Fair PRCA rodeo: Halko handles Turbo Tax

Bozeman’s Shaun Halko was the only one of four bull riders to record a score in the first go of the Northwest Montana Fair PRCA Rodeo at Flathead County Fairgrounds Thursday evening.

The cowboy hung on during a dizzying ride atop a bull named Turbo Tax and was rewarded with an 80 on the first day of the three-day rodeo.

“He’s real good,” Halko said of Turbo Tax. “He bucked me off earlier this year and I just knew I wasn’t going to fall off him tonight.

“I got on him in Livingston and I didn’t last very long. It was kind of a long day when I got on him the last time, so it was a little bit justified, but it felt good to actually be able to ride him.”

West Glacier’s Beau Hill — who won last year’s Northwest Montana Fair Rodeo with a score of 91 — received a huge cheer from his hometown crowd as he hopped in the chute, but couldn’t record a score on White Devil. The Kelser Rodeo Company bull tossed the local favorite midway through his ride, ending Hill’s shot at repeating as champion.

“The bull just kind of bowed me out over the front,” Hill said. “That bull’s kind of known for doing that and I slapped him around me, but usually he’ll stay spinning to the left. I think if he would’ve stayed hooked up there to the left I would’ve been all right, but he felt me get around on him and he’s just smart. He jumped out of it. I was riding him pretty good and he changed it up and bucked me off.”

Neither of the two bareback riders completed their rides while Wisdom’s Brian Dawson edged Ekalaka’s Josh Reynolds to take the lead in the saddle bronc competition.

Dawson earned a re-ride after his first horse, Alley Cone, fell in the chute. He made the most of his second chance, earning a 76 on Bookmark, a horse he scored on at last year’s Montana Circuit Finals in Great Falls.

While that score likely won’t be good enough to win with two days remaining in the competition, Dawson said he was happy to record a score. He tore the meniscus in his left knee two weeks ago at a rodeo in North Dakota and said he felt far from 100 percent.

“I was just glad to get off and not be any worse off than I was when I started,” Dawson said.

Reynolds received a 72 for his ride on Cover Story.

The heelers had a tough evening in the team roping competition. Only Dylan Johnson of Schurz, Nev., roped both legs, putting himself and header Ty St. Goddard of Browning in the lead with a time of 6.9 seconds.

Molt’s Hank Hollenbeck led off the steer wrestling competition with a time of 5.2 seconds, which held up until the second-to-last competitor, Helena’s Jason Armstrong, posted a time of 4.3.

Browning’s Nolan Conway was the first go leader in tie-down roping with a time of 9.6 and Brenda Mays of Terrebonne, Ore., led all barrel racers with a time of 17.44. Mays is the 18th-ranked barrel racer in the world.

The rodeo continues today at 7:30 p.m. with the second go, which features pair of highly-ranked bareback riders. Bobby Mote of Culver, Ore., and Jessy Davis of Power are third and 13th, respectively, in the PRCA rankings.

Northwest Montana Fair PRCA Rodeo

Thursday

First go

Bareback riding

Denny Phipps, Cochrane, Alberta 0

Bobby Peters, Pincher Creek, Alberta 0

Saddle bronc riding

Brian Dawson, Wisdom 76

Josh Reynolds, Ekalaka 72

Ace Mills, Augusta 0

Seth Fenner, Browning 0

Colter Heckman, Choteau 0

Shane Moran, Ulm 0

JC DeSaveur, Roberts 0

Steer wrestling

Jason Armstrong, Helena 4.3

Hank Hollenbeck, Molt 5.2

Bode Scott, Pryor 5.8

Rian Conway, Browning 5.9

Nolan Conway, Browning 6.8

John Gee, Stanford 7.9

Ted Gollaher, Cascade 8.6

Walt Anseth, Helena 8.8

Roddy Cameron, Townsend no time

Team roping

Ty St. Goddard, Browning and Dylan Johnson, Schurz, Nev., 6.9

Bill Parker, Billings and Hank Hollenbeck, Molt, 13.0

Shane Schwenke, Zortman and Kory Mytty, Lolo, 13.5

Travis Winters, Joliet and Taner Sorge, Billings, 14.8

Casey Cummins, Lodge Grass and Clint Harry, Fallon, Nev., no time

Ty Larson, Hysham and Dustin Ostrum, Huntley, no time

Jason Carlson, Two Dot and Justin Marquez, Bozeman, no time

Neil Everett Tatsey, Valier and Rian Conway, Browning, no time

Nolan Conway, Browning and Chad Johnson, Cut Bank, no time

Shawn Bird, Cut Bank and Ryle Whitford, Browning, no time

Ross Wagner, Park City and Kyle DeSaveur, Roberts, no time

Tie-down roping

Nolan Conway, Browning 9.6

Chad Johnson, Cut Bank 10.1

Ryan Watkins, Dublin, Texas 10.4

Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta 10.8

Bode Scott, Pryor 19.9

Monty Lewis, Hereford, Texas no time

Hank Hollenbeck, Molt no time

Mike Johnson, Henryetta, Okla. no time

Murray Pole, Erskine, Alberta no time

Barrel racing

Brenda Mays, Terrebone, Ore. 17.44

Deb Guelly, Okotoks, Alberta 18.01

Nikki Ostrum, Huntley 18.01

Tammy Thompson, Ramsay 18.16

Tanya Getten, Helena 18.25

Casey Wagner, Park City 18.28

Deena Moeykens, Three Forks 18.28

Lindsay Sears, Nanton, Alberta 23.68

Jamie Martin, Great Falls 28.53

Cally Goykins, Helena no time

Bull riding

Shaun Halko, Bozeman 80

Beau Hill, West Glacier 0

Dakota Louis, Prince Alberta, Sask. 0

Travis Blue, Browning 0