SAN ANGELO, TX – Every sports fan loves it when games come down to the wire to decide the winners.
Competitors love it, too. Saddle bronc riding at the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo is going to be decided during a showdown at Friday night’s championship round. Just three-and-a-half points separates the 11 men who will compete for the San Angelo title.
“At a lot of rodeos, it’s just gambling, and there are a lot of factors,” said Chase Brooks, who rodeo Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s High Dive for 86.5 points during Thursday’s 10th performance; he finished fourth in the first round and secured his spot in the finale. “First, we had to get the right horse, and then we both have got to have the right day. So, you just show up do what we do all year, and I figure it’s going to lay the way God has it planned.”
It seems simple. It isn’t. Brooks qualified for the National Finals Rodeo six straight years beginning in 2018. Injuries have sidelined him enough the last two years that he stayed home in December. His faith and a young family have been his saving grace when he wasn’t able to ride broncs.
“A couple years of injuries slowed me down, but every time I was hurt, I got to spend more time at home with the girls, and I was fortunate for that,” said Brooks, 31, originally from Deer Lodge, Montana, but now living in Brock, Texas, with his wife, Cara, and their two daughters, C.J. and Cecile. “There’s always a reason He puts us somewhere. I think Him giving me a break like that was maybe the best thing that could ever happen to me.”
It shows in the arena. Thursday was the second trip for High Dive inside CRC Roofers Coliseum. Canadian Kolby Wanchuk was 85.5 points on the powerful bay on the opening weekend.
“I’d been on that horse a few years ago when he was still kind of young, still kind of wild,” said Brooks, who entered this week’s competition sixth in the world standings. “He really didn’t know what he was doing. I saw that Kolby had him earlier, and the horse was really good that day. I figured he’d matured and figured it out. He showed up, and I was happy I matched it.”
Four-time world champion Zeke Thurston won the opening round with an 87.5-point ride on Carr’s Uptuck. Brooks is just a point behind, and his fourth-place check was worth $2,610. The big money will come Championship Friday.
“The energy’s high in that building,” he said of the coliseum. “It’s a little bit smaller than the big, indoor rodeos like Houston, so the crowd really amplifies a bit more than other places. It fills up, and they have all the lights and the pyro. It’s a really cool setting, and it fires a guy up.”
San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo
Bareback riding leaders: 1. Leighton Berry, 92 points on Korkow Rodeo’s Tator Tot, $7,128; 2. Cole Reiner, 88.5, $5,465; 3. Luke Thrash, 88, $4,039; 4. Wacey Schalla, 87.5, $2,614; 5. Wyatt Warneke, 87. $1.663; 6. Kade Sonnier, 86.5, $1,188; 7. (tie) Jayco Roper, Cooper Cooke, Bradlee Miller and Clayton Biglow, 86, $416 each; 11. (tie) Rocker Steiner and Kade Berry, 85.5.
Steer wrestling: Third round leaders: 1. J.D. Struxness, 4.3 seconds, $4,794; 2. Tory Johnson, 4.4, $4,169; 3. (tie) Dalton Massey, Logan Mullin, Laramie Warren and Jacob Daniell, 4.6, $2,605 each; 7. (tie) Tyler Waguespack, Evan Spady, Cimarron Thompson and Tristan Martin, 4.7, $365 each. Average leaders: 1. Cody Devers, 13.4 seconds on three runs; 2. Jesse Brown, 14.1; 3. Colin Fox, 14.2; 4. (tie) Cimarron Thompson and Chase Crane, 15.3; 6. Tyler Waguespack, 13.4; 7. Colt Honey, 15.6; 8. Grant Peterson, 15.7; 9. (tie) Tony Aska and Coy Johnson, 16.4; 11. Trace Harris, 16.5; 12. J.D. Struxness, 17.0.
Tie-down roping: Third round leaders: 1. Cory Solomon, 8.5 seconds, $4,828; 2. (tie) Brodey Clemons, Pax Vogel and Cash Enderli, 8.7, $3,569 each; 5. Richard Newton, 9.0, $2,309; 6. (tie) Trevor Hale, Tom Crouse and Quade Hiatt, 9.1, $1,050 each. Average leaders: 1. Beau Cooper, 26.2 seconds on three runs; 2. Joel Harris, 27.3; 3. Sam Lewis, 27.5; 4. Brodie Mattson, 27.7; 5. Cole Clemons, 28.2; 6. Dylan Hancock, 28.6; 7. (tie) Cash Enderli and Colton Suther, 28.8; 9. Brodey Clemons, 28.9; 10. Sterling Smith, 29.1; 11. Cory Solomon, 29.3; 12. Pax Vogel, 29.4.
Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Zeke Thurston, 87.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Uptuck, $7,118; 2. (tie) Mitchie Story and Damian Brennan, 87, $4,745 each; 4. Chase Brooks, 86.5, $2,610; 5. Lefty Holman, 86, $1,661; 6. (tie) Kolby Wanchuk and Joe Macqueen, 85.5, $1,068 each; 8. (tie) Kade Bruno and Blake Steuck, 85, $356 each; 10. (tie) Ryder Sanford and Tyrel Roberts, 84; 12. (tie) Darcy Radel, Wyatt Casper, Kole Ashbacher and Rusty Wright, 83.5.The final round will only feature the top 11. The four men in 12th place will not advance.
Breakaway roping: Second round leaders: 1. Megan Powell, 2.0 seconds, $4,300; 2. (tie) Sawyer Gilbert, Kirby Rawlinson, Hailey Hall, Tibba Smith, Millie Greenwood and Bradi Good, 2.1, $2,078 each; 8. Kinlie Brennise, 2.2, $967; 9. (tie) Amy Ohrt, Jenna Caldarola and Danielle Lowman, 2.3, $752 each; 12. (tie) Cheyanne McCartney and Delani Beatty, 2.6, $484 each; 14. (tie) Zoie Bedke and Maddy Jacobs, 2.7. $269. Average leaders: 1. Danielle Lowman, 4.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Delani Beatty, 4.6; 3. (tie) Cheyanne McCartney and Cadee Williams, 4.8; 5. Amy Ohrt, 5.0; 6. Tibba Smith, 5.1; 7. Jenna Caldarola, 5.2; 8. (tie) Kirby Rawlinson and Adisyn Henderson, 5.3; 10. Haiden Thompson, 5.4; 11. (tie) Rylee George and Jackie Crawford, 5.7.
Team roping: Third round leaders: 1. Andrew Ward/Jake Long, 3.5 seconds, $3,842; 2. (tie) Dustin Egusquiza/J.C. Flake and Tanner Tomlinson/Coleby Payne, 3.7, $3,090 each; 4. Chad Masters/Jace Helton, 3.8, $2,338; 5. (tie) Logan Olson/York Gill and Kavis Drake/Denim Ross, 4.1, $1,587 each; 7. J.C. Yeahquo/Logan Moore, 4.2, $835; 8. Brenten Hall/Kaden Profili, 4.3, $334. Average leaders: 1. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 14.2 seconds on three runs; 2. Clint Summers/Jade Corkill, 14.6; 3. Ketch Kelton/Paden Bray, 14.9; 4. (tie) Brenten Hall/Kaden Profili, Jake Smith/Douglas Rich and Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 15.1; 7. Jayse Tettenhorst/Belden Cox, 15.2; 8. Cory Kidd/Carson Johnson, 15.7; 9. Shay Carroll/Denton Dunning, 16.3; 10. Brent Mibb/Blayne Home, 17.3; 11. Kavis Drake/Denim Ross, 18.9; 12. (tie) Cash Duty/Jake Edwards and Riley Kittle/Cole Curry, 20.8.
Barrel racing: Second round leaders: 1. Michelle Alley, 14.13 seconds, $5,923; 2. Morgan Addison, 14.17, $5,077; 3. Sarah Roberts, 14.18, $4,231; 4. (tie) London Gorham and Brooklyn Balch, 14.20, $3,244 each; 6. Kassie Mowry, 14.22, $2,256; 7. Shelley Morgan, 14.24, $1,692; 8. Austyn Tobey, 14.26, $1,128; 9. Catherine Asmussen, 14.29, $846; 10. Kristi Cole, 14.31, $564. Average leaders: 1. Michelle Alley, 29.84 seconds on two runs; 2. Kassie Mowry, 29.98; 3. London Gorham, 30.05; 4. LaTricia Duke, 30.06; 5. Austiyn Tobey, 30.21; 6. Morgan Addison, 30.22; 7. Emily Beisel, 20.23; 8. Shelley Morgan, 30.37; 9. Lisa Lockhart, 30.38; 10. Brooklyn Balch, 30.39; 11. Devon Brown, 30.43; 12. (tie) Stephanie Fryer, Lindsay Sears and Keyla Costa, 30.52.
Bull riding leaders: 1. John Crimber, 90 points on New West Rodeo Productions’ Payday, $7,047; 2. Noah Lee, 88.5, $5,403; 3. T.J. Gray, 87.5, $3,993; 4. Tristen Hutchings, 87, $2,584; 5. Josiah Chism, 86.5, $1,644; 6. (tie) Wacey Schalla and Earnie Courson, 86, $1,057 each; 8. Koby Jacobson, 85, $705; 9. Braxton Whitesell, 84.5; 10. (tie) Dakota Hill and Mason Moody, 84; 12. (tie) Clayton Sellars and Hayden Ferguson, 83.5.
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