Monthly Archives: October 2022

CLARENDON, Texas – The Clarendon College men’s rodeo team is reeling off victories like the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s. Riding the backs of its bronc busters and bareback riders, the Bulldogs have won three events in a row, most recently at Texas Tech University this past weekend. With that, Clarendon College moved to within 60 points of Southwest Region leader Western Texas College. “We’ve been building every week, and it’s shown the last three weeks,” said Bret Franks, the team’s coach. “Our goal is to be the top team in our region when the season ends, and we’re making the right moves to be in that position in the spring.” The Southwest Region consists of 10 events through the 2022-23 campaign, and half the rodeos took place during the fall session. “We have five rodeos left in the spring, so we’ll get a chance to take a little break and come back next semester fresh and ready to roll,” Franks said. “It’s been fun to watch these kids come out and find success. Now, we just want to build off that.” As has happened in their victories at home two weeks ago and at Vernon (Texas) College a week ago, the Bulldogs earned the most points in saddle bronc riding. Slade Keith of Stanfield, Arizona, won in all three phases – the first round, the championship round and the aggregate – to win the overall title. Dylan Hancock of Golconda, Illinois, placed fourth in the long round, third in the short round and third overall. Weston Patterson of Waverly, Kansas, rode two broncs for a cumulative score of 142 points but didn’t place. Sam Petersen of Helena, Montana earned his second bareback riding victory in three weeks. He was 81 points to finish second in the long round, then won the short round and the average after scoring 79.5 points Saturday night. His two-ride cumulative score of 160.5 was a point and a half better than the field. Fellow bareback rider Clayton Moss of Wheeler, Texas, advanced to the short round but didn’t place. “We have a lot of talented people on this team,” Franks said. “They will all have an opportunity to contribute for us. I like the direction we’re going right now, and I can’t wait to see what we can do come the spring semester.”

NFR bull rider Garrett Smith is the driving force behind PinkChaps.com REXBURG, Idaho – Garrett Smith has an incredible athletic talent, one that has placed him among the elite bull riders in ProRodeo. That status has afforded him a powerful platform, one he’s using to give back to others. He finished the 2022 regular season No. 4 in the world standings and will compete in the sport’s premier championship, the National Finals Rodeo, for the fourth time in his career. That’s where he will showcase his talents and utilize his prominence. “I came up with the idea for PinkChaps.com as a way to raise money and give it directly to the people that need the financial help they may not get otherwise,” said Smith, 27, of Rexburg. “These beautiful pink chaps were made by one of my traveling buddies, (fellow bull rider) Dalan Duncan, and they will be signed by the NFR contestants. “I’m also going to wear the chaps during the NFR’s pink night (Monday, Dec. 5). We will raffle them off when we do the random drawing at one of the after parties at the Mirage later that week.” All money raised through donations will go directly to individuals and families that have been involved in the fight against breast cancer. None of the funds will be used to cover administrative fees, nor will it go toward research or to pad accounts at any foundation. “When someone is faced with breast cancer, there are a lot of costs that come with it that insurance doesn’t cover,” said Valorie Blanchard, Smith’s mother and a co-organizer of the event. “We want to be sure that the everyday bills that come along are covered. If Susie is undergoing chemo, we want to make sure her mortgage is paid. “If Jennifer had to quit her job because of her illness, she may not be able to feed her family, so we want to do that. This is for those people that need to pay for gas to get to and from treatments. All the money we raise will go to them.” To help cover the costs that come with the website and the promotional tools used, PinkChaps.com is also on the lookout for sponsors who want to be part of this project. By having sponsors cover those costs, that allows optimum funding to go straight to the people that need it most. “We’re less than two months away from the NFR, so there isn’t a lot of time to get this to where we want it,” Smith said. “Every dollar that comes in will be a valuable part of the process. We just want to distribute as much as we can directly to the people that need it the most.” PinkChaps.com is working closely with Chicks n Chaps, a Montana-based group that was founded by people whose lives have been impacted by breast cancer and also are passionate about rodeo and its heritage. “When we looked around at other organizations that were raising money for breast cancer, Chicks n Chaps stood out to us,” Smith said. “Their goals and missions match with what we’re doing with PinkChaps.com.” To become more involved with the project, log on to PinkChaps.com for more details.

CLARENDON, Texas – A quartet of Clarendon College saddle bronc riders made a big statement this past weekend at the Vernon (Texas) College rodeo. The top four men were all Clarendon College cowboys, and they were a  key reason why the Bulldogs won the men’s team title at Vernon. “We had another good weekend,” said Bret Franks, the rodeo team’s coach. “I’d say those four were on top of their game and made the most difference for us. It was good to see how well we competed.” Weston Patterson of Waverly, Kansas, led the way for the Bulldogs, placing third in the opening round with an 81-point ride, then winning the championship round with an 85 to clinch the average with a cumulative score166 points. He finished just ahead of teammates Dylan Hancock of Golconda, Illinois, and Slade Keith of Stanfield, Arizona, both of whom placed in both rounds and finished tied for second in the aggregate with 163 points on two rides – Keith won the first round with an 84. Fellow bronc buster Reno McGill of Gardnerville, Nevada, finished fourth in the short round with an 82.5-point ride and placed fourth overall. “We scored 450 points as a team to win the title, and we got 380 points in bronc riding,” Franks said. “If we didn’t get any other points along the way, we still would have won the rodeo because of the points we got in bronc riding.” That’s a powerful statement, but it’s proof of the dominant showing the Bulldogs put on in rodeo’s classic event. Patterson also added points by placing fifth in the long round of bareback riding, while Sam Petersen of Helena, Montana, placed in both the final round and the aggregate. Clarendon team ropers Clay Freeman of Wickenburg, Arizona, and Hayden Bass of Plainview, Texas, placed fourth in the opening round. With the victory, Clarendon College moves into second place in the Southwest Region’s men’s standings. The Bulldogs supplanted Tarleton State University in the race for the regional title and made up ground on the leader, Western Texas College, with six events remaining on the 2022-23 calendar. For the Clarendon College women, barrel racer Quincy Sullivan of Peralta, New Mexico, placed in both go-rounds of barrel racing. Her 17.16-second run in the championship round was the second-fastest of the weekend, which was also good enough to help her to a second-place finish in the round and move up to third place in the aggregate. “There are some things we’ll continue to work on, but I like the direction we’re heading,” Franks said. “It’s nice to move up the standings at each rodeo, but our main goal is to finish the season with the regional title.”

ALVA, Okla. – A view of the Central Plains Region steer wrestling standings early in the 2022-23 season reveals what most in this part of the world have known for a long time. The top men on the tally all come from Northwestern Oklahoma State University, also known as the Bulldogging Capital of College Rodeo. Sophomore Emmett Edler just added his name to the list this past weekend when he placed second in both rounds to win the aggregate title at the Oklahoma State University rodeo in Stillwater. “We’re Bulldogger U for a reason, especially this year,” said Edler, 20, of State Center, Iowa. “We’ve got a lot more guys than we did last year that come to practice every day and work at it. It’s kind of a motley crew, but we feed off each other.” He sits fourth in the Central Plains Region, and all the men in front of him are his teammates: Quade Potter of Stockville, Nebraska, sits No. 1, followed Kaden Greenfield of Lakeview, Oregon, and Cameron Fox of Tulsa, Oklahoma. In fact, six of the top nine steer wrestlers in the region are Rangers: Tyler Scheevel of Lester Prairie, Minnesota, and Trisyn Kalawaia of Waiakea, Hawaii, are tied for eight. While Edler won in Stillwater, five others added points to their totals. Potter won the first round and placed in the short round to finish third, and Greenfield placed in the opening round and finished fifth overall. Fox and Jacob Haren of Erie, Colorado, each placed in the final round. It all comes down to the preparatory work done by the team in practice. Coach Stockton Graves, an eight-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier in steer wrestling, leads the charge, but he also has a bit of help from other Northwestern alumni, notably a couple of 2020 NFR qualifiers, Bridger Anderson, the 2019 college bulldogging champion, and Emmett’s brother, Jacob Edler, who also won the 2020 world championship. “Stockton is a great influence and helps set a tone,” Emmett Edler said. “Just being here in Alva, my brother, Bridger and (Rangers alumnus) Riley Westhaver are at practice every day. There are a lot of good resources here if you want to be a bulldogger and you want to get better.” It’s part of the college rodeo experience. They’re not only students in the classroom, but they earn their lessons in the practice pen. It paid off in Stillwater, where Emmett Edler rode his horse, Jacob, to the title; the horse was trained by the elder Edler, therefore, earning his name. “I had two good enough steers, got two great starts and I used the steers right and made two great runs,” Emmett Edler said. “You’ve got to be on the barrier and make good, smart runs. “I definitely needed it. I had struggled at the first two rodeos. I just wasn’t using my head and wasn’t bulldogging as good as I needed to. I needed to get everything collected and go bulldog like I know I can.” Tie-down roper Denton Oestman of Auburn, Nebraska, roped and tied his first-round calf in 9.3 seconds to finish second in the go-round. In team roping, header Ben Jackson of Hudson Hope, British Columbia, placed in both rounds and finished fourth overall while roping with Zach Dunlop of Western Oklahoma State College. The Kansas tandem of Camden Hoelting of Olpe and Austin Lampe of Dodge City placed in both rounds and finished fifth. There was a quartet of breakaway ropers who gathered points for the Northwestern women, led by Jayden Jensen of Fallon, Nevada, who placed in the second round and finished third overall. Jentri Hulbert of Arcadia, Nebraska, won the first round with a 2.5-second run, then finished fourth in the short round and fourth overall. Laci Geiger of Emmett, Idaho, and Taralee Haddock of Elbert, Colorado, each gathered first-round points. Goat-tier Morgan Poust of Hughesville, Pennsylvania, finished third in the opening round, but her time was a little too long in the short round to place. Each step of the process is about getting better, whether that’s in the rodeo arena or the classroom. Competing in intercollegiate sports provides a chance to learn in all aspects of life. “I think I have become a lot better competitor over the past year,” said Emmett Edler, who also borrowed his brother’s hazing horse to have a solid team of equine partners at OSU. “Before this, I could put some good runs together, but when it came to seal the deal and finish, I was lacking a little bit. “Over the summer, I went home and circuit rodeoed. I kept putting myself into position that I could win and gain more and more confidence over the summer and fall.” It’s important to do well individually, and he gets a chance to sharpen his game every day in practice by competing with his teammates and with their mentors. They learn how to wrestle steers correctly, and the idea is then to carry that over into each college rodeo. “Practice is a lot of fun, but at the same time, we’re not there to mess around,” Emmett Edler said. “We’re there to bulldog and bulldog correct. “This ream is really good this year. We’ve got a lot of great bulldoggers, and I expect to see nothing but black (Northwestern) vests when it comes time to go to the college finals.”

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – The Waller County Fair Association keeps track of 26 Junior Livestock and Expo Auction grand- and reserve-champion money-earning records. There were 18 of them broken this year. “We have the most awesome supporters and buyers in the state of Texas,” said Susan Shollar, a member of the Waller County Fair Board who oversees the auction each year. “We have some very loyal supporters and buyers through the years, and we also added some new buyers this year that helped. “Another thing that helped is that our buyers have started combining their efforts, so we got a lot of group purchases.” That consolidation resulted in an all-time record of $1.352 million in auction sales and an all-time record of $128,000 raised toward scholarships for youth. “Our kids are very hard-working, and the buyers know that and appreciate that,” Shollar said. “They like to show the kids they appreciate it.” There was also a caveat involved in the mix this year. The fair board allows anyone to add money to the exhibitors. That could be $1 or any amount above it, and Shollar expects the total money raised to increase to about $1.5 million by the time those extras are added into the total. “We have a lot of people that wanted to give to the non-auction exhibitors to help them offset their higher feed prices through the year,” she said. “Our supporters are behind the kids 100 percent in Waller County.” The primary purpose of the fair and rodeo is to showcase youth and agriculture while also providing a future for youngsters in the county. The people in Waller County are doing that year after year, and it’s showing in the final product every October. The fair board is also continuing its 10-year vision of upgrading all facilities within the Waller County Fairgrounds. The next step is the production of a covered rodeo arena that will feature corporate sky boxes (Diamond Level), a new press box, new working pens, a return alley among other updates. “We still have some sponsorship opportunities that are available for the capital campaign, but they’re going fast,” said Dustin Standley, who has been part of the fair association for several years. “Anyone that’s interested can call me (281.924.6357) or Clint Sciba (281.615.0299) to be involved in this process and help us continue to improve the facilities at the fairgrounds.” These are all the next steps involving one of the most progressive expositions in Texas. Shollar has been around it for more than a dozen years, even though she doesn’t have children involved in showing or being part of the auction. “We’re doing all this for the right reasons,” she said. “It’s a lot of work, but we enjoy the work. We enjoy the comradery, but more than anything, we enjoy seeing the types of people and the types of future leaders that come out of this. The fair board members, the parents and our supporters see the same thing.”

CLARENDON, Texas – Led by a couple of event victories and several other top placings, the Clarendon College men’s rodeo team won its home event this past weekend. “We had a lot of people step up and do good for us, and that’s what it takes to win in our region,” Clarendon College rodeo coach Bret Franks said. “I think the Southwest Region is the toughest in college rodeo, so any time you can win in this region, it’s a big deal. “Winning at home makes it even better.” Sam Petersen of Helena, Montana, won the bareback riding title, scoring 82 points to win the first round and 77 points to finish second in the championship round. His two-ride cumulative score of 159 points was good enough to claim the overall title. Petersen is now in second place in the Southwest Region’s bareback riding standings. Fellow bareback rider Weston Patterson finished fifth in the first round and also placed in fourth in steer wrestling. He earned two spots in the short round but was unable to finish because he was in a battle for the saddle bronc riding title in ProRodeo’s Prairie Circuit, which had its finals this past weekend. Patterson finished the season as the circuit’s champion and will advance at the national circuit finals rodeo, called the NFR Open, in July. “When you have pro athletes that are competing at the college level, you realize they have some goals they want to meet,” Franks said. “This was a good opportunity for Weston to win a PRCA championship and set himself up good for next season, and I didn’t want him to miss out on that. “I was worried our chances to win this weekend would be hurt by him not being here for the short-round, but everybody else stepped up big and helped us pull through.” Dylan Hancock of Golconda, Illinois, also walked away with a title, scoring 159 cumulative points to win saddle bronc riding. He was 75 points in the long round to advance to the short go-round, where he had the highest-marked ride of the rodeo, an 84, to win the final round and the average title. Teammate Slade Keith of Stanfield, Arizona, won the first round and finished in a tie for second in the championship round; he finished second, just a point behind Hancock in the aggregate. With the points he earned in Clarendon, Keith moved regional lead in the saddle bronc riding standings. “I was really proud of how many kids we had in the short round,” Franks said, noting that bull rider Hadley Miller of Boyd, Texas, competed in the final round but didn’t place. “I think it says something to see that many black vests in the short-go at our hometown rodeo.” For the women, Quincy Sullivan of Peralta, New Mexico, stopped the clock in 2.3 seconds to finish as the runner-up in the first round of breakaway roping. She placed fifth in the final round and finished fourth overall. She is eighth in the regional standings. The Bulldogs men finished with 495 points to outlast Southwest Region leader Western Texas College. That helped Clarendon College move up to third place in the Southwest Region with seven events remaining on the 2022-23 schedule. “We’ve made some good strides, but we need to keep putting ourselves in position at every rodeo if we want to win the region,” Franks said. “I think we have the ability to do that.”

GUNNISON, Colo. – This community in the middle of the Rocky Mountains is a true rodeo town, and the evidence is proven each July during its Cattlemen’s Days celebration. The people in this town of more than 6,600 love their annual rodeo, and so do the cowboys that compete for a living. Further evidence was issued last week when the Cattlemen’s Days Rodeo was nominated for the PRCA’s Medium Rodeo of the Year. “I think this nomination is a real big deal for the people in Gunnison,” said Brad Tutor, first vice president of the Cattlemen’s Days volunteer committee. “We have a lot of big rodeo fans, and this is the highlight of the year. It’s the biggest event Gunnison puts on. “For us to be recognized for our sponsors, for our community and for everyone that puts this thing on means something.” It’s been almost 25 years since Cattlemen’s Days received a nomination for top rodeo, and only five events across the country are up for the honor in each size category: small, medium, large outdoor and large indoor. In essence, PRCA members have selected Gunnison’s rodeo as one of the top 20 in North America. “It’s quite an honor to be nominated again,” Tutor said. “What it really says about our committee is that we build a lot of relationships with our contractors, our stock contractor, our announcer, our secretary, our clowns, our bullfighters, our photographer and all those that come in and help us with our rodeo. “Building those relationships really helps. We have great communication with those experts, and we ask what we can do to help them do what they need to do.” Besides the rodeo’s nomination, there are several other parts of the 2022 Cattlemen’s Days that are also recognized by the PRCA, including Stace Smith Pro Rodeo, which is up for Stock Contractor of the Year; secretary Amanda Sanders; timer Shawna Ray; and photographer Robby Freeman. Gunnison’s designation is also a tribute to local organizers who have overcome recent challenges while also working to produce an event for the community. “This is what the people on our committee love to do,” Tutor said. “I think it’s a combination of things. A key reason, I think, is the fact that we put on a rodeo in 2020 during the COVID year. We worked tirelessly. We put that on for the people who compete in rodeo or work in rodeo to have a place to make a living. “They remember it. Then, putting on good rodeos the next two years has really paid off for us. Those people haven’t forgotten us. More than half the rodeos in a normal year were canceled in 2020, and there were still many that didn’t happen again in 2021. By us being able to have our rodeo stay continuous, we made a statement to our community and to the people in rodeo.” The previous two years saw record numbers of competitors making their way across mountain passes to be sure to be part of Cattlemen’s Days. In 2022, the numbers were still big, with more than 400 cowboys and cowgirls hoping to win the title in their respective events. That field included more than a dozen world champions who accounted for 24 Montana Silversmiths gold buckles. A couple of them came away with the wins in Gunnison: Team roping heeler Patrick Smith, a two-time world champ, was part of the winning tandem in team roping with Tanner Tomlinson, while 2012 titlist Mary Walker earned a share of the barrel racing crown with National Finals Rodeo qualifier Jimmie Smith. Other NFR qualifiers who claimed the championships in Gunnison were bareback rider Tilden Hooper and bull rider Jeff Askey. “We had the best stock contractor in rodeo in Stace Smith, the best announcer with Andy Stewart, a past winner of Secretary of the Year with Amanda Sanders and last year’s Photographer of the Year in Robby Freeman,” Tutor said. “We draw the best of the best that the PRCA has to offer. I personally think it’s the best rodeo Colorado puts on. We’re proud to be nominated. “I want to commend the committee and commend the volunteers who come in and help us. The people that dedicate their time and their lives get the kudos for this nomination. They deserve it for all they do to make our rodeo so successful.”

DUNCAN, Okla. – Taylor Munsell came into the Chisholm Trail RAM Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo a bit behind the eight-ball. She trailed breakaway roping year-end leader Addie Weil by $1,700 and needed to make up some ground over the final three nights of the region season. She was slowed opening night when Munsell was saddled with a no-time, and her quest to claim the circuit title seemed even further away. “We didn’t start the weekend out super great, definitely not how we wanted,” said Munsell of Alva, Oklahoma. “We had a gameplan but didn’t follow that, so we went back to the drawing board and decided we’d go at the go-round (wins) and see how it fell.” It fell her way. She won both the second and third rounds and finished third in the aggregate race with a cumulative time of 4.1 seconds, pocketing $4,224 over the final two nights to secure the year-end championship. “Addie didn’t feel well, and she’s been in and out of the hospital for a few days,” Munsell said of the Edna, Kansas, cowgirl. “She came back, bared down and roped good, too, but it fell my way this weekend.” In a sport where dollars equal points, Munsell finished the circuit season with $12,616, about $1,400 ahead of Weil. “My confidence level is definitely a lot better now,” said Munsell, who sits fourth in the world standings and will return to the National Finals Breakaway Roping for the second straight year when the event takes place in late November. “This is a great end to the year. “This is a really big start up. This is the last place I get to go where it’s this kind of setup, a rodeo atmosphere, until I go ack to Vegas. I’m done rodeoing until, just jackpotting a few times between now and then. I’ll save my good horses for Vegas and just enter a few jackpots along the way. I want to keep sharp, and I’ll go down to Texas and rope with some of those guys that area going to Vegas, too.” Colt Eck was in a similar situation to Munsell: He needed to have a great run inside the Stephens County Arena if he were to have a chance to win the Prairie Circuit’s title. “I decided to compete in this circuit this year, and it paid off for me,” said Eck, 20, of Uniontown, Kansas, a junior on the Missouri Valley College rodeo team. He trailed veteran Yance Day of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, by about $2,300 prior to the start of the circuit finale. He then won the first go-round, split the victory in the second round and placed fourth on Saturday night. He finished second in the aggregate race and earned $6,984 to surpass Day for the year-end title. “I drew some really good horses,” Eck said. “This was a good way to finish off the year.”               Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals RodeoOct. 13-15Duncan, Okla.Bareback riding: First round: 1. Colt Eck, 81.5 points on New Frontier Rodeo’s Law Dog, $1,926; 2. Mike Fred, 80.5, $1,445; 3. Jayco Roper, 80, $963; 4. (tie) Trevor Lattin and Yance Day, 78 $241 each. Second round: 1. (tie) Jayco Roper, on Frontier Rodeo’s Delta Ship, and Colt Eck, on Rafter H Rodeo’s Country Boy, 82.5 points, $1,686 each; 3. Ty Blessing, 80, $963; 4. Yance Day, 74, $482. Third round: 1. Jayco Roper, 82 points on Salt Creek Rodeo’s Super Soaker, $1,926; 2. Yance Day, 80.5, $1,445; 3. Owen Brouillette, $963; 4. Colt Eck, 79.5, $482. Average: 1. Jayco Roper, 244.5 points on three rides, $2,890; 2. Colt Eck, 243.5, $2,167; 3. Yance Day, 232.5, $1,445; 4. Ty Blessing, 228, $722. Year-end champion: Colt Eck. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Bridger Anderson, 3.9 seconds, $1,928; 2. Cody Devers, 4.5, $1,445; 3. (tie) Tucker Alberts and Blame Mindemann, 5.3, $722 each. Second round: 1. Jacob Edler, 3.7 seconds, $1,926; 2. Travis Munro, 4.3, $1,445; 3. Tanner Brunner, 4.7, $963; 4. Blake Mindemann, 4.9, $482. Third round: 1. Travis Munro, 4.6 seconds, $1,926; 2. Cody Devers, 4.8, $1,445; 3. Riley Duvall, 5.0, $963; 4. Jacob Edler, 5.3, $482. Average: 1. Jacob Edler, 15.0 seconds on three runs, $2,890; 2. Travis Munro, 16.5, $2,167; 3. Gus Franzen, 16.8, $1,445; 4. Tanner Brunner, 19.7, $722. Year-end champion: Jacob Edler Team roping: First round: 1. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins, 4.4 seconds, $1,926; 2. Bubba Buckaloo/Joseph Harrison, 5.2, $1,445; 3. Trevor Howard/Cody Heflin, 5.6, $963; 4. Jake Cooper Clay/Billie Jack Saebens, 6.0, $482. Second round: 1. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 4.4 seconds; 2. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins, 4.6, $1,445; 3. Curry Kirchner/Reagan Ward, 4.7, $963; 4. Jake Clay/Billie Jack Saebens, 4.8, $482. Third round: 1. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 4.4 seconds, $1,926; 2. Jake Clay/Billie Jack Saebens, 4.9, $1,445; 3. Tyler Hobert/Chase Boekhaus, 5.1, $963; 4. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins, 5.4, $482. Average: 1. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins, 14.4 seconds on three runs, $2,890; 2. Jake Clay/Billie Jack Saebens, 15.7, $2,167; 3. Tyler Hobert/Chase Boekhaus, 23.7, $1,445; 4. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 27.7, $722. Year-end champion header: Andrew Ward. Year-end champion heeler: Buddy Hawkins. Breakaway roping: First round: 1. KeAnn Hayes, 2.4 seconds, $1,536; 2. Alyssa Bigon, 2.5, $1,152; 3. Ari-Anna Flynn, 2.9, $768; 4. Hannah Lee, 11.8, $384. Second round: 1. Taylor Munsell, 2.1 seconds, $1,536; 2. Alyssa Bigon, 2.3, $1,152; 3. Addie Weil, 2.6, $768; 4. KeAnn Hayes, 2.8, $384. Third round: 1. Taylor Munsell, 2.0 seconds, $1,536; 2. Hannah Lee, 2.1, $1,152; 3. (tie) Mollie Bassett, Addie Weil and Mikayla McCoy, 2.5, $294 each. Average: 1. KeAnn Hayes, 7.9 seconds on three runs, $2,304; 2. Ari-Anna Flynn, 9.1, $1,728; 3. Taylor Munsell, 4.1 seconds on two runs, $1,152; 4. Alyssa Bigon, 4.8, $576. Year-end champion: Taylor Munsell.   Saddle bronc riding: First round: 1. Tyrel Larsen, 82.5 points on Silver Creek Rodeo’s Bunny Gal, $1,926; 2. Trent Burd, 80.5, $1,445; 3. Luke Richard Price, 79.5, $963; 4. Ean Price, 78, $482. Second round: 1. Cody Ballard, 80 points on Rafter H Rodeo’s Bet The  Continue Reading »

DUNCAN, Okla. – In his first appearance at the Chisholm Trail RAM Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, Austin Lawrence is closing in on his first year-end championship in the region. He didn’t make the fastest run of the night during Friday’s second round at the Stephens County Arena in Duncan, but he did enough to move into the aggregate lead and hold onto his advantage in the Prairie Circuit tie-down roping standings. “Tonight was very important,” said Lawrence, 23, of Sperry, Oklahoma. “That calf took a hard right. She probably wasn’t a round-winning calf, and I knew that, so I just had to get her knocked down and do the best with what I drew. Hopefully I can draw better tomorrow.” There’s one night remaining in the 2022 circuit season, and Lawrence owns a lead of $2,783 over Cody McCartney. Lawrence wants to close out the three-day championship on a high note, whether that’s earning more money in the third round or clinching the aggregate title with the best cumulative time by the time Saturday comes to a close In the region made up of contestants and rodeos primarily in Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska, Lawrence had a lead of less than $2,300 over McCartney. Lawrence extended it a bit Thursday while placing second in the opening go-round, just one spot ahead of McCartney. The final say in who wins the year-end title will come down to Saturday night. “I never dreamed I’d be at this stage, getting to compete like this,” said Lawrence, who trains horses for a living and works with his grandfather, who has been one of the guiding forces in his life. “I ride anywhere from eight to 10 (horses) a day and work with my grandpa. He taught me everything I know. “My grandpa roped a lot of calves, and he did cutting and showed horses. He got me into team roping and roping calves. He’s a huge part of my success and where I’m at. All my thanks is to him, my family, my support behind me. I couldn’t do it without them and my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Of course, it takes a solid campaign to be in a position to win a year-end championship. That winner in each event in each circuit – along with the average winners at the circuit finales – will advance to the national circuit finals rodeo, now called the NFR Open, which takes place next July in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A big reason for his success is Cora, a 5-year-old more that Lawrence has trained and is owned by Jamie Perkins. “She just worked good all year and gave me every chance to win something everywhere we went,” Lawrence said. “She’s just easy. As soon as you ask her to, she runs to her spot every night. She’s probably not the best horse around, but she lets me do my job and is just so easy to ride.” Like any cowboy, there’s a dream to chase National Finals Rodeo qualifications and gold buckles, but he’s just now getting his first taste of the big stage in Duncan. If things go well, he may test his skills and those that Cora possesses and see where 2023 takes him. “Financially it’s tough, but if I keep winning, keep money rolling in, hopefully I’ll get to go as much as I can this (next) year,” he said, noting that money earned after Oct. 1 counts toward the 2023 season. “I’d like to get into some of the bigger rodeos throughout the winter, and if goes well, we’ll keep going. If it dies off, then we’ll rodeo in the circuit.” Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals RodeoOct. 13-15Duncan, Okla.Bareback riding: First round: 1. Colt Eck, 81.5 points on New Frontier Rodeo’s Law Dog, $1,926; 2. Mike Fred, 80.5, $1,445; 3. Jayco Roper, 80, $963; 4. (tie) Trevor Lattin and Yance Day, 78 $241 each. Second round: 1. (tie) Jayco Roper, on Frontier Rodeo’s Delta Ship, and Colt Eck, on Rafter H Rodeo’s Country Boy, 82.5 points, $1,686 each; 3. Ty Blessing, 80, $963; 4. Yance Day, 74, $482. Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Bridger Anderson, 3.9 seconds, $1,928; 2. Cody Devers, 4.5, $1,445; 3. (tie) Tucker Alberts and Blame Mindemann, 5.3, $722 each. Second round: 1. Jacob Edler, 3.7 seconds, $1,926; 2. Travis Munro, 4.3, $1,445; 3. Tanner Brunner, 4.7, $963; 4. Blake Mindemann, 4.9, $482. Team roping: First round: 1. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins, 4.4 seconds, $1,926; 2. Bubba Buckaloo/Joseph Harrison, 5.2, $1,445; 3. Trevor Howard/Cody Heflin, 5.6, $963; 4. Jake Cooper Clay/Billie Jack Saebens, 6.0, $482. Second round: 1. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 4.4 seconds; 2. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins, 4.6, $1,445; 3. Curry Kirchner/Reagan Ward, 4.7, $963; 4. Jake Clay/Billie Jack Saebens, 4.8, $482. Breakaway roping: First round: 1. KeAnn Hayes, 2.4 seconds, $1,536; 2. Alyssa Bigon, 2.5, $1,152; 3. Ari-Anna Flynn, 2.9, $768; 4. Hannah Lee, 11.8, $384. Second round: 1. Taylor Munsell, 2.1 seconds, $1,536; 2. Alyssa Bigon, 2.3, $1,152; 3. Addie Weil, 2.6, $768; 4. KeAnn Hayes, 2.8, $384. Saddle bronc riding: First round: 1. Tyrel Larsen, 82.5 points on Silver Creek Rodeo’s Bunny Gal, $1,926; 2. Trent Burd, 80.5, $1,445; 3. Luke Richard Price, 79.5, $963; 4. Ean Price, 78, $482. Second round: 1. Cody Ballard, 80 points on Rafter H Rodeo’s Bet The Ranch, $1,926; 2. (tie) Weston Patterson and Ean Price, 79.5, $1,204 each; 4. Hardy Braden, 79, $482.Tie-down roping: First round: 1. J.T Adamson, 8.2 seconds, $1,926; 2. Austin Lawrence, 8.5, $1,445; 3. Cody McCartney, 9.2, $963; 4. Wyatt Muggli, 9.6, $482. Second round: 1. Ryan Jarrett, 7.9 seconds, $1,926; 2. Clint Graves, 8.6, $1,445; 3. Hagen Houck, 9.3, $963; 4. Wyatt Muggli, 10.1, $482. Barrel racing: First round: 1. Emily Griffin, 16.35 seconds, $1,926; 2. Ivy Hurst, 16.38, $1,445; 3. Michelle Darling, 16.42, $936; 4. Emily Beisel, 16.43, $482. Second round: 1. Ivy Hurst, 16.01 seconds, $1,926; 2. Emily Beisel, 16.28, $1,445; 3. Taylor Jonson, 16.36, $963; 4. Tammy Peterson, 16.43, $482. Steer  Continue Reading »

DUNCAN, Okla. – Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins are full-time team ropers and part-time mathematicians. They held the regional lead heading into this weekend’s Chisholm Trail RAM Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, about $7,000 ahead of the field. That’s significant in the circuit’s standings but it didn’t clinch the season championship, so the tandem went to work. They stopped the clock in 4.4 seconds to win Thursday’s first round. “This was a really important run for us,” said Hawkins, 35, originally from Columbus, Kansas, now living in Stephenville, Texas. “We’ve done some math, and if we happened to do pretty good tonight, it would probably cinch the year-end title in the Prairie Circuit, which has been the home circuit for us most of our lives.” He’s correct. The $1,926 each man pocketed on the opening night of the regional finale secured their circuit championships: Ward in heading, and Hawkins in heeling. They are a lock to compete at the 2023 NFR Open, the event formerly known as the National Circuit Finals Rodeo and host of year-end and circuit finals average winners from each region in ProRodeo. Winning the circuit title isn’t an easy task, but Ward and Hawkins are having another exceptional season. Not only did they win the region made up of contestants and rodeos primarily from Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska, they have earned their third straight bid to compete together at the National Finals Rodeo. They are one of three teams in this weekend’s field that will compete in December at Las Vegas. “These guys are great,” Ward, 33, of Edmond, Oklahoma, said of the other teams in the mix in Duncan. “Everybody has a chance to win the day money. We feel like our circuit’s stacked. We’ve been on the other side of it when we’ve made a good run and watch them come get us and knock us completely out of the money. “To be able to win the day money is awesome, and we’re thankful, but it’s not always going to happen that way just because of how stacked this field is.”   It comes down to the little things that make a run be successful, and that’s just what they’ve been. They earned their first NFR bid in the COVID-infested 2020 campaign, then roped for the championship at its one-time home of Arlington, Texas. They returned to the sport’s grand finale in 2021 in its return to Las Vegas and promptly set a new team roping standard at the Thomas & Mack Center by roping 10 steers in a cumulative time of 54.7 seconds. They each earned just shy of $116,000 in a week and a half in the Nevada desert. “I think a lot of it is we think a lot alike,” Hawkins said. “If you’re going into the runs with the same mentality – whether it’s the Bob Feist Invitational or Cheyenne with the long start or at the NFR or San Antonio with the shorter barriers and smaller arenas – each mentality is so important, so I think it adds to our success. “On the night, it was the run we needed to make, and we stayed disciplined. It seems like when we try to do what we do best, we end up on top over the course of the year. If we try to out-perform these other guys that are so talented, it’s very difficult, especially when you consider there are 12 teams and there’s only one first place, so your odds right off the bat are a little bit lower.” Each run they make together gives Ward and Hawkins a chance to gel even more. They made a statement at the NFR last year, but all they see are opportunities to improve. “I don’t know if we gained more confidence at the NFR last year,” Ward said. “Setting the record was special, but it was just part of roping good out there. I think what’s given me confidence this year is that I’ve gotten to experiences (Las Vegas) for a year. “It’s a different building, so it’s something you’ve got to learn about I didn’t feel like I did my absolute best, so I think I can bring a little better out there.” If they continue to rope like they did on opening night in Duncan, they stand a good chance. Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals RodeoOct. 13-15Duncan, Okla.Bareback riding: First round: 1. Colt Eck, 81.5 points on New Frontier Rodeo’s Law Dog, $1,926; 2. Mike Fred, 80.5, $1,445; 3. Jayco Roper, 80, $963; 4. (tie) Trevor Lattin and Yance Day, 78 $241 each.   Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Bridger Anderson, 3.9 seconds, $1,928; 2. Cody Devers, 4.5, $1,445; 3. (tie) Tucker Alberts and Blame Mindemann, 5.3, $722 each.   Team roping: First round: 1. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins, 4.4 seconds, $1,926; 2. Bubba Buckaloo/Joseph Harrison, 5.2, $1,445; 3. Trevor Howard/Cody Heflin, 5.6, $963; 4. Jake Cooper Clay/Billie Jack Saebens, 6.0, $482. Breakaway roping: First round: 1. KeAnn Hayes, 2.4 seconds, $565; 2. Alyssa Bigon, 2.5, $424; 3. Ari-Anna Flynn, 2.9, $283; 4. Hannah Lee, 11.8, $141. Saddle bronc riding: First round: 1. Tyrel Larsen, 82.5 points on Silver Creek Rodeo’s Bunny Gal, $1,926; 2. Trent Burd, 80.5, $1,445; 3. Luke Richard Price, 79.5, $963; 4. Ean Price, 78, $482.Tie-down roping: First round: 1. J.T Adamson, 8.2 seconds, $1,926; 2. Austin Lawrence, 8.5, $1,445; 3. Cody McCartney, 9.2, $963; 4. Wyatt Muggli, 9.6, $482. Barrel racing: First round: 1. Emily Griffin, 16.35 seconds, $1,926; 2. Ivy Hurst, 16.38, $1,445; 3. Michelle Darling, 16.42, $936; 4. Emily Beisel, 16.43, $482. Bull riding: First round: 1. Fulton Rutland 86.5 points on McCoy Rodeo’s Homegrown, $2,087; 2. Trey Holston, 82, $1,605; 3. Logan Hunter, 77, $1,124; no other qualified rides.

DUNCAN, Okla. – The greatest cowboys and cowgirls always seem to be in the field of ProRodeo’s biggest championships. That is true, whether it’s the National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s grand finale that takes place in December, and the Chisholm Trail RAM Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday at the Stephens County Arena in Duncan. This week’s list of elite contestants boasts of more than 30 that have played or will play on the sport’s premier stage, a defining factor in showcasing the type of talent that resides in the region made up of challengers and events primarily from Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. “We like to look at this as a mini-NFR,” said Joe Henderson, chairman of the volunteer committee that produces the circuit finale. “We have some of the best stock contractors in rodeo that are part of the Prairie Circuit, and we have some of the best contestants. If you look at the talent that will be involved in our rodeo, you can see why we’re excited to bring it to town every year.” The field includes five cowboys that have been crowned world champions, men like steer ropers Rocky Patterson and his son, Cole, who account for five gold buckles between them; Rocky Patterson is a four-time world champion, and Cole Patterson is the reigning titlist. The list also includes steer wrestler Jacob Edler, header Nick Sartain and tie-down roper Ryan Jarrett, who was the 2005 all-around world champion. Jarrett is one of the locals in the field. He lives just miles from the Stephens County Expo Center in nearby Comanche, Oklahoma, and he is also a former circuit titlist. Sartain won his gold buckle in 2009, while Edler was crowned in 2020. Edler leads a contingent of 12 bulldoggers, a group that includes seven NFR qualifiers: Stockton Graves, Riley Duvall, Tanner Brunner, Bridger Anderson, Cody Devers and Blake Mindemann. Brunner just solidified his fourth qualification in five years. Team ropers are led by Sartain, but also in the mix are headers Andrew Ward, Coleman Proctor and Bubba Buckaloo and heelers Buddy Hawkins, Logan Medlin, Billie Jack Saebens and Joseph Harrison. Ward and Hawkins set the new standard for the fastest 10-run cumulative time at the NFR last December. In addition to the Pattersons, there are five other steer ropers who have qualified for the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping, including Thomas Smith, Roger Branch, Mike Chase and Chet Herren. Jarrett will be joined in the tie-down roping field by Trent Creager, who earned his NFR bid in 2010. Two-time National Finals Breakaway Roping qualifier Taylor Munsell will be joined this year by Beau Peterson in Las Vegas, while Leslie Smalygo will make her initial trip to the Nevada desert and will be joined by fellow barrel racer Emily Beisel. Tamara Reinhardt, a past circuit titlist, also is a past NFR qualifier. Saddle bronc riders Tyrel Larsen and Hardy Braden both have had success in the region and have competed at the NFR in the past, while bull rider Trey Holston is making his first NFR. “The circuit finals is a great way for the top talent in our part of the world to fight for another championship,” Henderson said. “The circuit system was developed to showcase the best talent in the various regions of the country, and I’d say the Prairie Circuit is tough to beat as far as having the best talent overall. “We’ve got world champions and NFR qualifiers at our rodeo every year, and they come to Duncan to put on a show and prove why this is the best circuit in the country.”

DUNCAN, Okla. – Cowboys that make a living on the rodeo trail know the end of the rainbow resides in Las Vegas. It’s home of the National Finals Rodeo, which offers a $14 million payout. It’s where world champions will be crowned, but the road to the Nevada desert is long, winding and filled with challenges. Only the top 15 contestants in the world standings at the conclusion of the regular season advance. It’s where Jacob Edler expected he’d be in December. The 2020 world champion steer wrestler finished his 2022 campaign off the mark and, instead, found his way back home to Alva, Oklahoma, in mid-July and focused his attention to one thing: winning the Prairie Circuit championship. “One of my goals this year was to win the Prairie Circuit,” said Edler, 28, originally from State Center, Iowa. “That’s one thing in my career I’ve never done. “I decided things weren’t really falling into place being out on the big trail, and I have a young horse; I knew I needed some incredible things to happen to make the NFR this year. I decided to pack it up, go home and tour my young horse around to get his confidence up and get my confidence up and get everything set up for the 2023 rodeo season.” He hopes to close out his regional title at the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13-Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Stephens County Arena in Duncan. Edler has earned just shy of $18,000 in the regional made up of rodeos and contestants primarily in Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska and owns a lead of $5,200 over the field. “Going into Duncan, I’m going to show up, do my job and put my head down, and we’ll see how it all falls into place,” he said. “I would like to leave with a circuit title and an average title when it’s all said and done.” He’s been close before. In that magical 2020 season, Edler utilized momentum he gained at the circuit finale to have great success at the NFR. He first won the average championship in Duncan, then did the same thing at the NFR, culminating in his first Montana Silversmiths gold buckle. “I wanted to go back to the NFR this year, but God’s timing isn’t our timing,” he said, noting that by returning to the Plains states early, it allowed more time for him to spend with his wife, Moriah, and their 1-year-old daughter, Taylee. “It was really good for me to come back home. I was able to work on our place, work on our home and spend quality time with my wife and daughter. It’s been nice to reset and get life a little bit in order and feel like we’ve got a game plan.” Part of that intention has a lot to do with Mud Duck, the bulldogging horse he owns with good friend Tyler Shau. In fact, most of Edler’s circuit earnings were won on the 9-year-old black gelding, and the time spent traveling in the circuit helped the two band together even more. “Tyler bought him off the track in Claremore (Oklahoma) five years ago, and I was with him the day he bought the horse,” Edler said of Shau, who owns Diamond S Performances Horses with his wife, Jackie. “He and his wife spent time with him. They tried to run barrels on him first, and he didn’t really like barrel racing. They tried roping on him. They started hazing on him, and then they swapped him over to bulldogging. “Along with Mud Duck, I have a hazing horse named Jerry. He used to be my wife’s barrel horse, and those two have a very close bond. They’ve just made a great team this past month and gave me a lot of success.” Edler will need all the assistance he can get. The top five men in the circuit standings have all been to the NFR, with Edler’s traveling partner and former college coach, Stockton Graves, in second place. Graves owns multiple circuit titles in his storied career. “Having Stockton on my tail motivates me,” Edler said. “We’re both extremely competitive people. We travel together and push each other to be better, but at the end of the day, we do want to beat each other.” The good news for the Iowa-born cowboy is that he’s got a great partner in Mud Duck. “Everything from this season worked out the way I needed it to,” he said. “If I wouldn’t have come home and gotten that horse to some rodeos and seasoned him, I wouldn’t have the confidence in him going into 2023 and feel like we’re ready to handle everything I’m going to throw at him.” It’s that type of swagger that may give when he arrives in Duncan.

ALVA, Okla. – When Cameron Fox decided to further his education at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, he did so to become a better steer wrestler. He’s not only a student in the classroom but also a student of the game, and he’s taking all his lessons to heart. This past weekend, he put all that work to use by winning the bulldogging championship at the Southeastern Oklahoma State University rodeo in Durant. “I drew two good steers and tried to use them the best I could,” said Fox, 22, of Tulsa, Oklahoma. “I was able to make two good runs, and it was a pretty good weekend for me.” Yes, it was. With it, he moves into a tie for the Central Plains Region lead and gave the Rangers a spark they needed early in the season. Fox won the first go-round with a 4.2-second run, then stopped the clock in 4.4 seconds to finish third in the championship round. He had the fastest time in the aggregate by just one-tenth of a second over teammate Trisyn Kalawaia of Waiakea, Hawaii, who posted the fastest run in the weekend, in 3.6 seconds, to win the short go-round. Teammate Kaden Greenfield of Lakeview, Oregon, was second in the final round with a 4.0-second run; he finished fourth overall. Another Northwestern bulldogger, Isaiah Naauao of Haiku, Hawaii, finished third in the long round but didn’t place in the final standings. “I’ve only been steer wrestling for two years,” said Fox, who transferred from Connors State College. “Going to school here has been helping my bulldogging a lot more and helped me progress through the steps I need.” Much of that falls on rodeo coach Stockton Graves, a Northwestern alumnus who has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo eight times. Alva is known as being the Bulldogging Capital of College Rodeo, and having four steer wrestlers earn points in Durant is proof. “I want to go pro after I’m done, and I knew Stockton could help me a lot,” Fox said. “He’s helped me with finishing and being a lot more patient, feeling steers a lot more. I’m really learning by breaking down my runs and focusing how I take each step through the process.” Technique is important, but so is athleticism. Fox played football at McLain High School in Tulsa, then he opted to try his hand in rodeo. It’s been a good transition. After his horse suffered an injury, Fox opted to ride a Spongebob, a horse owned by a friend. “I rode him at Harrison, Arkansas, at a rodeo last week, and he felt really good, so I just decided to stay on him,” Fox said. While he had the most success at the Southeastern rodeo, there were others who earned points for the Rangers. Team roping heeler Sage Bader of Kim, Colorado, placed third in the short round and fourth overall while roping with Caden Remington of Southwestern Oklahoma State University. In tie-down roping, Kade Chase of Cherokee, Oklahoma, posted a 9.7-second run to finish third in the long round, while Denton Oestman of Auburn, Nebraska, was 10.0 to finish fourth in the opening round. The key to success is finding consistency through repetition. That’s been the case for Fox, who leans on his coach and teammates to improve. “They all help to push you to make you want to be as good as they are,” he said of fellow bulldoggers. “Between Stockton and everyone else, they’re helping me progress at it.”

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – A week ago, Cole Franks closed out his 2022 regular season by winning the bareback riding title in Stephenville, Texas, on a Pete Carr Pro Rodeo bucking horse. He repeated his fortune a bit Saturday night by riding Carr’s Painted River for 86.5 points to win the first event of the 2023 campaign at the Waller County Fair and Rodeo. It’s a positive step for a young cowboy trying to make his name in the game. “I’ve seen her quite a bit, but I’ve never been on her,” said Franks, 21, of Clarendon, Texas. “Those first three or four jumps were really cool with her going back and forth. It was a little bit more than I was expecting. I knew she was going to have some move, but they were a little more honkey than I thought they’d be, and it could mess you up a little bit. “Other than that, it felt really good. That horse is just cool” The mare helped him to a $1,839 payday and gave the 2021 Resistol Rookie of the Year a great start to his third season in ProRodeo. Like Franks, Painted River is a second-generation NFR competitor. She’s sired by Korczak and out of River Boat Annie, two Carr animals that have performed at ProRodeo’s grand finale. Franks is the son of Bret Franks, a three-time NFR qualifier in saddle bronc riding. The Frankses have had a longstanding relationship with the Carr firm, and that’s come into play over the course of Cole Franks’ young career. “I’ve been a round Pete and all his horses since I was born,” he said. “He’s pretty much family to us. It’s cool to come to his rodeos all the time and do good. “Making the NFR is stuff you dream about when you’re little, and it’s awesome to see it come to fruition. I never would have guessed it would have come this early in my career.” He made his first trip a year ago during his inaugural season. To say 2021 was great is only tipping the iceberg. He started it off by winning the intercollegiate bareback riding and all-around titles while helping Clarendon College to the men’s team title. He followed that by being named the top bareback riding rookie, making the NFR and finishing third in the world standings. Returning to the sport’s grand finale in his sophomore season is just further proof of the talent he possesses. Staying active in October is important to keep his body in shape for Las Vegas, where he will get on 10 of the best bucking horses in the world. “Right now, I’m just trying to get the momentum early and try to keep it going,” Franks said. “It’s always good to just keep getting on. We’ve been rodeoing all year, and it can wear you out pretty fast. I feel like if I can keep going now, I can get on 10 in a row pretty easy. “I feel good, for the most part. I’m ready for a little bit of a break. It’ll be good to do stuff at home and take a couple weeks off instead of worrying about the next rodeo, but I feel good going into the NFR.”   Waller County Fair and RodeoSept. 29-Oct. 1Hempstead, TexasAll-around: Nelson Wyatt, $2,962 in tie-down roping and team roping. Bareback riding: 1. Cole Franks, 86.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Painted River, $1,839; 2. Bradlee Miller, 85, $1,410; 3. Leighton Berry, 84.5, $1,042; 4. Mason Stuller, 82.5, $674; 5. Sam Petersen, 82, $429; 6. Dean Thompson, 81.5, $306; 7. Kade Sonnier, 78.5, $245; 8. A.J. Ruth, 74, $184. Steer wrestling: 1. Tyler Ravenscroft, 3.2 seconds, $2,573; 2. Jacob Talley, 3.4, $2,237; 3. Cash Robb, 3.7, $1,902; 4. (tie) Riley Duvall and Rowdy Parrott, 3.8, $1,398 each; 6. (tie) Jacob Edler and Denell Henderson, 3.9, $727 each; 8. (tie) Cade Goodman and Logan Lemmel, 4.0, $112 each. Team roping: 1. Jake Orman/Corey Hedrick, 4.1 seconds, $2,968; 2. (tie) Pedro Egurrola/James Flake, Forrest Fisher/Heath Kocurek and Cory Kidd/Lane Mitchell, 4.2, $2,544 each; 5. Clint Keller/Michael Jones, 4.3, $2,120; 6. Manny Equsquiza/Cutter Thomison, 4.5, $1,908; 7. Cory Clark/Blaine Vick, 4.6, $1,696; 8. Garrett Tonozzi/Dustin Davis, 4.7$1,484; 9. (tie) Shay Carrolll/Evan Arnold and Payden Emmett/Lucas Falconer, 4.8, $1,166 each; 11. (tie) Curry Kirchner/Reagan Ward and Billy Bob Brown/James Blankenship, 4.9, $530 each.   Saddle bronc riding: 1. Zac Dallas, 86 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Pretty Woman, $2,200; 2. Sterling Crawley, 84, $1,686; 3. (tie) Jacobs Crawley and Dean Wadsworth, 82.5, $1,026 each; 5. Jake Burwash, 81.5, $513; 6. (tie) Jace Angus and Dylan Hancock, 80, $330 each; 8. Isaac Richard, 79, $220. Tie-down roping: 1. Blane Cox, 7.8 seconds, $3,518; 2. (tie) Kyle Lucas and William Wyatt, 8.2, $2,963 each; 4. Richard Newton, 8.4, $2,407; 5. Treg Schaack, 8.6, $2,037; 6. Andrew Burks, 8.9, $1,667; 7. Cheyenne Stanley, 9.0, $1,296; 8. Jerry Adamson, 9.1, $925; 9. (tie) Brock Beckham and Clay McCuistion, 9.2, $370 each. Breakaway roping: 1. (tie) Taylor Hanchey and Tibba Smith, 2.2 seconds, $2,464 each; 3. Brandy Gilbert, 2.5, $1,895; 4. (tie) Jordan Jo Hollabaugh and Brandi Good, 2.6, $1,453 each; 6. Cheyenne Britain, 2.8, $1,011; 7. Chelsea Putnam, 2.9, $758; 8. McKaitlin McKee, 3.0, $505; 9. Jordi Edens, 3.1, $379; 10. Cassidy Boggs, 3.3, $253. Barrel racing: 1. Ilyssa Riley, 15.51 seconds, $3,224; 2. Kelly Allen, 15.58, $2,579; 3. Laura Mote, 15.51, $2,096; 4. Natalie Bland, 15.66, $1,612; 5. Sissy Winn, 15.68, $1,290; 6. Rainey Skelton, 15.72, $967; 7. Suzanne Brooks, 15.74, $806; 8. Savannah Woodvin, 15.79, $725; 9. Jetti Lorenz, 15.80, $645; 10. Tiany Schuster, 15.83, $564; 11. Bryana Lehrmann, 15.88, $484; 12. Sadie Wolaver, 15.89, $403; 13. Jackie Jatzlau, 15.91, $322; 14. Victoria Procter, 15.94, $242; 15. (tie) Kendall Kennedy and Presley Smith, 15.97, $81 each. Steer roping: First round: 1. Cash Myers, 10.6 seconds, $1,018; 2. Clay Long, 11.4, $842; 3. (tie) Vin Fisher Jr. and Tony Reina, 11.8, $579 each; 5.  Continue Reading »

HEMPSTEAD, Texas – It’s been more than a year since Dustin Boquet felt normal. He suffered three injuries in eight months and opted to sit out the remainder of the 2022 season. His first rodeo back in competition was Friday’s second performance of the Waller County Fair and Rodeo. It wasn’t just his first jump into competition; it was also the first bull he’d been on since May. “I knew I had a pretty good bull, so I figured I may as well come try it out and see if I can stay on,” said Boquet, 28, of Bourg, Louisiana, now living in Murchison, Texas, a community of 350 people about 175 miles north of Hempstead. “I broke my arm in September last year, and I came back, went to the (National Finals Rodeo) and broke it again, only higher up. I came back this year and went to nine events, then I broke my (left) collarbone in three pieces; the middle piece was kind of just floating, so I had surgery on that. I figured we’d just give it the rest of the year and come back fresh and ready to rock ’n’ roll in 2023.” The regular season of rodeo concluded Sept. 30. Because the Waller County Fair and Rodeo ends on Oct. 1, the money earned in Hempstead counts toward the 2023 standings. Boquet bucked off Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Outa Here on Friday night, but he understands that’s just part of the game he plays; bulls win most of the time.    Still, he was quite content to get back to business. He’s a two-time NFR qualifier, having earned his trips the last two years. He’s been up and down the road since turning pro in 2013, so his body may have been telling him it was time for a bit of a rest. “We know when we start rodeoing that you’re going to get hurt; you just don’t know when and you don’t know how bad,” he said. “Keeping a good attitude and keeping good faith helps a bunch. It’s trusting the process. He’s got a plan for every single one of us. We’ve just got to trust God’s timing and go with the flow. “I know every rodeo athlete sometimes wonders if they still love it. This morning when I woke up, I texted a buddy of mine and said, ‘I feel like a kid in a candy store. I’m ready to rock.’ I’ve still got the passion for it and I still love it, so I’m ready to go on.” Waller County Fair and RodeoSept. 29-Oct. 1Hempstead, TexasBareback riding: 1. Bradlee Miller, 85 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Cool Change; 2. A.J. Ruth, 74; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: 1. Tyler Ravenscroft, 3.2 seconds; 2. Jacob Talley, 3.4; 3. Cash Robb, 3.7; 4. (tie) Riley Duvall and Rowdy Parrott, 3.8; 6. Jacob Edler, 3.9; 7. (tie) Cade Goodman and Logan Lemmel, 4.0; 9. (tie) Riley Westhaver, Dylan Schroeder and Clayton Hass, 4.2 Team roping: 1. Jake Orman/Corey Hedrick, 4.1 seconds; 2. (tie) Pedro Egurrola/James Flake and Cory Kidd/Lane Mitchell, 4.2; 4. Clint Keller/Michael Jones, 4.3; 5. Manny Equsquiza/Cutter Thomison, 4.5; 6. Garrett Tonozzi/Dustin Davis, 4.7l; 7. (tie) Shay Carrolll/Evan Arnold and Payden Emmett/Lucas Falconer, 4.8; 9. (tie) Curry Kirchner/Reagan Ward and Billy Bob Brown/James Blankenship, 4.9.   Saddle bronc riding: 1. Zac Dallas, 86 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Pretty Woman; 2. (tie) Jace Angus and Dylan Hancock, 80; 4. Reginald Lecourt, 78; 5. (tie) Parker Kempfer and Parker Fleet, 74.5; 7. Cole Franks, 73; 8. (tie) Isaac Diaz and Clint Franks, 72. Tie-down roping: 1. Blane Cox, 7.8 seconds; 2. William Wyatt, 8.2; 3. Richard Newton, 8.4; 4. Treg Schaack, 8.6; 5. Andrew Burks, 8.9; 6. Cheyenne Stanley, 9.0; 7. Jerry Adamson, 9.1; 8. (tie) Brock Beckham and Clay McCuistion, 9.2; 10. Paden Bray, 9.4. Breakaway roping: 1. (tie) Taylor Hanchey and Tibba Smith, 2.2 seconds; 3. Brandy Gilbert, 2.5; 4. (tie) Jordan Jo Hollabaugh, 2.6; 6. Cheyenne Britain, 2.8; 7. Chelsea Putnam, 2.9; 8. McKaitlin McKee, 3.0; 9. Jordi Edens, 3.1; 10. Loni Lester, 3.4. Barrel racing: 1. Ilyssa Riley, 15.51 seconds; 2. Kelly Allen, 15.58; 3. Laura Mote, 15.51; 4. Sissy Winn, 15.68; 4. Molly Pritchard, 16.25; 5. Rainey Skelton, 15.72; 6. Suzanne Brooks, 15.74.   Bull riding: 1. T. Parker, 86.5 points on Lancaster & Jones Pro Rodeo’s Mr. Quick; no other qualified rides.