(Editor's note: PRCA media release)
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. – Nathan Hatchel will always call Hennessy, Okla. home because that is where he was born and raised, but on Sunday afternoon, he was very proud to be a current resident of Douglas County Colorado.
Hatchel rode Summit Pro Rodeo’s bull named Sandhills Terror for 87 points to win $2,546 at the 102nd Douglas County Fair & Rodeo. It was one of the biggest wins of his young career and definitely a memorable one.
One year ago, Hatchel was just three months into a new job working for his grandfather who owns a custom home construction company in the area. He was preparing for a September wedding and was just a few months out of college. He graduated from Southwestern Oklahoma State University with a business management degree. His wife, Kodi, has a nursing degree from the same institution.
He competed in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association and qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo. And while he loves riding bucking bulls, his priority is the home-building business. So, on the weekends he will be decked out in boots, cowboy hat and spurs, and during the week, his attire turns to business casual.
Many rodeo contestants say that their hometown rodeo is the hardest to win, they feel more pressure there with family and friends in attendance and never do as well as they would like. Hatchel had plenty of people rooting for him, but the bulk of them had to watch it on The Cowboy Channel.
Another Colorado cowboy that had success at the 102nd Douglas County Fair & Rodeo on Sunday afternoon was bareback rider Logan Patterson of Kim. He rode Summit Pro Rodeo’s Game Trail to tie Draper, Utah’s Mason Clements. They each had 87-point rides and won $2,058.
Patterson is currently 19th in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world standings. The money he won here will get him closer to the top 15 who qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo held in Las Vegas in December.
The Douglas County Fair & Rodeo celebrated their 102nd anniversary this year. The committee worked to put on a rodeo in a time when many events are canceling due to COVID-19. Social distancing and extra safety measures were put into practice. This year’s rodeo saw a $4,000 increase in their total payoff. Their event is continuing to grow and attract great contestants from the Mountain States Circuit as well as across North America.
One of those contestants was saddle bronc rider Jake Watson from Hudson’s Hope British Columbia. Watson rode a horse from Summit Pro Rodeo named Western Expo for 87 points to win $2,284. Blake Knowles from Heppner, Oregon finished at the top of the leaderboard in the steer wrestling. He stopped the clock in 4.5 seconds to win $2,097.
In the team roping it was Kaleb Driggers from Hoboken, Ga. and Carson Johnson of Casper, Wyo. who got the win. They earned the biggest paychecks of any contestant here at $2,666 each for their 4.7-second run. Kincade Henry from Mount Pleasant, Texas had the fastest time in the tie-down roping at 8.8 seconds, good for $2,530.
The best barrel racing run came during Saturday night’s performance when Emily Miller of Weatherford, Okla. stopped the clock in 17.19 seconds. Riding her great horse Beau, she added $1,854 to her season earnings.
Unofficial results:
Bareback riding: 1, (tie) Logan Patterson, Kim, Colo., on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Game Trail and Mason Clements, Draper, Utah, on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Revolving Door, 87 points and $2,058 each. 3, Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa, 84.5, $1,320. 4, Craig Wisehart, Kersey, Colo., 83, $854. 5, Tilden Hooper, Carthage, Texas, 82.5, $388. 6, Jeffery Zdziarski, Weston, Wyo., $388. 7, Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, Minn., 80, $311. 8, (tie) Cole Reiner, Kaycee, Wyo., and Jake Brown, Cleveland, Texas, 79, $116.
Steer wrestling: 1, Blake Knowles, Heppner, Ore., 4.5 seconds, $2,097. 2, Kalane Anders, Bayard, Neb., 4.8, $1,824. 3, Dalton Burgener, Douglas, Wyo., 4.9, $1,550. 4, Seth Peterson, Saguache, Colo., 5.3, $1,277. 5, Trey Jackson, Keensburg, Colo., 5.4, $1,277. 6, Mike Garcia, Casper, Wyo., 5.6, $729. 7, Tanner Jackson, Keensburg, Colo., 5.7, $456. 8, Austin Eller, Glendo, Wyo., 5.9, $182.
Team roping: 1, Kaleb Driggers, Hoboken, Ga., and Carson Johnson, Casper, Wyo., 4.7 seconds, $2,666 each. 2, J.B. James Jr., Bennett, Colo., and Brock Hanson, Bennett, Colo., 4.8, $2,385. 3, Garrett Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, and Dustin Davis, Terrell, Texas, 5.1, $2,104. 4, Cory Kidd V, Statesville, N.C., and Clay Futrell, Union Grove, N.C., 5.4, $1,824. 5, (tie) Casey Tew, Billings, Mont., and Jared Fillmore, Payson, Utah; and Jhett Trenary, Salida, Colo., and Trevor Schnaufer, Pueblo, Colo., 5.5, $1,403. 7, (tie) Austin Crist, Fountain, Colo., and Caleb Anderson, Mocksville, N.C.; and Matt Sherwood, Pima, Ariz., and Trey Yates, Pueblo, Colo.; and Philip Schuman, Johnstown, Colo., and Josh Fillmore, Penrose, Colo., 5.9, $702. 10, Brit Ellerman, Fort Lupton, Colo., and Trey Johnson, Weatherford, Texas, 6.0 and $140 each.
Saddle bronc riding: 1, Jake Watson, Hudson’s Hope, British Columbia, 87 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Western Expo, $2,284. 2, Cody Demoss, Heflin, La., 86, $1,751. 3, Mitch Pollock, Winnemucca, Nevada, 82.5, $1,294. 4, Tanner Butner, Daniel, Wyo., 79, $838. 5, Layton Green, Meeting Creek, Alberta, 78.5, $533. 6, Allen Boore, Axtell, Utah, 77.5, $381. 7, Tyler Corrington, Laramie, Wyo., 75, $305. 8, CoBurn Bradshaw, Beaver, Utah, 74, $228.
Tie-down roping: 1, Kincade Henry, Mount Pleasant, Texas, 8.8 seconds, $2,530. 2, Stetson Vest, Childress, Texas, 9.0, $2,200. 3, Clint Graves, Limon, Colo., 9.2, $1,870. 4, Hagen Houck, Henrietta, Texas, 10.1, $1,540. 5, Joey Dickens, Loveland, Colo., 10.3, $1,210. 6, Ryan Belew, LaJunta, Colo., 10.5, $880. 7, Sterling Williams, Stephenville, Texas, 10.8, $550. 8, Rance Johnson, Cheyenne, Wyo., 11.0, $220. .
Barrel racing: 1, Emily Miller, Weatherford, Okla., 17.19 seconds, $1,854. 2, Leia Pluemer, Bosque Farms, N.M., 17.31, $1,589. 3, Michelle Alley, Madisonville, Texas, 17.36, $1,324. 4, Megan Champion, Ukiah, Calif., 17.43, $1,147. 5, Jackie Ganter, Abilene, Texas, 17.47, $883. 6, Amanda Welsh, Gillette, Wyo., 17.50, $706. 7, Kathy Grimes, Medical Lake, Wash., 17.60, $530. 8, Mindy Goemmer, Battle Mountain, Nev., 17.64, $353. 9, (tie) Fallon Taylor, Dallas, Texas, and Chris Gibson, Windsor, Colo., 17.67, $221 each.
Bull Riding: 1, Nathan Hatchel, Hennessy, Okla., 87 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Sandhills Terror, $2,546. 2, Ruger Piva, Challis, Idaho, 83.5, $1,960. 3, Garrett Smith, Rexburg, Idaho, 82.5, $1,458. 4, Dylan Grant, Pavillion, Wyo., 81, $956. 5, Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, 75.5, $621. 4, Dillon Tyner, Eaton, Colo., 75, $454. 7, Gray Essary III, Somerville, Tenn., 74, $370.
