(Editor's note: NWSSR release)
DENVER - Three-time world champion Clay Tryan put his foot on the gas pedal Thursday night eager for a hot start to the 2022 PRCA season.
Tryan and partner Jake Long of Coffeyville, Kan. turned in a team roping run of 4.8 seconds in Denver to win Round 14 at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo. Top competitors from the week-long rodeo are invited back for Saturday's lucrative semifinals.
Miles Kobold of Huntley and Chase Gauger of Pryor placed third in Thursday's round in a time of 7.8 seconds.
Meanwhile, Adam Gray of Seymour, Texas put himself in position to win a second NWSSR championship in the Denver Coliseum on Thursday.
Gray stopped the clock in 8.0 seconds to have the fastest run at the 10:30 a.m. performance. He came back and roped at the evening rodeo and while he wasn’t the leader of the pack, he still had a great run at 8.3 seconds. That has him tied at the top of the overall leaderboard with 2019 world champion Haven Meged at 16.3 seconds on two runs.
These two will be part of Saturday’s Semifinals for sure where they get a clean slate. Each of the three rodeos on Saturday will have eight contestants in each of the events. The fastest four times and highest four scores from those three rodeos will compete on Sunday for the championship.
Gray is the defending champion here from 2020, the first time the rodeo used a bracketed format to declare the champion. He also won it in 2015. The civil engineering graduate from Texas Tech got his education because of rodeo and is using his degree now at his job. Roping has been a hobby that he still enjoys and if he wins his third title here, the job might take a backseat as he pursues his seventh Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualification.
The tie-down roping was very fast on Thursday night. Bo Pickett from Caldwell, Idaho had the best run of the night at 8.1 seconds. Brenham, Texas, resident Wyatt Imus was just one-tenth of a second behind him. Then Gray tied with Colton Farquer from Oakdale, California with 8.3. Gray and Farquer will be watching the competition on Friday to see if they can hold their positions of first and seventh respectively and compete again Saturday.
There are two performances of the rodeo in the Denver Coliseum on Friday at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
13th Performance --
Bareback Riding: 1, Leighton Berry, Weatherford, Texas., 82.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Fire’s Easy. 2, Wyatt Maines, Elkwater, Alberta., 81. 3, Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D., 76. 4, (tie) Richmond Champion, Stevensville, Mont., and Kyle Bloomquist, Raymond, Minn., 76.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Tristan Martin, Sulphur, La., 4.2 seconds. 2, Heath Thomas, Hemphill, Texas., 4.4. 3, Stetson Jorgensen, Blackfoot, Idaho., 4.5. 4, Hunter Cure, Holliday, Texas., 4.6.
Team Roping: 1, Paul David Tierney, Oklahoma City, and Tanner Braden, Dewey, Okla., 5.6 seconds. 2, Justin Pruitt, and Blaine Turner, Batesville, Ark., 6.0. 3, Cooper and Tucker James White, Hershey, Neb., 6.4. 4, Cody Snow, Los Olivos, Calif., and Wesley Thorp, Throckmorton, Texas, 6.9.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Lefty Holman, Visalia, Calif., 83.5 on Cervi Brothers Rodeo’s Boss. 2, Lucas Macza, High River, Alberta, 78. 3, Logan Cook, Alto, Texas., 76.5. 4, Tyler Corrington, Hastings Mont., 74.
Tie-Down Roping: 1, Adam Gray, Seymour, Texas, 8.0 seconds. 2, Kason Dyer, Ottawa, Kan., 8.9. 2, Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, La., 9.1. 4, Kyle Lucas, Carstairs, Alberta., 9.3.
Women’s Barrel Race: 1, BryAnna Haluptzok, Tenstrike, Minn., 15.19. 2, Cassidy Champlin, Pilot Point, Texas, 15.29. 3, Kelly Yates, Pueblo, Colo., 15.38. 4, Bradi Whiteside, Longview Alberta, 15.49.
Bull Riding: (Three qualified Rides) 1, Jeff Askey, Athens, Texas., 75.5 on Bailey Pro Rodeo’s The Conductor. 2, Clayton Appelhans, Colby, Kan., 71.5. 3, Tanner Eno, Coronation Alberta, 64.
14th Performance --
Bareback Riding: 1, Jamie Howlett, Roma, Australia, 82.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s, Midnight Snack. 2, Nate S McFadden, Elsmere, Neb., 77.5. 3, Spur Lacasse, Calgary, Alberta, 76. Mike Solberg, Sunnynook, Alberta, 74.5.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Cody Pratt, Pueblo, Colo., 4.0 seconds. 2, Travis Munro, Townsville, Australia, 4.1. 3, Wyatt Jurney, Las Cruces, N.M, 4.4. 4, Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D., 5.3.
Team Roping: 1, Clay Tryan, Billings, Mont., and Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kan., 4.8 seconds. 2, Chace Thompson, Knox City, Texas, and Tyson Thompson, Munday, Texas, 6.0. 3, Miles Kobold, Huntley, Mont., and Chase Gauger, Pryor, Mont., 7.8. 4, Lightning Aguilera, Athens, Texas, and Coleby Payne, Stevensville, Texas, 19.4.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Damian Brennan, Injune, Australia, 80 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s High Rolling Sidney. 2, Cash Wilson, Wall, S.D., 78. 3, Taygen Schuelke, Newell, S.D., 77. 4, Kash Deal, Faith, S.D., 70.
Tie Down Roping: 1, Bo Pickett, Caldwell, Idaho, 8.1 seconds. 2, Wyatt Imus, Brenham, Texas, 8.2. 3, (tie) Adam Gray, Seymour, Texas, and Colton Farquer, Oakdale, Calif. 8.3
Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Ilyssa Riley, Hico, Texas, 15.11 seconds. 2, Ashley Castleberry, Montgomery, Texas, 15.51. 3, CJ Vondette, Rifle, Colo., 15.57. 4, Sissy Winn, Chapman Ranch, Texas, 15.61.
Bull Riding: (No qualified rides)
