BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
Rodeo Austin paid nearly $600,000 and that included a guaranteed payday of at least $9,870 for all eight of the champions.
In the Finals, fans at the Travis County Expo Center were treated to an arena-record tying steer wrestling run, a 90-pointer to win the bronc riding by a World Champion, and a Top 3 tie-down roper closing the gap on No. 1 with the fastest run of the rodeo.
Stan Branco saved the fastest run of the steer wrestling for the Finals when he was 3.2 seconds to win the rodeo. The Top 4 cowboys in the Finals were all 4 seconds flat or faster. The steer wrestling as a whole was fast in Austin, there were 17 times of 4 seconds flat or faster.
“It’s amazing (to win this rodeo),” Branco said. “I didn’t think I was going to make it back with a 4.2 in the last round. I figured I’d try to put as much pressure (on the rest of the competition) as I could and it worked out.”
In saddle bronc riding, Stetson Wright was the star of the show and it was not just because he went 90 in the Short Round. He was 88 on his first two rides, which won him first in the Qualifying Round and second in the Semifinals. Wright left Austin with almost $18,000.
“It was for sure a dog fight, he was trying to rip my head off the moment I nodded,” Wright said of Brutus, the Andrews Rodeo horse he matched up with in the Finals.
Tie-down roper Hunter Herrin was 7.1 seconds in the Finals to cap off a stellar week in Austin in which he was also 7.7 to split first in the Semifinals with Cory Solomon. Herrin will move back to No. 2 in the PRCA World Standings following a victory that paid him nearly $14,000 in total.
“I was able to get a great start and my calf was really good too,” Herrin said after the Finals. “I just was fortunate not beat myself.”
The other Rodeo Austin champions were Keenan Hayes in the bareback riding (86.5 points), Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley in team roping (5.2 seconds), Amanda Welsh in barrel racing (14.88 seconds), Jace Trosclair in bull riding (87.5 points) and Sawyer Gilbert in the breakaway roping (2.2 seconds).
BAREBACK RIDING
Semifinal Playoffs: 1. Leighton Berry, 89 points on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Bar Talk, $4,594; 2. Keenan Hayes, 88, $3,995; 3. (tie) Garrett Shadbolt, Cooper Cooke and Rocker Steiner, 86.5, $2,797 each; 6. Kody Lamb, 86, $1,598; 7. Chad Rutherford, 84.5, $999; 8. Sam Petersen, 84, $400.
Finals: 1. Keenan Hayes, 86.5 points on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Black Kat, $9,870; 2. (tie) Leighton Berry and Sam Petersen, 84, $6,385 each; 4. Kody Lamb, 83.5, $2,350.
STEER WRESTLING
Semifinal Playoffs: 1. Kyle Irwin, 3.5 seconds, $4,594; 2. Joshua Hefner, 3.6, $3,995; 3. (tie) Stephen Culling and Mike McGinn, 3.7, $3,096 each; 5. Levi Rudd, 3.8, $2,197; 6. Dalton Massey, 3.9, $1,598; 7. Landris White, 4.1, $999; 8. Stan Branco, 4.2, $400.
Finals: 1. Stan Branco, 3.2 seconds, $9,870; 2. Stephen Culling, 3.6, $7,520; 3. Landris White, 3.7, $5,250; 4. Dalton Massey, 4.0, $2,350.
TEAM ROPING
Semifinal Playoffs: 1. Luke Brown/Hunter Koch, 4.7 seconds, $4,594 each; 2. Cash Duty/Sid Sporer, 4.8, $3,995; 3. Payden Emmett/Lucas Falconer, 4.9, $3,396; 4. Aaron Tsinigine/Kyle Lockett, 5.0, $2,797; 5. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 5.6, $2,197; 6. J.C. Yeahquo/L.J. Yeahquo, 5.9, $1,598; 7. Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith, 6.6, $999; 8. Clay Smith/Jake Long, 9.0, $400.
Finals: 1. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 5.2 seconds, $9,870 each; 2. Luke Brown/Hunter Koch, 5.3, $7,520; 3. Payden Emmett/Lucas Falconer, 5.4, $5,250; 4. Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith, 9.4, $2,350.
SADDLE BRONC RIDING
Semifinal Playoffs: 1. Zeke Thurston, 91.5 points on Andrews Rodeo’s All Or Nothing, $4,594; 2. Stetson Dell Wright, 88, $3,995; 3. Dawson Hay, 87.5, $3,396; 4. (tie) Quinten Taylor and Ryder Wright, 87, $2,497 each; 6. Tanner Butner, 86.5, $1,598; 7. (tie) Wyatt Casper and Damian Brennan, 85.5, $699 each.
Finals: 1. Stetson Dell Wright, 90 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Brutus, $9,870; 2. (tie) Zeke Thurston, Tanner Butner, Quinten Taylor and Wyatt Casper, 88, $3,780 each.
TIE-DOWN ROPING
Semifinal Playoffs: 1. (tie) Cory Solomon and Hunter Herrin, 7.7 seconds, $4,295 each; 3. Riley Mason Webb, 8.0, $3,396; 4. Dylan Hancock, 8.2, $2,797; 5. (tie) Tuf Case Cooper and Clint Singleton, 8.6, $1,898 each; 7. Beau Cooper, 8.7, $999; 8. Bo Pickett, 8.8, $400.
Finals: 1. Hunter Herrin, 7.1 seconds, $9,870; 2. Riley Mason Webb, 7.3, $7,520; 3. Beau Cooper, 7.8, $5,250; 4. Tuf Case Cooper, 7.9, $2,350.
BARREL RACING
Semifinal Playoffs: 1. Jordon Briggs, 14.78 seconds, $4,594; 2. Jessica Routier, 14.93, $3,995; 3. Presley Smith, 14.95, $3,396; 4. Amanda Welsh, 14.97, $2,797; 5. Rachelle Riggers, 15.00, $2,197; 6. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 15.01, $1,598; 7. Stephanie Fryar, 15.02, $999; 8. (tie) BryAnna Haluptzok and Tiany Schuster, 15.07, $200 each.
Finals: 1. Amanda Welsh, 14.88 seconds, $9,870; 2. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 14.96, $7,520; 3. Presley Smith, 14.97, $5,250; 4. Jessica Routier, 14.98, $2,350.
BULL RIDING
Semifinal Playoffs: 1. Josh Frost, 86.5 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Crazy Heart, $5,194; 2. Tyler Bingham, 85.5, $4,594; 3. Zach Miles, 84, $3,995; 4. (tie) Kase Hitt and Trey Holston, 82, $3,096 each; no other qualified rides.
Finals: 1. Jace Trosclair, 87.5 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Wild Onion, $9,870; 2. Mazinho Jeremias, 86.5, $7,520; 3. Tyler Bingham, 86, $5,250; 4. Josh Frost, 83, $2,350. *(all totals include ground money).
BREAKAWAY ROPING
Semifinal Playoffs: 1. Joey Williams, 2.0 seconds, $4,594; 2. Brooke Rogers, 2.1, $3,995; 3. Martha Angelone, 2.2, $3,396; 4. Sarah Angelone, 2.7, $2,797; 5. Heather McLaughlin, 3.1, $2,197; 6. Hali Williams, 3.2, $1,598; 7. (tie) Sawyer Gilbert and Lynn Smith, 3.4, $699 each.
Finals: 1. Sawyer Gilbert, 2.2 seconds, $9,870; 2. Martha Angelone, 2.5, $7,520; 3. Joey Williams, 2.8, $5,250; 4. Lynn Smith, 12.4, $2,350.
