BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
On Friday afternoon, the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo cleared the halfway point by finishing the fourth of seven brackets, and the crop of cowboys moving on is loaded with NFR talent.
In bareback riding, Tim O’Connell and Caleb Bennett are both onto the Semifinals after O’Connell won Round 1 and Bennett won Round 2.
In steer wrestling, Cade Goodman finished third in Round 1 and won Round 2 to win Bracket 4 and Trell Etbauer won Round 2 to advance to the Semifinals despite not placing in Round 1.
Team roping wasn’t always pretty in Bracket 4 as there were only eight total qualified runs total and the winning times were 6.9 seconds in Round 1 and 7.6 seconds in Round 2. Reno Stoebner/Ryan Motes won the bracket as the only pair to make two clean runs.
Saddle bronc riding was marked by two terrific saddle bronc riders from two of rodeo’s most famous families. Logan Hay won the bracket with a first place finish in Round 1 and a second place finish in Round 2 and Rusty Wright won Round 2 to claim the other spot in the Semifinals.
In tie-down roping, the two round winners - Trevor Hale and Taylor Santos - are the two advancing. Santos was the only cowboy to place in both rounds.
The story of the barrel racing was none other than reigning World Champion Hailey Kinsel, who swept the bracket and also put up the fastest time of the rodeo in Round 2.
In bull riding, it was a pair of Minnesotans - Coy Thorson and Blaine Beaty - taking the two round wins both with 89-point rides. Beaty, however, is heading to the Wild Card because Trey Benton III rode both nights.
BAREBACK RIDING
First Round: 1. Tim O’Connell, 88 points on Championship Pro Rodeo’s Witchy Woman, $1,760; 2. Kade Sonnier, 87.5, $1,320; 3. Waylon Bourgeois, 85, $880; 4. Trenton Montero, 84.5, $440, 5. Caleb Bennett, 83, 6. Bill Tutor, 82.
Second Round: 1. Caleb Bennett, 88.5 points on Championship Pro Rodeo’s Meat Cracker, $1,760; 2. Trenten Montero, 86.5, $1,320; 3. Bill Tutor, 86, $880; 4. Tristan Hansen, 84.5, $440; 5. Tim O’Connell, 83; 6. Waylon Bourgeois, 80.5.
Advancing: 1. Caleb Bennett; 2. Tim O’Connell. Wild Card: 1. Trenton Montero.
STEER WRESTLING
First Round: 1. Tanner Brunner, 3.9 seconds, $1,760; 2. Hunter Cure, 4.4, $1,320; 3. Cade Goodman, 4.7, $880; 4. Sterling Lambert, 5.4, $440; 5. Justin Shaffer, 5.7; 6. Cody Devers, 14.3.
Second Round: 1. Trell Etbauer, 3.8 seconds, $1,760; 2. Cade Goodman, 4.2, $1,320; 3. Cody Devers, 4.9, $880; 4. Justin Shaffer, 5.2, $440; 5. Jacob Edler, 8.5; no other qualified runs.
Advancing: 1. Cade Goodman; 2. Trell Etbauer. Wild Card: 1. Tanner Brunner.
TEAM ROPING
First Round: 1. Reno Stoebner/Ryan Motes, 6.9 seconds, $1,760 each; 2. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 7.4, $1,320; 3. Tyler Wade/Travis Graves, 10.9, $880; 4. Joshua Torres/Dylin Ahlstrom, 11.6, $440; 5. Rhett Anderson/Clay Futrell, 17.7; no other qualified runs.
Second Round: 1. Cash Duty/Sid Sporer, 7.6 seconds, $1,760; 2. Tyler Wade/Travis Graves, 11.5, $1,320; 3. Reno Stoebner/Ryan Motes, 14.3, $880; no other qualified runs.
Advancing: 1. Reno Stoebner/Ryan Motes; 2. Tyler Wade/Travis Graves. Wild Card: 1. Cash Duty/Sid Sporer.
SADDLE BRONC RIDING
First Round: 1. Logan Hay, 85 points on Championship Pro Rodeo’s Quality Control, $1,760; 2. Ben Andersen, 84.5, $1,320; 3. Cash Wilson, 84, $880; 4. Jake Wilson, 82.5, $440; 5. Clint Franks, 82; 6. Rusty Wright, 80.5.
Second Round: 1. Rusty Wright, 88.5 points on United Pro Rodeo’s Awesome Sauce, $1,760; 2. Logan Hay, 88, $1,320; 3. Houston Brown, 86.5, $880; 4. Cash Wilson, 85, $440; 5. Ben Andersen, 82.5; 6. Jake Watson, 77.
Advancing: 1. Logan Hay; 2. Rusty Wright. Wild Card: 1. Cash Wilson.
TIE-DOWN ROPING
First Round: 1. Trevor Hale, 8.7 seconds, $1,760; 2. Ryan Jarrett, 9.7, $1,320; 3. Taylor Santos, 10.1, $880; 4. Zack Jongbloed, 10.2, $440; 5. Blane Cox, 12.5; 6. Tanner Green, 17.8.
Second Round: 1. Taylor Santos, 9.1 seconds, $1,760; 2. Blane Cox, 12.6, $1,320; 3. Zack Jongbloed, 14.2, $880; no other qualified runs.
Advancing: 1. Taylor Santos; 2. Trevor Hale. Wild Card: 1. Zack Jongbloed.
BARREL RACING
First Round: 1. Hailey Kinsel, 16.56 seconds, $1,760; 2. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 16.58, $1,320; 3. Rachelle Riggers, 16.70, $880; 4. Michelle Alley, 16.92, $440; 5. Stephanie Fryar, 16.98; 6. Cheyenne Allan, 17.10.
Second Round: 1. Hailey Kinsel, 16.25 seconds, $1,760; 2. Rainey Skelton, 16.52, $1,320; 3. Rachelle Riggers, 16.63, $880; 4. Stephanie Fryar, 17.27, $440; 5. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 17.01; 6. Michelle Alley, 17.27.
Advancing: 1. Hailey Kinsel; 2. Rachelle Riggers. Wild Card: Rainey Skelton.
BULL RIDING
First Round: *1. Coy Thorson, 88.5 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Kyote Train, $2,420; 2. Trey Benton III, 86, $1,980; no other qualified rides.
Second Round: 1. Blaine Beaty, 89 points on United Pro Rodeo’s Pit Bull, $1,760; 2. Trey Benton III, 88.5, $1,320; 3. Sage Kimzey, 86.5, $880; 4. Ray Mayo, 84, $440; 5. Maverick Potter, 83; no other qualified rides.
Advancing: 1. Trey Benton III; 2. Coy Thorson. Wild Card: Blaine Beaty.