Rough go for cowboys
<p>Bobby Mote of Culver, Ore., loses his hat during the bareback competition Thursday at the Northwest Montana Fair PRCA Rodeo at the Flathead County Fairgrounds. Mote had the best ride of the night with an 89 on Kesler Rodeo Company’s Street Dance. </p>
<p>Frank Billy of Box Elder shouts as he tightens his rope during the team roping competition Thursday night at the Northwest Montana Fair PRCA Rodeo at the Flathead County Fairgrounds. Billy and his partner Mark Cassel of Shelby posted no time.</p><p></p>
Thursday was a night for the horses and bulls.
The Kesler Rodeo Company stock pitched a shutout in the saddle bronc and bull riding competitions, bucking every cowboy that entered the chute at the Northwest Montana Fair PRCA Rodeo.
The night didn’t start off so ominously, when Power’s Jessy Davis rode Time Zone to a score of 83 on the very first bareback ride. Davis, sixth in the world entering the weekend, set the bar high, with the next four riders each putting up scores in the mid-70s.
It took until the last bareback ride to better the mark, when Bobby Mote, of Culver, Ore., rode to a 89 atop Street Dance to win the competition.
“That’s the best horse I’ve been on all year, by far,” Mote said. “That’s an awesome horse ... I knew that horse was going to do it’s job, I just wanted to do my job. I just wanted to focus on doing the best job i could.”
Mote, seventh in the world in bareback and third in all-around, also won the team roping competition, heading a team with Trey Johnson, of Boyd, Texas, that timed at 13.5 seconds. Only one other team recorded a score, with Browning’s Ty St. Goddard and Ryle Whiteford stopping the clock at 15.9, with a start penalty, for second.
“They bring really good horses here,” Mote said. “There’s some rodeos that even add a little more money this week that I don’t enter so I can come here. My odds of getting on a good horse are so much better here. There was three horses in a row there that were as good as you find any place.”
Cascade’s Mike Gollaher shaved a second off the top time set in steer wrestling to take the event in 4.8 seconds. Havre’s Josh Granell, who led off the group, finished third in 5.8 and Dell’s Dan Mulkey finished second in 5.6.
Chad Johnson, of Cut Bank, won tie-down roping with a time of 9.2 seconds. Logan Hofer, of Magrath, Alberta, finished second in 9.6 and Murray Pole of Erskine, Alberta finished third in 9.7.
Bobbi Scott, of Las Vegas, opened barrel racing with the top time of the night, crossing the gate in 17.35 seconds. Lisa Anderson, of Moore, Texas, finished second in 17.58 and Manhattan’s Mandy Hamilton finished third in 17.85.
The rodeo continues tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Flathead County Fairgrounds.
Northwest Montana Fair
PRCA Rodeo
Thursday
Bareback
Bobby Mote, Culver, Ore., 89
Jessy Davis, Power, 83
Buck Lunak, Cut Bank, 77
Chase Erickson, Helena, 75
Tucker Zingg, Dillon, 75
Ben Wrzesinski, Boulder, 72
Steer Wrestling
Mike Gollaher, Cascade, 4.8
Dan Mulkey, Dell, 5.6
Josh Granell, Havre, 5.8
Straws Milan, Cochrane, Alberta, 5.9
Nolan Conway, Browning, 6.0
Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta, 6.3
Cody Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta, 7.0
Matt Reeves, Cross Plains, Texas, 9.8
Ross Eickhoff, Grass Range, 16.1
Rian Conway, Browning, NT
Todd Maughn, Airdrie, Alberta, NT
Team Roping
Bobby Mote, Culver, Ore.,/Trey Johnson, Boyd, Texas, 13.5
Ty St. Goddard, Browning/Ryle Whitford, Browning, 15.9
Josh Boka, Dillon/Keith Richmond, Kalispell, NT
Nolan Conway, Browning/Cash Whitford, Browning, NT
Jason Carlson, Two Dot/Tyler Magnus, Mason, Texas, NT
Mark Cassel, Shelby/Frank Billy, Box Elder, NT
Shawn Bessette, Vaughn/Sid Sporer, Cody, Wyo., NT
Ross Wagner, Park City/Kyle DeSaveur, Roberts, NT
Saddle Bronc
Beau Michael, Browning, 0
Andrew Evjene, Two Dot, 0
Tyrell Smith, Great Falls, 0
Lucas Wilson, War Queensland, Australia, 0
LeRoy Eash, Fortine, 0
Tie-Down Roping
Chad Johnson, Cut Bank, 9.2
Logan Hofer, Magrath, Alberta, 9.6
Murray Pole, Erskine, Alberta, 9.7
J.C. Crowley, Poplar, 10.6
Erik Dublanko, Thorsby, Alberta, 10.9
Mike Johnson, Henryetta, Okla., 12.9
Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta, 18.5
Jesse Wayne Finnerty, Duchess, Alberta, NT
Tyson Durfey, Colbert, Wash., NT
Barrel Racing
Bobbi Scott, Las Vegas, 17.35
Lisa Anderson, Moore, Texas, 17.58
Mandy Hamilton, Manhattan, 17.85
Lindsay Kruse, Great Falls, 17.99
Kassy Brough, Havre, 18.03
Casey Wagner, Park City, 18.18
Donna Johnson, Belt, 18.20
Deena Moeykens, Three Forks, 18.24
Jody Siderius, Dillon, 18.25
Cally Goyins, Helena, 20.08
Darae Larson, Belt, 23.17
Bull Riding
Colten Jensen, Belgrade, 0
Dakota T Louis, Browning, 0
Casey McDonald, Browning, 0
Brett Crump, Columbia Falls, 0