PBR: Lawrence top rider in final performance
Four scoring rides gave Stetson Lawrence top honors at Saturday night’s closing of the Rocky Mountain Extreme at Majestic Valley Arena.
After going without a scoring ride on Friday, Stetson, of Williston, N.D., entered twice in Saturday’s competition.
He came out strong, scoring an 80 on his first ride of the long round and then taking an early lead with a second ride that earned him 85.5 points.
Ten cowboys saw scoring rides in the long round on the final evening.
The two-day rodeo was sanctioned by the Professional Bull Riders and featured riders from its Touring Pro Division.
Tyler Johnston, of Bridger, and Zane Lambert, of Westbourne, Manitoba, scored 84 points on their first rides of the night.
Tyler Panketwitz of Ponoka, Alberta, and Zac Peterson, of Velva, N.D., weren’t far behind, both scoring 83 points on their long round rides.
Kane Crook, of Billings, scored an 82 point ride.
And Josh Birks, a cowboy from New South Wales, Australia, roused the crowd with a wild ride that earned him 78 points.
After winning Friday night’s rodeo, 21-year-old Matt Triplett, of Columbia Falls, scored an 82.5 on his opening ride on Saturday. It marked his fifth straight scoring ride of the weekend.
But scoring rides were scarcer among the 10 cowboys in the short round, and Saturday night’s rodeo would go to Lawrence.
In the short round, Cook held on for a thrill of a ride but judges ruled he slapped the bull at 7.8 seconds, meaning no score for him.
Birks managed to hold on for a ride that earned him 88 points. That boosted him to 166 points for the night and second place.
In the short round, Triplett drew powerhouse bull Pandemic, a three-time Professional Bull Riders finalist. Triplett couldn’t hang on for all eight seconds. Pankewitz fared no better on Buckwild, the top bull in the Professional Bull Riders series.
Lawrence hung on through both of his short round rides. The first ride earned him 87 points. The second earned him 88, putting him at 173 points for the night.
Long Round
Stetson Lawrence, Williston, N.D., 80.5, 85.5
Tyler Johnston, Bridger, Mont., 84
Zane Lambert, Westbourne, Manitoba, 84
Tyler Pankewitz, Ponoka, Alberta, 83
Zac Peterson, Velva, N.D., 83
Matt Triplett, Columbia Falls, Mont., 82.5
Kane Cook, Billings, Mont., 82
Taylor Cowan, Ft. Pierre, S.D., 78.5
Josh Birks, Coonamble, New South Wales, 78
Alex Maves, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, 68
Short Round
Stetson Lawrence, 87, 88
Josh Birks, 88
Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.