Cowboys rule the night at PRCA rodeo
The cowboys got off to a strong start and ended with a bang on a cold and rainy night at the Northwest Montana Fair PRCA Rodeo on Friday at the Flathead County Fairgrounds.
Ryan Gray of Cheney, Washington, moved into second place in bareback, scoring 83 points on Up Ur Alley with the second qualified ride of the night.
Helena cowboy Chase Erickson followed up his third-ranked run in steer wrestling on Thursday with an 80 on Copper Cat, one of the top horses in the Kesler Rodeo stable, to move into third in bareback.
Most of the steer wrestlers struggled to break five seconds during the rodeo’s second performance. Only Idaho’s Olin Hannum, the eighth-ranked bulldogger in the world, was able to near the 3.3-second time thrown down by Josh Peek in the slack round on Thursday. Hannum turned in a time of 4.1 seconds to move into third place.
The stock got the better of the next few events, tossing four of the eight saddle bronc cowboys in attendance.
Shorty Garrett, of Dupree, South Dakota, found a strong ride atop Nickels & Dimes, scoring 82 points to move into second place.
“He’s great,” Garrett said. “I’ve never seen him, never been around him. Glad to get on him.”
Five of the first six calves got loose in tie-down roping, including a near miss from Missouri’s Jeremy Len Kempker, who timed 8.8 seconds but saw his knot break just 0.2 seconds before the horn.
Dillon Holder, of Eugene, Missouri, saved the round with a 9.5-second score in the final run to slide into fourth place entering the final day.
Jackie Ganter, the 15th-ranked barrel racer in the world, impressed by timing at 18.19 seconds despite a wide turn on her final barrel, churning up the crowd after three straight runs with penalties.
However, it was an area cowboy that got the fans in the grandstands back on their feet.
After the bulls blanked the competition in the first go, they looked to be on pace to do the same by bucking the first thre riders of the night.
Trego’s Gerald Eash, who had taken much of the last year off after injuries and the birth of a child, rode Cinnamon Twist for 80 points in the most exciting ride to that point.
“It felt really good,” Eash said. “I’ve been having a rough time getting back into it. Finally, tonight I felt like I was in the groove.
“I was just glad to be able to get it done.”
Edgar’s Parker Breding, the fourth-ranked bull rider in the PRCA, followed Eash’s ride with an 83 atop Smokin’ Deal and just a few rides later Dustin Bowen, of Waller, Texas, scored an 87 on Last Resort.
“It felt good,” Bowen said.
“I didn’t know much about that bull, but he’s really great. I heard Kesler say that they’d have to catch him so he comes around. They caught him good and it worked out really well.”
The rodeo continues with the final go tonight at 7:30. A handful of local riders are scheduled to compete with a pair of team roping duos and Whitefish’s Ashley Sudan in barrel racing. West Glacier bull rider Beau Hill has drawn unridden bull Laugh Out Loud in the final go of the weekend.
Northwest Montana Fair PRCA Rodeo
Friday
Flathead County Fairgrounds
Bareback riding—1. Ryan Gray, 83 points on Kesler Rodeo’s Up Ur Alley; 2. Chase Erickson, 80; 3. Trenten Montero, 79 George R. Gillespie IV, 73.
Steer wrestling—1. Olin Hannum, 4.1 seconds; 2. Dirk Tavenner, 5.0; 3. Nolan Conway, 5.1; 4. Morgan Grant, 5.8; 5. Levi Guenzler, 7.8.
Team roping—1. Derrick Begay/Clint Harry, 7.6 seconds; no other qualified runs.
Saddle bronc—1. Shorty Garrett, 82 points on Kesler Rodeo’s Nickels & Dimes; 2. Cole Elshere, 79; 3. Jacobs Crawley, 74 CJ Thoreson, 67.
Tie-down roping—1. Dillon Holder, 9.5 seconds; 2. Jade Stoddard, 17.1.
Barrel racing—1. Jackie Ganter, 18.19 seconds; 2. Carmel Wright, 18.31; 3. Meghan Johnson, 18.35; 4. Morgan Breaux, 23.15; 5. Mary Walker, 23.45; 6. Tracy Matz, 29.05.
Bull riding—1. Dustin Bowen, 87 points on Kesler Rodeo’s Last Resort; 2. Parker Breding, 83; 3. Gerald Eash, 80; 4. Trenten Montero, 53.
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Thursday’s Results
Mutton Bustin
1. Rylee Kay Ann – Kalispell 85
2. Alex Carmalt, Kalispell 84
3. Brayden Wheeler, Kalispell 81
4. Kaycee Vanschoyck, Columbia Falls 80
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Indian Relay Races
Heat 1
1. Carlson, Browning
2. Starr School, Browning
3. Awatsapsii, Browning
Heat 2
1. Good Rider, Alberta, Canada
2. White Calf, Browning
3 Redman, Wyoming