick up at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2004. Through his son’s great success in the arena, rodeo fans got to see a different side of Lewis Field. Instead of a rodeo idol, they witnessed a proud father and a man who always was approachable and kind-hearted. May God bless his family and his many friends.

SAN ANGELO, Texas – Timber Moore knew he had been matched with the right animal at San Angelo Arena on Sunday afternoon. He just needed to take advantage of it if he had any hopes of winning the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo tie-down roping title for the second time. His 7.8-second run during the eighth performance of the rodeo allows him that chance. “Cheyenne Harper tied that calf in 8.8 the other day, so I knew she was one of the better calves in the pen,” said Moore, a four-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Aubrey, Texas. “Everything worked pretty well, and I made a good run on her. “I knew I needed to do something if I wanted to make the short round. Just to make the short round, I had to be 9.0 to have a good chance. To tie one in 7.8 seconds gives me a chance to place in the average or have a chance to win, so that’s important for me.” Sunday’s run moves Moore into third place in the second round; his two-run cumulative time of 17.4 seconds also puts him in a tie for second place in the average with Tyler Prcin of Alvord, Texas. “In the first round, I had a big black calf, and she wanted to jump up when we were tying them down earlier,” Moore said. “When I got to her, she jumped up and knocked me off balance. The calf I had today was littler and faster handling, and that made a lot of difference.” He is just two years removed from winning the San Angelo championship, so he knows just how special it is to win in this West Texas town. “San Angelo is a great rodeo town, and everybody out there loves calf roping,” he said. “I had always wanted to win this rodeo, and I’ve done it once. If I could come back and have a chance to win it again, it would great. Actually it would be outstanding for it to happen twice.” It also would serve as a bit of redemption for the north Texas cowboy. He finished the regular season second in the world standings, then had some trouble during the NFR this past December. He placed in two go-rounds and still pocketed $26,654 during his 10-day run in Las Vegas. He ended the year 10th in the world standings. “I had an unbelievable year, then I got to the finals, and my horse could’ve worked better and I could’ve roped better,” Moore said. “If I could start this year off like I finished last year off, it would help me a lot. It would help my confidence. “I haven’t drawn just a whole lot of chances to be able to win or even make some good runs. Hopefully I can get on the right end of the draw and start making things happen.” He’d like Sunday’s performance to be the start that positive roll of the dice. He’ll wait through two preliminary performances on Wednesday and Thursday to see where he sits for Friday’s championship round, but he likes his position so far. “Coming back and tying one fast today gave me a chance to get out of there with a lot more money than if I would’ve tied one in 9.0,” he said. “If you come back toward the bottom of the field for the short round, then you don’t have high expectations for winning a good average check. Now I’ve given myself a solid chance to come out of here with a good check.” That also would be a boost to the cowboy’s confidence. San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 5-7, Feb. 12-14, Feb. 17-19 Bareback riding leaders: 1. Tanner Aus, 90 points on J Bar J Rodeo’s Pass The Heat; 2. Jake Vold and R.C. Landingham, 88 each; 4. Caleb Bennett, 86.5; 5. (tie) Mason Clements and Jamie Howlett, 84.5 each; 7. (tie) Luke Creasy and Jake Brown, 84 each. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Josh Clark and Riley Duvall, 3.6 seconds each; 3. (tie) K.C. Jones, T.J. Hall, Dakota Eldridge and Heath Thomas, 3.9 each; 7. (tie) Stan Branco and Orrin Fontenot, 4.0 each. Second round leaders: 1. Jacob Talley, 3.5 seconds; 2. (tie) Blake Knowles and Cody Woodward, 3.8 each; 4. (tie) Clayton Tuchscherer and Mike McGinn, 3.9 each; 6. (tie) Rowdy Parrott and Clint Shofner, 4.1 each; 8. Cameron Mormon, 4.2. Average leaders: 1. K.C. Jones, 8.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Dakota Eldridge, 8.3; 3. Riley Duvall, 8.4; 4. Stan Branco, 8.8; 5. (tie) Nick Guy and Trevor Knowles, 9.1 each; 7. Jacob Edler, 9.5; 8. Timmy Sparing, 9.7. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Adam Rose/Walt Woodard, 4.0 seconds; 2. Colby Lovell/Will Wodfin, 4.1; 3. Cody Snow/Dugan Kelly, 4.2; 4. (tie) Billy Bob Brown/Garrett Jess and Bart Brunson/Zack Mabry, 4.5 each; 6. (tie) Nathan McWhorter/Dustin Davis and Justin Davis/Zane Bruce, 4.6 each; 8. (tie) Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger, Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell and Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis, 4.7 each. Second round leaders: 1. Kolton Schmidt/Shay Carroll, 3.6 seconds; 2. (tie) Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis, Brady Tryan/Tommy Zuniga and Tate Kirchenschlager/Trevor Kirchenschlager, 3.9 each; 5. (tie) Levi Simpson/Jeremy Buhler, Casey Tew/John Robertson and Drew Horner/Trey Johnson, 4.0 each. Average leaders 1. Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis, 8.6 seconds on two runs; 2. (tie) Adam Rose/Walt Woodard and Colby Lovell/Will Woodfin, 8.7 each; 4. Nathan McWhorter/Dustin Davis, 9.0; 5. (tie) Billy Bob Brown/Garrett Jess and Blake Hirdes/Joseph Shawnego, 9.3 each; 7. Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell, 9.4; 8. Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger, 9.5. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Jacobs Crawley, 88 points on Powder River Rodeo’s Rich n Fancy; 2. Allen Boore, 85.5; 3. Rusty Wright, 85; 4. Curtis Garton, 83; 5. Joey Sonnier III, 82; 6. Ryan Mackenzie, 81; 7. Brody Cress, 80; 8. (tie) CoBurn Bradshaw and Tyrel Larsen, 79.5 each. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Jake Pratt, 7.9 seconds; 2. (tie) Michael Otero and Caleb Smidt, 8.0 each; 4. (tie) Garrett Hale and  Continue Reading »

SAN ANGELO, Texas – Tanner Aus had a spectacular 2015. He won several big rodeo titles, including Cheyenne, Wyo.; he earned his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualification; and then he closed out the year by proposing to his longtime girlfriend, Lonissa Jones. Now he’s trying to make 2016 even better. On Saturday night, Aus spurred J Bar J Rodeo’s Pass The Hat for 90 points to take the bareback riding lead at the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo; it was the first time the Granite Falls, Minn., has ever been marked that high in his ProRodeo career. “My highest score up to this point was 87,” said Aus, 25, the 2012 College National Finals Rodeo champion. “I was just pushing for that 88, so it feels really good to go to 90. It’s crazy.” It also was the first time the young cowboy had matched moves with Pass The Hat, but he had done a little homework before the competition began. “I knew Kaycee (Feild) had won a round on him at the finals this last year,” Aus said of the four-time world champion. “That’s all I could really think about. I’ve been drawing pretty good, and a lot of times the difference is what’s going on between the ears. I had just been going through the motions. “Tonight I had it in my mind that I had to set the tone, and I knew I had the horse to do it on. I just need to get in that frame of mind from now on.” The Minnesota cowboy is coming off his best season in rodeo. He earned nearly $170,000 riding bucking horses and finish sixth in the world standings. He pointed back to San Angelo as the key factor in his strong campaign. He placed in both go-rounds and finished in a tie for second overall. He pocketed $4,600 in West Texas, then just kept adding to it. “All these winter rodeos are important, and last year, it was here that set my season up,” he said. “I went from San Angelo to San Antonio to Tucson (Ariz.), and I ended up with a pile of money.” He earned $15,632 between those three rodeos and found himself inside the top 20 in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world standings. “I didn’t win a buckle or a title at any of them, but it showed me that I could do pretty well if I just placed at them.” Now he sits fifth in the 2016 world standings and knows how important the winter run can be. He also felt the excitement inside the San Angelo Coliseum on a Saturday night. “They had the place packed,” Aus said. “R.C. (Landingham) was one of the first ones to go, and he was 88. That set the tone early, and that’s hard to top. I’m glad I was able to do it.” Now he will wait out the final three performances of this year’s preliminary go-rounds to see where he will sit during next Friday’s championship round. He’s set the bar high, but that also means he has a target on his back for the rest of the week. That’s just how he likes it. San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 5-7, Feb. 12-14, Feb. 17-19 Bareback riding leaders: 1. Tanner Aus, 90 points on J Bar J Rodeo’s Pass The Heat; 2. Jake Vold and R.C. Landingham, 88 each; 4. Caleb Bennett, 86.5; 5. (tie) Mason Clements and Jamie Howlett, 84.5 each; 7. (tie) Luke Creasy and Jake Brown, 84. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Josh Clark and Riley Duvall, 3.6 seconds each; 3. (tie) K.C. Jones, T.J. Hall, Dakota Eldridge and Heath Thomas, 3.9 each; 7. (tie) Stan Branco and Orrin Fontenot, 4.0 each. Second round leaders: 1. Jacob Talley, 3.5 seconds; 2. (tie) Blake Knowles and Cody Woodward, 3.8; 4. (tie) Clayton Tuchscherer and Mike McGinn, 3.9 each; 6. (tie) Rowdy Parrott and Clint Shofner, 4.1 each; 8. Cameron Mormon, 4.2. Average leaders: 1. K.C. Jones, 8.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Riley Duvall, 8.4; 3. Stan Branco, 8.8; 4. (tie) Nick Guy and Trevor Knowles, 9.1 each; 6. Jacob Edler, 9.5; 7. Timmy Sparing, 9.7; 8. Matt Reeves, 10.0. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Adam Rose/Walt Woodard, 4.0 seconds; 2. Colby Lovell/Will Wodfin, 4.1; 3. Cody Snow/Dugan Kelly, 4.2; 4. (tie) Billy Bob Brown/Garrett Jess and Bart Brunson/Zack Mabry, 4.5 each; 6. (tie) Nathan McWhorter/Dustin Davis and Justin Davis/Zane Bruce, 4.6 each; 8. (tie) Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger, Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell and Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis, 4.7 each. Second round leaders: 1. Kolton Schmidt/Shay Carroll, 3.6 seconds; 2. (tie) Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis, Brady Tryan/Tommy Zuniga and Tate Kirchenschlager/Trevor Kirchenschlager, 3.9 each; 5. (tie) Levi Simpson/Jeremy Buhler, Casey Tew/John Robertson and Drew Horner/Trey Johnson, 4.0 each. Average leaders 1. Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis, 8.6 seconds on two runs; 2. (tie) Adam Rose/Walt Woodard and Colby Lovell/Will Woodfin, 8.7; 4. Nathan McWhorter/Dustin Davis, 9.0; 5. Blake Hirdes/Joseph Shawnego, 9.3; 6. Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell, 9.4; 7. Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger, 9.5; 8. (tie) Brandon Webb/Mickey Gomez and Justin Davis/Shane Bruce, 9.8. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Jacobs Crawley, 88 points on Powder River Rodeo’s Rich n Fancy; 2. Allen Boore, 85.5; 3. Rusty Wright, 85; 4. Curtis Garton, 83; 5. Joey Sonnier III, 82; 6. Brody Cress, 80; 7. CoBurn Bradshaw, 79.5; 8. Shorty Garrett, 79. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Jake Pratt, 7.9 seconds; 2. (tie) Michael Otero and Caleb Smidt, 8.0 each; 4. (tie) Garrett Hale and E.J. Roberts, 8.1; 6. (tie) Chant DeForest and Ike Fontenot, 8.2; 8. Cody Quaney, 8.3. Second round leaders: 1. Marcos Costa, 7.4 seconds; 2. Riley Pruitt, 7.7; 3. J.D. Kibbe, 7.8; 4. (tie) Hunter Herrin and Justin Macha, 7.9 each; 6. Sterling Smith, 8.1; 7. (tie) Tyler Prcin, Quay Howard and Jerrad Hofstetter, 8.2 each. Average leaders: 1. Caleb Smidt, 16.7 seconds on two runs; 2. Tyler Prcin, 17.4; 3. E.J. Roberts, 17.6; 4. Garrett Hale, 17.7; 5.  Continue Reading »

San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 5-7, Feb. 12-14, Feb. 17-19 Bareback riding leaders: 1. Jake Vold, 88 points on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Faded Memories; 2. Caleb Bennett, 86.5; 3. (tie) Mason Clements and Jamie Howlett, 84.5 each; 5. (tie) Luke Creasy and Jake Brown, 84; 7. Teddy Athan, 83; 8. Clayton Biglow, 82.5. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Josh Clark and Riley Duvall, 3.6 seconds; 3. (tie) K.C. Jones, T.J. Hall, Dakota Eldridge and Heath Thomas, 3.9 each; 7. (tie) Stan Branco and Orrin Fontenot, 4.0 each. Second round leaders: 1. Jacob Talley, 3.5 seconds; 2. Cody Woodward, 3.8; 3. (tie) Clayton Tuchscherer and Mike McGinn, 3.9 each; 5. (tie) Rowdy Parrott and Clint Shofner, 4.1 each; 7. Cameron Mormon, 4.2; 8. (tie) K.C. Jones, Clayton Hass and Forest Salsbury, 4.3 each. Average leaders: 1. K.C. Jones, 8.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Riley Duvall, 8.4; 3. Stan Branco, 8.8; 4. Nick Guy, 9.1; 5. Jacob Edler, 9.5; 6. Matt Reeves, 10.0; 7. Shayde Etherton and Justin Shaffer, 10.4 each. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Adam Rose/Walt Woodard, 4.0 seconds; 2. Colby Lovell/Will Wodfin, 4.1; 3. Cody Snow/Dugan Kelly, 4.2; 4. Bart Brunson/Zack Mabry, 4.5; 5. (tie) Nathan McWhorter/Dustin Davis and Justin Davis/Zane Bruce, 4.6 each; 6. (tie) Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger, Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell and Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis, 4.7 each. Second round leaders: 1. Kolton Schmidt/Shay Carroll, 3.6 seconds; 2. (tie) Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis, Brady Tryan/Tommy Zuniga and Tate Kirchenschlager/Trevor Kirchenschlager, 3.9 each; 5. (tie) Levi Simpson/Jeremy Buhler, Casey Tew/John Robertson and Drew Horner/Trey Johnson, 4.0 each. Average leaders 1. Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis, 8.6 seconds on two runs; 2. (tie) Adam Rose/Walt Woodard and Colby Lovell/Will Woodfin, 8.7; 4. Nathan McWhorter/Dustin Davis, 9.0; 5. Blake Hirdes/Joseph Shawnego, 9.3; 6. Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell, 9.4; 7. Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger, 9.5; 8. (tie) Brandon Webb/Mickey Gomez and Justin Davis/Shane Bruce, 9.8. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Jacobs Crawley, 88 points on Powder River Rodeo’s Rich n Fancy; 2. Allen Boore, 85.5; 3. Curtis Garton, 83; 4. Joey Sonnier III, 82; 5. Brody Cress, 80; 6. CoBurn Bradshaw, 79.5; 7. Shorty Garrett, 79; 8. (tie) Jake Wright and Clay Elliott, 78 each. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Jake Pratt, 7.9 seconds; 2. (tie) Michael Otero and Caleb Smidt, 8.0 each; 4. (tie) Garrett Hale and E.J. Roberts, 8.1; 6. (tie) Chant DeForest and Ike Fontenot, 8.2; 8. Cody Quaney, 8.3. Second round leaders: 1. Marcos Costa, 7.4 seconds; 2. Riley Pruitt, 7.7; 3. J.D. Kibbe, 7.8; 4. (tie) Hunter Herrin and Justin Macha, 7.9 each; 6. Sterling Smith, 8.1; 7. (tie) Tyler Prcin, Quay Howard and Jerrad Hofstetter, 8.2 each. Average leaders: 1. Caleb Smidt, 16.7 seconds on two runs; 2. Tyler Prcin, 17.4; 3. E.J. Roberts, 17.6; 4. Garrett Hale, 17.7; 5. Chant DeForest, 17.8; 6. Marcos Costa, 18.0; 7. (tie) Trey Young, Cody Owens and Jayce Johnson, 18.2 each. Barrel racing: Second round leaders: 1. Tana Poppino, 13.97 seconds; 2. Alexa Lake, 14.19; 3. Lisa Thonton, 14.22; 4. Pamela Capper, 14.29; 5. Sabrina Ketcham, 14.31; 6. Sherrylynn Johnson, 14.36; 7. Brooke Rix, 14.40; 8. Sherry Cervi, 14.41; 9. Jessica Dunbar, 14.45; 10. Kelsey Lutjen, 14.47. Average leaders: 1. Pamela Capper, 29.96 seconds on two runs; 2. Tana Poppino, 29.98; 3. Sherry Cervi, 30.09; 4. Lisa Thornton, 30.33; 5. Sherrylynn Johnson, 30.3; 6. Brooke Rix, 30.43; 7. (tie) Sabrina Ketcham and Callahan Crossley, 30.52; 9. Alexa Lake, 30.59; 10. Jessica Dunbar, 30.60. Bull riding leaders: 1. Dustin Bowen, 87.5 points on Lancaster & Jones’ Total Bull Battle Born; 2. Tim Bingham, 86; 3. (tie) Reagan Avery, Jeff Bertus and John Young, 84.5 each; 6. Josh Frost, 84; 7. Toby Collins, 83.5; 8. Pistol Preece, 83.

SAN ANGELO, Texas – A little vacation from rodeo seemed to be the magic for bareback rider Jake Vold. After two months away from rodeo, he returned Friday night, matching moves with Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Faded Memories for 88 points to take the bareback riding lead at the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo. “That’s the first horse I’ve been on since last year, and I guess it was a good one to knock the rust off with,” said Vold, a 2014 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Ponoka, Alberta. “I didn’t know a thing about him, but guys said he should be pretty strong and bucky. Then I talked to Cullen Pickett (who owns the horse), and he said he’d been to the NFR a couple of times in the E pen.” That stands for the Eliminator pen at ProRodeo’s grand championship, a group of 20 horses that are known as the toughest-to-ride broncs in the business. Faded Memories definitely fits into that category. “He’s big and strong,” Vold said of the horse. “I was pretty rusty, but I stuck to the basics and the things I’ve been doing riding my spur board back home. The big thing about big, strong horses is that you can’t weaken on them. As long as I keep going at them, it seems to work out pretty good.” While Vold moved into the lead, traveling partner Caleb Bennett moved into second with an 86.5-point ride on Pickett’s Scarlett Night – Bennett is a three-time NFR qualifier from Tremonton, Utah. They are hitting the hot spots through the winter run of rodeos along with Clint Laye, a 2015 NFR qualifier from Pocatello, Idaho. For Vold, it’s quite a change from the last two months. He had suffered a torn meniscus last season and has allowed his body time to heal. He also was waiting at his home for a knee brace to arrive to allow his knee the support it needed to compete at a world-class level. Kicking things off with a solid score in San Angelo made his life on the road feel right at home. “I won second here in 2011, but I don’t remember if I’ve won the (first) round before,” said Vold, the 2015 bareback riding champion in the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association. “I’ve definitely won some good checks out of San Angelo.” Now that the engine’s running, the Canadian cowboy plans to see how this 2016 edition will drive. “I’m just going to try to have another dominating year, especially in Canada,” he said. “I have some personal goals up there. Down here, my goal is to definitely get back to Vegas (and the NFR). It sunk in last year that I wasn’t there, that I didn’t get qualified. I’ve been working hard to get back.” Vold just missed his second straight NFR qualification, finishing 17th in the world standings – only the top 15 earn the right to play on ProRodeo’s biggest stage. Now that he’s healthy, he has his focus set on his goals. “I’m a big believer that when you’re hurting, you’re not going to win anything,” Vold said. “I wanted to make sure that I was feeling good and that I was able to compete at the level I need to compete. “To get a start like this, I just needed to wait until I was ready to go. Now I just need to keep riding good.” That’s a winning formula. San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 5-7, Feb. 12-14, Feb. 17-19 Bareback riding leaders: 1. Jake Vold, 88 points on Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Faded Memories; 2. Caleb Bennett, 86.5; 3. (tie) Mason Clements and Jamie Howlett, 84.5 each; 5. Luke Creasy, 84; 6. Teddy Athan, 83; 7. Clayton Biglow, 82.5; 8. (tie) Tray Chambliss II and Kash Wilson, 82 each. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Josh Clark and Riley Duvall, 3.6 seconds; 3. (tie) K.C. Jones, T.J. Hall, Dakota Eldridge and Heath Thomas, 3.9 each; 7. (tie) Stan Branco and Orrin Fontenot, 4.0 each. Second round leaders: 1. Jacob Talley, 3.5 seconds; 2. Cody Woodward, 3.8; 3. (tie) Clayton Tuchscherer and Mike McGinn, 3.9 each; 5. (tie) Rowdy Parrott and Clint Shofner, 4.1 each; 7. Cameron Mormon, 4.2; 8. (tie) K.C. Jones, Clayton Hass and Forest Salsbury, 4.3 each. Average leaders: 1. K.C. Jones, 8.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Riley Duvall, 8.4; 3. Stan Branco, 8.8; 4. Nick Guy, 9.1; 5. Jacob Edler, 9.5; 6. Matt Reeves, 10.0; 7. Shayde Etherton and Justin Shaffer, 10.4 each. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Adam Rose/Walt Woodard, 4.0 seconds; 2. Colby Lovell/Will Wodfin, 4.1; 3. Cody Snow/Dugan Kelly, 4.2; 4. Bart Brunson/Zack Mabry, 4.5; 5. (tie) Nathan McWhorter/Dustin Davis and Justin Davis/Zane Bruce, 4.6 each; 6. (tie) Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger, Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell and Spencer Mitchell/Justin Davis, 4.7 each. Second round leaders: 1. Kolton Schmidt/Shay Carroll, 3.6 seconds; 2. (tie) Brady Tryan/Tommy Zuniga and Tate Kirchenschlager/Trevor Kirchenschlager, 3.9 each; 4. Levi Simpson/Jeremy Buhler, Casey Tew/John Robertson and Drew Horner/Trey Johnson, 4.0 each; 7. (tie) Bobby Joe Hill/Boogie Ray, Cory Clark/Ethan Cory and Dylan Gordan/Austin Rogers, 4.1 each. Average leaders 1. Colby Lovell/Will Woodfin, 8.7 seconds on two runs; 2. Nathan McWhorter/Dustin Davis, 9.0; 3. Blake Kirdes/Joseph Shawnego, 9.3; 4. Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell, 9.4; 5. Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger, 9.5; 6. (tie) Brandon Webb/Mickey Gomez and Justin Davis/Shane Bruce, 9.8; 8. Kelsey Parchman/Matt Kasner, 10.0. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Jacobs Crawley, 88 points on Powder River Rodeo’s Rich n Fancy; 2. Allen Boore, 85.5; 3. Curtis Garton, 83; 4. Joey Sonnier III, 82; 5. Brody Cress, 80; 6. CoBurn Bradshaw, 79.5; 7. Shorty Garrett, 79; 8. (tie) Jake Wright and Clay Elliott, 78 each. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Jake Pratt, 7.9 seconds; 2. (tie) Michael Otero and Caleb Smidt, 8.0 each; 4. (tie) Garrett Hale and E.J. Roberts, 8.1; 6. (tie) Chant DeForest and Ike Fontenot, 8.2; 8. Cody Quaney, 8.3. Second round leaders: 1. Marcos Costa, 7.4 seconds; 2.  Continue Reading »

Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Josh Clark and Riley Duvall, 3.6 seconds; 3. (tie) K.C. Jones, T.J. Hall and Heath Thomas, 3.9 each; 6. (tie) Stan Branco and Orrin Fontenot, 4.0 each; 8. Ty Talsma, 4.2. Second round leaders: 1. Jacob Talley, 3.5 seconds; 2. Cody Woodward, 3.8; 3. (tie) Clayton Tuchscherer and Mike McGinn, 3.9 each; 5. (tie) Rowdy Parrott and Clint Shofner, 4.1 each; 7. Cameron Mormon, 4.2; 8. (tie) K.C. Jones, Clayton Hass and Forest Salsbury, 4.3 each. Average leaders: 1. K.C. Jones, 8.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Riley Duvall, 8.4; 3. Stan Branco, 8.8; 4. Nick Guy, 9.1; 5. Jacob Edler, 9.5; 6. Matt Reeves, 10.0; 7. Shayde Etherton and Justin Shaffer, 10.4 each. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Colby Lovell/Will Wodfin, 4.1 seconds; 2. Bart Brunson/Zack Mabry, 4.5; 3. (tie) Nathan McWhorter/Dustin Davis and Justin Davis/Zane Bruce, 4.6 each; 5. (tie) Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger and Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell, 4.7 each; 7. (tie) Travis Tryan/Levi Tryan, Blake Hirdes/Joseph Shawnego and Kelsey Parchman/Matt Kasner, 4.8 each. Second round leaders: 1. Kolton Schmidt/Shay Carroll, 3.6 seconds; 2. (tie) Brady Tryan/Tommy Zuniga and Tate Kirchenschlager/Trevor Kirchenschlager, 3.9 each; 4. Levi Simpson/Jeremy Buhler, Casey Tew/John Robertson and Drew Horner/Trey Johnson, 4.0 each; 7. (tie) Bobby Joe Hill/Boogie Ray, Cory Clark/Ethan Cory and Dylan Gordan/Austin Rogers, 4.1 each. Average leaders 1. Colby Lovell/Will Woodfin, 8.7 seconds on two runs; 2. Nathan McWhorter/Dustin Davis, 9.0; 3. Blake Kirdes/Joseph Shawnego, 9.3; 4. Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell, 9.4; 5. Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger, 9.5; 6. (tie) Brandon Webb/Mickey Gomez and Justin Davis/Shane Bruce, 9.8; 8. Kelsey Parchman/Matt Kasner, 10.0. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Jake Pratt, 7.9 seconds; 2. (tie) Michael Otero and Caleb Smidt, 8.0 each; 4. (tie) Garrett Hale and E.J. Roberts, 8.1; 6. (tie) Chant DeForest and Ike Fontenot, 8.2; 8. (tie) Jayce Johnson and Cole Bailey, 8.4. Second round leaders: 1. Marcos Costa, 7.4 seconds; 2. Riley Pruitt, 7.7; 3. J.D. Kibbe, 7.8; 4. (tie) Hunter Herrin and Justin Macha, 7.9 each; 6. (tie) Quay Howard and Jerrad Hofstetter, 8.2 each; 8. John Wall, 8.3. Average leaders: 1. Caleb Smidt, 16.7 seconds on two runs; 2. E.J. Roberts, 17.6; 3. Garrett Hale, 17.7; 4. Chant DeForest, 17.8; 5. Marcos Costa, 18.0; 6. (tie) Trey Young, Cody Owens and Jayce Johnson, 18.2 each.

Oklahoma City cowboy Cody Doescher will return to the CINCH Timed Event Championship during its 2016 run from March 4-6 at the Lazy E Arena. Doescher will replace five-time champion K.C. Jones of Burlington, Wyo., who suffered an injured shoulder recently and will be out of competition for the next eight to 12 weeks. “You don’t want to wish anything bad on anybody,” Doescher said. “K.C.’s been a contender there every year and has won it multiple times. It’s definitely going to be different being there without him. Fortunately for me, it allows me the chance to compete there, but I sure didn’t want to get in that way.” In 2014-15, Doescher was part of the prestigious 20-man field that features the best all-around timed-event cowboys in rodeo competing in all five disciplines: heading, heeling, tie-down roping, steer wrestling and steer roping. It’s dubbed the “Ironman of ProRodeo” because of the grueling test each of the cowboys faces through the five-round competition that takes place over three days. “It means the world to be able to go again, because it’s such a prestigious event,” said Doescher, who finished 11th in the 2015 average race. “It’s such a cowboy competition and not just a rodeo. Guys will get out of their comfort zone and have to do things they don’t do every day. “It brings out the weaknesses everybody has and the mind games, and you have to overcome it in one event. That’s what makes it such a great event.”

More competition took place at the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo today with more first-round action in the timed events. Here are the updated standings. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Josh Clark and Riley Duvall, 3.6 seconds; 3. (tie) K.C. Jones, T.J. Hall and Heath Thomas, 3.9 each; 6. (tie) Stan Branco and Orrin Fontenot, 4.0 each; 8. Ty Talsma, 4.2. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Colby Lovell/Will Wodfin, 4.1 seconds; 2. Bart Brunson/Zack Mabry, 4.5; 3. (tie) Nathan McWhorter/Dustin Davis and Justin Davis/Zane Bruce, 4.6 each; 5. (tie) Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger and Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell, 4.7 each; 7. (tie) Travis Tryan/Levi Tryan, Blake Hirdes/Joseph Shawnego and Kelsey Parchman/Matt Kasner, 4.8 each. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Jake Pratt, 7.9 seconds; 2. (tie) Michael Otero and Caleb Smidt, 8.0 each; 4. (tie) Garrett Hale and E.J. Roberts, 8.1; 6. (tie) Chant DeForest and Ike Fontenot, 8.2; 8. (tie) Jayce Johnson and Cole Bailey, 8.4.

BAREBACK RIDING, BULL RIDING TO BE PART OF DANNY DIETZ MEMORIAL CLASSIC ROSENBERG, Texas – The movie “Lone Survivor” shined a bright and graphic light on Operation RedWings, a battle in the Afghanistan mountains that left 19 U.S. warriors dead in June 2005. Their sacrifice – as well as the sacrifices of countless other servicemen, servicewomen and their families – should never be forgotten. Danny Quinlan has made it his mission to honor these heroes for all they have done. That’s why he organizes the annual U.S. Navy SEAL Danny Dietz Memorial Classic, a multi-event celebration that takes place every Memorial Day weekend at the Fort Bend County Fairgrounds in Rosenburg. “This whole event started out as trying to keep Danny’s name alive and where we thought Danny would want the money to go,” said Quinlan, who works closely with Dietz’s surviving wife, co-founder Patsy Dietz. “He was always seen as the ultimate team guy, so it was only fitting that the money would go to the Navy SEAL Foundation.” Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Danny Dietz was part of four-man Navy SEAL team sent into the area on a surveillance and reconnaissance mission. He and two of his teammates – Lt. Michael Murphy and Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Axelson – were killed during a firefight; Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Marcus Luttrell was the only survivor of the four SEALs on the mission. The event that honors Dietz is now in its seventh year, and organizers are adding to the flavor of the celebration by including a bull riding and bareback riding showcase that will be sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. It will take place at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 28. “We’re going to have 24 bareback riders and 24 bull riders competing that day,” said Kirby Cannon, who is helping organize that aspect of the memorial celebration with his brother, Clint, a five-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier in bareback riding. “It’s exciting for us to be involved because 100 percent of many money raised will go to the Navy SEAL Foundation, to the surviving families and to other surviving SEALs.” The combined bareback riding-bull riding will be the first event of its kind sanctioned by the PRCA. “As bareback riders, Kirby and I are excited to be part of it,” Clint Cannon said. “The Danny Dietz Memorial Classic will have numerous surviving wives, their families and veterans all there. It’s a big deal, and the bareback riding and bull riding is just a small part of it. “This wouldn’t happen without the help of (PRCA Commissioner) Karl Stressman and Heath Ford, who is our bareback riding representative. They’ve been great helping us get this sanctioned.” Both disciplines will feature a $10,000 committee stake, and that added money will be mixed with the contestants’ entry fees to come up with the overall purse. That prize money, combined with top stock from contractor Pickett Pro Rodeo, will increase incentive for the best bull riders and bareback riders in the PRCA to be part of the action. “Rear Admiral Garry Bonelli, who is the chairman of the Navy SEAL Foundation, is ecstatic about how the PRCA is involved and wanting to help take care of our families,” Quinlan said. “So many people want to take care of those families. Our event has that outreach. We’ll have kids that are 12 years old out here picking up trash because they want to help. “It’s something special.” The Classic will feature a team roping, a barbecue cookoff and a car show, and it takes place from Friday-Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. It’s the perfect time of year to honor servicemen and servicewomen. “For me, I think it’s a time for us to spend a weekend to say ‘thank you,’ ” Quinlan said. “That’s what I want to teach my kids. I know I have used the freedom these people have given me with their sacrifices; I just want to give back now.” He’s not alone. Team roper Tyler Magnus – a nine-time NFR qualifier who also produces “Riding and Roping with Tyler Magnus” on RFD-TV – has recorded the event as a donation. “There are so many people who make this thing happen, including a great group of volunteers,” Quinlan said. “It’s all for these surviving spouses, their families, surviving SEALS and other veterans who have helped make our country free.”

SAN ANGELO, Texas – The first thing Caleb Smidt did when he received his freshly engraved gold buckle was strap it directly onto his belt. He’d earned it by having a tremendous 2015 season that included the average championship at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, then left it for buckle-maker Montana Silversmiths to carve his name into the golden trophy. He finally had it in his hands for good in late January. On Sunday afternoon during the fourth performance of the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo, Smidt showed why he owns the 2015 tie-down roping world championship. He posted an 8.7-second run and moved into the lead in the two-run aggregate with a total time of 16.7 seconds. In addition, he and his partner, B.J. Dugger, sit second in the team roping average with a cumulative time of 9.5 seconds. “San Angelo’s been good,” said Smidt of Huntsville, Texas. “We made two really good runs in team roping, but I kind of messed up both my runs in calf roping. I jerked my first calf down and had to pick her back up, so that slowed me down a little bit. On my second calf, I jerked her down, too, and had to get her up. “My horse was pretty strong. I hadn’t ridden him much since the finals, so we’ve got a little room for improvement in the calf roping.” It’s still early in the rodeo, which will continue with competition later this week, but Smidt has a solid shot at winning the all-around championship at the prestigious event. “I always like winning,” he said. “You don’t really get anything special for winning the all-around, but anytime you can win the all-around at a big rodeo like San Angelo or San Antone, it means a lot. I like to win them, because it means I won more money in my two events.” Now he hopes to not only carry that momentum through the rest of the 2016 season, he wants to finally have a strong finish in this West Texas community. “I’ve placed in a few rounds here, but I’ve never won much money in Angelo,” Smidt said. “I’ve only been three times in my career. I haven’t had a whole lot of success at winter rodeos except for San Antone. I’d sure like to win a little more this winter so it makes my summer run a lot smoother.” He knows the routes to take along the rodeo trail. He qualified for the NFR in 2013, then suffered an injury that sidelined him for much of 2014. He suffered a dislocated ankle and broke both his tibia and fibula in three spots in early May that year. He returned to action in 2015 with his mind on the top prize. Now he not only wants to repeat as the world champion tie-down roper but also has his eyes firmly set on the all-around gold buckle. “This gold buckle has motivated me a lot,” he said, noting that the all-around title also has been a dream for some time. “I’ve been thinking about that for the last three years, but I’ve always had something go wrong in team roping. “Every year at the beginning of the year, I say I’m going to team rope all year. Hopefully I can get about $15,000-$20,000 won in team roping before Reno (Nev., in late June) so we can make that happen.” That’s not all that’s on his mind, though. Smidt’s wife, Brenna, is expecting the couple’s first child. “My wife’s about to pop, so I’m trying not to enter so much,” he said. “I’m still ready to rope and have been practicing. I’m still trying to win another buckle and win as much money as I can and support my family. That’s what’s important.” San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 5-7, Feb. 12-14, Feb. 17-19 Bareback riding leaders: 1. (tie) Mason Clements, on Lancaster & Jones Pro Rodeo’s Black Pearl, and Jamie Howlett, on Powder River Rodeo’s Craig at Midnight, 84.5 points each; 3. Luke Creasy, 84; 4. Teddy Athan, 83; 5. Clayton Biglow, 82.5; 6. (tie) Tray Chambliss II and Kash Wilson, 82 each; 8. (tie) Zach Hilber, Trenton Montero and Buck Lunak, 78 each. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. (tie) K.C. Jones and T.J. Hall, 3.9 seconds each; 3. (tie) Stan Branco and Orrin Fontenot, 4.0 each; 5. (tie) Nick Guy and Justin Shaffer, 4.6 each; 7. Josh Garner, 5.7; 8. Chance Campbell, 11.3. Second round leaders: 1. Jacob Talley, 3.5 seconds; 2. Rowdy Parrott, 4.1; 3. (tie) K.C. Jones and Clayton Hass, 4.3; 5. Ty Erickson, 4.4; 6. (tie) Blaine Jones and Nick Guy, 4.5; 8. Cody Cabral, 4.7. Average leaders: 1. K.C. Jones, 8.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Stan Branco, 8.8; 3. Nick Guy, 9.1; 4. Justin Shaffer, 10.4; 5. Clayton Hass, 18.6; 6. Jacob Talley, 3.5 seconds on one run; 7. T.J. Hall, 3.9; 8. (tie) Orrin Fontenot. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger and Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell, 4.7 seconds each; 3. Cole Sherwood/Tanner Luttrell, 4.9; 4. (tie) Cole Sherwood/Tanner Luttrell and Arky Rogers/Tyler McKnight, 4.9; 6. David Key/Travis Woodard, 5.5; 7. Tee Luttrell/Clay Sieber, 6.0; 8. Jake Cooper/York Gill, 9.4; no other qualified runs. Second round leaders: 1. Levi Simpson/Jeremy Buhler, 4.0 seconds; 2. Bobby Joe Hill/Boogie Ray, 4.1; 3. Blaine Vick/Dakota Kirchenschlager, 4.6; 4. Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell, 4.7; 5. Caleb Smidt/ B.J. Dugger, 4.8; 6. David Key/Travis Woodard, 9.6; no other qualified times. Average leaders 1. Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell, 9.4 seconds on two runs; 2. Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger, 9.5; 3. David Key/Travis Woodard, 15.1; 4. Levi Simpson/Jeremy Buhler, 4.0 seconds on one run; 5. Bobby Joe Hill/Boogie Ray, 4.1; 6. Blaine Vick/Dakota Kirchenschlager, 4.6; 7. Travis Tryan/Levi Tryan, 4.8; 8. (tie) Cole Sherwood/Tanner Lutrell and Arky Rogers/Tyler McKnight, 4.9. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Jacobs Crawley, 88 points on Powder River Rodeo’s Rich n Fancy; 2. Curtis Garton, 83; 3. Joey Sonnier III, 82; 4. Brody Cress,  Continue Reading »

SAN ANGELO, Texas – K.C. Jones always looks forward to competing at the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo. He proved it Saturday during the second day of competition with two solid times inside the San Angelo Coliseum. He leads the first round with a 3.9-second run and is No. 2 in the second round with a 4.3; his cumulative time of 8.2 leads the average. “I’ve won it at least twice,” said Jones, a nine-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Decatur, Texas. “We like San Angelo. The bulldoggers have their favorite restaurant they all go to, and that coliseum is real fun to bulldog in. The fans are on top of you, and it’s real loud; that makes it fun. “I didn’t like my first steer all that much, but we got through him pretty good. I missed the barrier on my second steer by about six to eight inches. I had to catch up to him and ended up making a good run, so hopefully it’ll get us back to the short round.” Championship night – which will take place Friday, Feb. 19 – will feature the top 12 contestants in each event from the preliminary rounds. “It’s always good when you give yourself a chance to win money,” said Jones, 45. “Back in the day when everybody got to go to all the big rodeos and you’d have 200 bulldoggers at a rodeo like this, the winter run was a big deal and the summer run didn’t seem as important. If they won good in the winter, they could make the finals. “Now we just want to get off to a good start.” He’s doing that in this West Texas community of about 97,000. Riding Smoker, a talented black mare owned by Jud Little, Jones had plenty of confidence on his mount. He’s had great success on Smoker, including a couple of go-round victories at the 2015 NFR. “We gave her some time off after the NFR,” he said. “We just started legging her up. I rode her at Fort Worth. She’s kind of a queen anyway and knows she doesn’t have to work very hard. She’s spoiled. “My wife’s pretty good at spoiling all of the horses, but, actually, I probably spoil her more than Gayle does. I keep telling Gayle that Smoker’s my girlfriend.” She’s also one of the guiding forces to success in San Angelo, along with his hazer, Riley Butler. “He’s from Idaho, and he came down this winter to help weld on our new place,” Jones said. “We’ve been bulldogging every day, and he hazed for me at Fort Worth. He’s done really well. We’re trying to get him tuned up so he can go on the road this summer.” That’s just part of what makes the rodeo world go round. Veterans educate newcomers and pass along their insights to the next generation of cowboys. Jones relishes that role. He also loves winning, and he’s still pretty good at it. San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 5-7, Feb. 12-14, Feb. 17-19 Bareback riding leaders: 1. (tie) Mason Clements, on Lancaster & Jones Pro Rodeo’s Black Pearl, and Jamie Howlett, on Powder River Rodeo’s Craig at Midnight, 84.5 points each; 3. Luke Creasy, 84; 4. Teddy Athan, 83; 5. Clayton Biglow, 82.5; 6. (tie) Tray Chambliss II and Kash Wilson, 82 each; 8. (tie) Zach Hilber and Trenton Montero, 78 each. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. (tie) K.C. Jones and T.J. Hall, 3.9 seconds each; 3. (tie) Stan Branco and Orrin Fontenot, 4.0 each; 5. (tie) Nick Guy and Justin Shaffer, 4.6 each; 7. Josh Garner, 5.7; 8. Chance Campbell, 11.3. Second round leaders: 1. Rowdy Parrott, 4.1 seconds; 2. K.C. Jones, 4.3; 3. Blaine Jones, 4.5; 4. Cody Cabral, 4.7; no other qualified times. Average leaders: 1. K.C. Jones, 8.2 seconds on two runs; 2. T.J. Hall, 3.9 seconds on one run; 3. (tie) Orrin Fontenot and Stan Branco, 4.0 each; 5. Rowdy Parrott, 4.1; 6. Blaine Jones, 4.5. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger and Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell, 4.7 seconds each; 3. Cole Sherwood/Tanner Luttrell, 4.9; 4. (tie) Cole Sherwood/Tanner Luttrell and Arky Rogers/Tyler McKnight, 4.9; 6. David Key/Travis Woodard, 5.5; 7. Tee Luttrell/Clay Sieber, 6.0; 8. Jake Cooper/York Gill, 9.4; no other qualified runs. Second round leaders: 1. David Key/Travis Woodard, 9.6 seconds; no other qualified times. Average leaders 1. David Key/Travis Woodard, 15.1 seconds on two runs; 2. Cole Sherwood/Tanner Lutrell, 4.9 seconds on one run; 3. Tee Luttrell/Clay Sieber, 6.0; 4. Jake Cooper/York Gill, 9.4; no other qualified times. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Jacobs Crawley, 88 points on Powder River Rodeo’s Rich n Fancy; 2. Brody Cress, 80; 3. CoBurn Bradshaw, 79.5; 4. (tie) Jake Wright, Call Marr and Clay Elliott, 78 each; 7. Jace Lane, 77.5; 8. Jake Finlay, 77. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Jake Pratt, 7.9 seconds; 2. (tie) Michael Otero and Caleb Smidt, 8.0 each; 4. Robert Mathis, 8.7; 5. Cory Solomon, 8.9; 6. Mike Johnson, 9.3; 7. Westyn Hughes, 10.5; 8. Marcos Costa, 10.6. Second round leaders: 1. Marcos Costa, 7.4 seconds; 2. Riley Pruitt, 7.7; 3. Hunter Herrin, 7.9; 4. Blane Cox, 9.5; 5. Michael Otero, 10.5; 6. Tim Pharr, 11.6; 7. Mike Johnson, 24.7. Average leaders: 1. Marcos Costa, 18.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Michael Otero, 18.5; 3. Blane Cox, 22.2; 4. Hunter Herrin, 22.9; 5. Mike Johnson, 34.0; 6. Tim Pharr, 35.1; 7. Riley Pruitt, 7.7 seconds on one run; 8. Jake Pratt, 7.9. Barrel racing: Second round leaders: 1. Pamela Capper, 14.29 seconds; 2. Sherrylynn Johnson, 14.36; 3. Sherry Cervi, 14.41; 4. Megan Swint, 14.52; 5. Kelsie Miller, 14.55; 6. Kristine Knauf, 14.58; 7. Kelley Carrington, 14.59; 8. Jayme Robison, 14.63; 9. Liz Herrin, 14.72; 10. Erin Reich, 14.77. Average leaders: 1. Pamela Capper, 29.96 seconds on two runs; 2. Sherry Cervi, 30.09; 3. Sherrylynn Johnson, 30.3; 4. Kelsie Miller, 30,69; 5. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 30.80; 6. Megan Swint,  Continue Reading »

San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo Feb. 5-7, Feb. 12-14, Feb. 17-19 Bareback riding leaders: 1. Mason Clements, 84.5 points on Lancaster & Jones Pro Rodeo’s Black Pearl; 2. Luke Creasy, 84; 3. Teddy Athan, 83; 4. Clayton Biglow, 82.5; 5. (tie) Tray Chambliss II and Kash Wilson, 82 each; 7. (tie) Zach Hilber and Trenton Montero, 78 each. Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. (tie) K.C. Jones and T.J. Hall, 3.9 seconds each; 3. (tie) Stan Branco and Orrin Fontenot, 4.0 each; 5. (tie) Nick Guy and Justin Shaffer, 4.6 each; 7. Josh Garner, 5.7; 8. Chance Campbell, 11.3. Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Cole Sherwood/Tanner Luttrell, 4.9 seconds; 2. David Key/Travis Woodard, 5.5; 3. Tee Luttrell/Clay Sieber, 6.0; 4. Jake Cooper/York Gill, 9.4; no other qualified runs. Second round leaders: 1. David Key/Travis Woodard, 9.6 seconds; no other qualified times. Average leaders 1. David Key/Travis Woodard, 15.1 seconds on two runs; 2. Cole Sherwood/Tanner Lutrell, 4.9 seconds on one run; 3. Tee Luttrell/Clay Sieber, 6.0; 4. Jake Cooper/York Gill, 9.4. Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. CoBurn Bradshaw, 79.5 points; 2. (tie) Jake Wright, Call Marr and Clay Elliott, 78 each; 5. Jake Finlay, 77; 6. Audy Reed, 72; 7. Alex Wright, 68; 8. Joe Harper, 59. Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Jake Pratt, 7.9 seconds; 2. Michael Otero, 8.0; 3. Mike Johnson, 9.3; 4. Marcos Costa, 10.6; 5. Cade Swor, 12.6; 6. Blane Cox, 12.7; 7. Hunter Herrin, 15.0; 8. Tim Pharr, 23.5. Second round leaders: 1. Marcos Costa, 7.4 seconds; 2. Riley Pruitt, 7.7; 3. Hunter Herrin, 7.9; 4. Blane Cox, 9.5; 5. Michael Otero, 10.5; 6. Tim Pharr, 11.6; 7. Mike Johnson, 24.7. Average leaders: 1. Marcos Costa, 18.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Michael Otero, 18.5; 3. Blane Cox, 22.2; 4. Hunter Herrin, 22.9; 5. Mike Johnson, 34.0; 6. Tim Pharr, 35.1; 7. Riley Pruitt, 7.7 seconds on one run; 8. Jake Pratt, 7.9. Barrel racing: Second round leaders: 1. Sherrylynn Johnson, 14.36 seconds; 2. Kelsie Miller, 14.55; 3. Kristine Knauf, 14.58; 4. Kelley Carrington, 14.59; 5. Jayme Robison, 14.63; 6. Erin Reich, 14.77; 7. (tie) Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi and Brogan Macy, 14.80 each; 9. Jodee Miller, 14.87; 10. Shea-Lynn Leach, 15.01. Average leaders: 1. Sherrylynn Johnson, 30.3 seconds on two runs; 2. Kelsie Miller, 30,69; 3. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 30.80; 4. Kristin Knauf, 30.87; 5. (tie) Kelley Carrington and Jayme Robison, 30.95; 7. Brogan Macy, 30.99; 8. Shea-Lynn Leach, 31.07; 9. Erin Reich, 31.09; 10. Jodee Miller, 31.27. Bull riding leaders: 1. Dustin Bowen, 87.5 points on Lancaster & Jones’ Total Bull Battle Born; 2. Josh Frost, 84; 3. Cody Rostockyj, 80.5; no other qualified rides.