BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PROROEOBRETT
The Gooding Pro Rodeo is one of the highest paying one-headers in the professional rodeo season, and the times and scores did not disappoint.
Caleb Bennett was your bareback riding champion, doing so with 89.5 points on Summitt’s Game Trail in the first performance. He won the rodeo by three points as Bronc Marriott was second with 86.5.
Steer wrestling required times faster than 4 seconds to win a check with nine cowboys doing so. The fastest of the bunch was Stan Branco with a time of 3.2 seconds, one of the best of the entire ProRodeo season.
Team roping was won by surging pair Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith. Both have cracked the Top 10 after a 4.0-second run won them $3,685. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, the No. 1 header and heeler, were second at 4.4 seconds.
Stetson Wright won the saddle bronc riding, giving him a bull riding and saddle bronc title over the weekend. Wright has now made more all-around money prior to the NFR than any cowboy in the history of the PRCA.
Tie-down roper Matt Shiowza won more than any other cowboy at the event by stopping the clock at 7.6 seconds to win just over $5,300. No other cowboy was in the 7s.
In barrel racing, Michelle Darling made it three consecutive weekends with a win by following up her triumphs in Sikeston and Dodge City with a 16.88-second run to win Gooding. She beat Ivy Saebens by one hundredth of a second.
Finally, in bull riding, Gavin Michel won the rodeo as the second-to-last bull rider in the entire event. He was 89 points on Macza’s Ugly Wish.
BAREBACK RIDING
First round: 1. Caleb Bennett, 89.5 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Game Trail, $4,371; 2. Bronc Marriott, 86.5, $3,351; 3. Tim O’Connell, 85.5, $2,477; 4. (tie) Cooper Cooke and R.C. Landingham, 85, $1,311 each; 6. Cole Reiner, 84.5, $729; 7. Jess Pope, 83, $583; 8. Dean Thompson, 82.5, $437.
STEER WRESTLING
First round: 1. Stan Branco, 3.2 seconds, $3,952; 2. Bridger Anderson, 3.5, $3,536; 3. (tie) Cody Cabral, Ty Erickson, Trell Etbauer and Connor McKell, 3.7, $2,496 each; 7. (tie) Tanner Brunner and Cash Robb, 3.8, $1,248 each; 9. (tie) Tristan Martin and Gavin Soileau, 3.9, $416 each.
TEAM ROPING
First round: 1. Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith, 4.0 seconds, $3,685 each; 2. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.4, $3,422; 3. Luke Brown/Hunter Koch, 4.6, $3,158; 4. (tie) Pace Freed/Cole Wilson and Joshua Torres/Jonathan Torres, 5.0, $2,764 each; 6. Clint Summers/Ross Ashford, 5.2, $2,369; 7. Brodi Jones/Jason Warner, 5.4, $2,106; 8. Wyatt Murray/Whitt Crozier, 5.9, $1,842; 9. Jade Anderson/Zackery Lewis, 7.1, $1,579; 10. Jade Stoddard/Matt Williams, 7.5, $1,316; 11. Tanner James/Max Kuttler, 9.6, $790; 12. Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, 9.7, $526.
SADDLE BRONC RIDING
First round: 1. Stetson Dell Wright, 88 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Dry Creek, $4,625; 2. Kolby Wanchuk, 87.5, $3,546; 3. Isaac Diaz, 84, $2,621; 4. (tie) Jack Bentz, Chase Brooks, Dawson Dahm and Tegan Smith, 83, $1,041 each; 8. Jacobs Crawley, 82.5, $462.
TIE-DOWN ROPING
First round: 1. Matt Shiozawa, 7.6 seconds, $5,393; 2. (tie) Ty Harris, Ladd King and Brayden Roe, 8.1, $4,124 each; 5. Kincade Henry, 8.3, $2,855; 6. Cole Eiguren, 8.4, $2,538; 7. John Douch, 8.5, $2,221; 8. Marcos Costa, 8.6, $1,904; 9. (tie) Shane Hanchey and Jared Parke, 8.7, $1,428 each; 11. Cooper Martin, 8.8, $952; 12. Shad Mayfield, 9.0, $635.
BARREL RACING
First round: 1. Michelle Darling, 16.88 seconds, $4,251; 2. Ivy Saebens, 16.89, $3,401; 3. Stevi Hillman, 16.93, $2,763; 4. Anita Ellis, 16.95, $2,125; 5. Meka Farr, 16.98, $1,700; 6. Ashley Castleberry, 17.02, $1,275; 7. Nicole Driggers, 17.08, $1,063; 8. Tarryn Lee, 17.09, $956; 9. Macee McAllister, 17.10, $850; 10. Jennifer Kalafatic, 17.12, $744; 11. Cheyenne Allan, 17.15, $638; 12. (tie) Shelley Morgan, Marcie Wilson and Cheyenne Wimberley, 17.18, $425 each; 15. Lauren Butler, 17.20, $213.
BULL RIDING
First round: 1. Gavin Michel, 89 points on Macza Pro Rodeo’s Ugly Wish, $4,089; 2. Garrett Smith, 86, $3,135; 3. Josh Frost, 84.5, $2,317; 4. (tie) Dawson Gleaves and Shane Proctor, 82.5, $1,227 each; 6. (tie) Jordan Spears and Hayes Weight, 82, $613 each; 8. (tie) Cole Fischer and Stetson Dell Wright, 79.5, $204 each.