ProRodeo Update brought to you by CSI Saddlepads
2019 Resistol Rookie Heeling Champion Paden Bray is eyeing his first trip to the Wrangler NFR after a big hit from winning the Guymon (Oklahoma) Pioneer Days Rodeo with a time of 9.9 seconds on two head, adding $3,760 to his earnings.
Bray, 21, of Stephenville, Texas, jumped from 13th in the PRCA world standings with $38,177.08 in total earnings to ninth with $45,775.64 after winning the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo and the Eastern Montana Fair Rodeo in Miles City, Montana, with a month left in the 2020 PRCA season.
“I’m not trying to really think about it that much,” Bray said. “I just know that Guymon sure was a nice hit. That kind of helped to get over the hump a little bit. That was the last good rodeo—two-header, especially—for the year. Everywhere else besides the tour finale is going to be knife fights. A guy is going to have to draw good to do good.”
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2017 World Champion Erich Rogers, who is now eighth in the PRCA world standings with the same amount of money won as Bray, and Bray split eighth in the first round at the Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo with Paul David Tierney and Thomas Smith with a 5.5-second run, worth $109 a man, and confirmed their average win on their second steer with a 4.4-second run, adding $2,506 to each of their earnings.
“The steers were pretty good over there,” Bray said. “There was a handful of stronger ones, but we made a good run on our first one. The steer just kind of stepped left. He was still a good steer. To win the second round and win the average—we won almost $6,000 on that steer right there because he was just that good. Rogers took two swings and I heeled him. We just kind of caught. That steer is the one that made it for us, really.”
The Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo usually happens in early spring and is one of the most anticipated two-header rodeos for team ropers because they usually rope muleys. But because the committee rescheduled to August, the stock contractor brought horned cattle since the pen of muleys weighed over 1,000 pounds.
“The timing of it was obviously a little overdue,” Bray said. “They roped steers from Dodge (City, Kansas) and I thought they were pretty good.”
Rogers and Bray flew in to rope at Guymon and rode horses that Bray’s brother Wyatt brought. Rogers rode a 10-year-old roan mare that Logan Olson used to ProRodeo on.
“It was Logan’s mare and then my dad went partners with him,” Bray said about the roan mare. “Logan has slowed down and has been working a lot. My brother is the one who mainly rides that mare. Erich has rode her several times, too. He gets along with her good.”
Bray heeled on his second-string bay horse, Diesel.
“I rode him this winter quite a bit. He’s still kind of quirky and doesn’t haul real good yet. They just ranched on him so much that he doesn’t like being alone and stuff. Those other two horses are so good and solid that it’s hard for me to get off them. I’ve rode them the last two years. He’s really fast, big and strong. He sure hurts a lot of steers. He finishes hard.”
Rogers and Bray added another $1,224 to each of their earnings after winning the Eastern Montana Fair Rodeo with a 4.5-second run.
“I was over there hanging out at Haven’s (Meged) house for a couple days and got practiced up over there,” Bray said. “We were last out in the performance. All the steers were pretty good over there at Miles City, and we just drew a good one and used him.”
Bray heeled on his 17-year-old dun gelding, Hugh Hefner, in Miles City, while Rogers headed on his horse, Boogie, who ended up being foot-sore after their run.
“He doesn’t have any sole in his foot,” Bray said. “He’s been riding a horse that my brother has that my dad trained. A bay horse. That’s what he’s been riding at the rodeos and ropings.”
Despite Rogers giving his best horse a much needed break, Bray knows how crucial the last few weeks in ProRodeo are as he and Rogers are entered just about everywhere they could get their names down.
“We’re going to three this week and then next week we’re going to about six or seven,” Bray said. “We’re buddying with Levi (Simpson) and Shay (Carroll), so we’ll jump in the truck with them. We’re going to go to about four with them, and then we’re going to three before that.”
The most recent PRCA headlines have spectators and contestants wondering where the 2020 Wrangler NFR will be held, but Bray knows that is not in his control as long as he finishes the season in the top 15.
“I just need to worry about doing my job,” said Bray, who finished 17th in the 2019 season. “They’re going to have it where they’re going to have it. I would obviously love for it to be in Vegas, but I can’t really do much if it’s not. Wherever they have it I’m still pumped. I just plan on trying to be there.”
PRCA world standings Top 15
Headers:
- Luke Brown, $83,178.50
- Clay Smith, $67,357.75
- Colby Lovell, $60,277.73
- Dustin Egusquzia, $60,179.38
- Cody Snow, $60,156.34
- Charly Crawford, $54,626.27
- Clay Tryan, $47,500.30
- Erich Rogers, $45,775.64
- Andrew Ward, $43,820.16
- Levi Simpson, $42,859.29
- Kolton Schmidt, $42,096.70
- Nelson Wyatt, $41,672.61
- Chad Masters, $41,065.04
- Jeff Flenniken, $40,800.63
- Matt Sherwood, $40,598.73
Heelers:
- Jade Corkill, $67,357.75
- Joseph Harrison, $65,151.80
- Logan Medlin, $54,017.84
- Jake Long, $53,098.16
- Travis Graves, $52,508.64
- Paul Eaves, $50,928.13
- Shay Carroll, $48,728.95
- Junior Nogueira, $48,721.25
- Paden Bray, $45,775.64
- Buddy Hawkins II, $43,820.16
- Levi Lord, $42,871.11
- Tyler Worley, $42,546.97
- Hunter Koch, $42,096.70
- Wesley Thorp $41,065.04
- Chase Tryan, $37,831.78
Full Results:
Oregon Trail Rodeo
Hastings, Neb. 1. Cory Kidd V/Clay Futrell, 4.4 seconds, $1,617 each; 2. Clay Ullery/Jake Edwards, 4.6, $1,339; 3. Andrew Ward/Buddy Hawkins II, 4.8, $1,060; 4. Tyler Wade/Billie Jack Saebens, 4.9, $781; 5. Paul David Tierney/Thomas Smith, 5.2, $502; 6. Brit Ellerman/Trey Johnson, 5.9, $279.
Guymon Pioneer Days Rodeo
Guymon, Okla. First round: 1. Nick Sartain/Blaine Vick, 4.2 seconds, $2,506 each; 2. Luke Brown/Patrick Smith, 4.8, $2,179; 3. (tie) Chad Masters/Wesley Thorp and Cody Snow/Junior Nogueira, 5.2, $1,689 each; 5. (tie) Cooper White/Tucker White and J.C. Yeahquo/L.J. Yeahquo, 5.3, $1,035 each; 7. Jaxson Tucker/Cole Davison, 5.4, $545; 8. (tie) Paul David Tierney/Thomas Smith and Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 5.5, $109 each. Second round: 1. Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 4.4 seconds, $2,506 each; 2. (tie) Clint Summers/Douglas Rich and Dustin Egusquiza/Marty Yates, 4.5, $2,016 each; 4. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 4.6, $1,526; 5. Coleman Proctor/Ryan Motes, 4.9, $1,199; 6. Laramie Allen/Truman Magnus, 5.0, $872; 7. Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 5.2, $545; 8. (tie) Cody Snow/Junior Nogueira, Paul David Tierney/Thomas Smith and Clay Smith/Jade Corkill, 5.3, $73 each. Average: 1. Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 9.9 seconds on two head, $3,760 each; 2. Cody Snow/Junior Nogueira, 10.5, $3,269; 3. Paul David Tierney/Thomas Smith, 10.8, $2,779; 4. Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 11.0, $2,288; 5. Chad Masters/Wesley Thorp, 11.2, $1,798; 6. J.C. Yeahquo/L.J. Yeahquo, 11.3, $1,308; 7. (tie) Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley and Jake Orman/Brye Crites, 11.5, $572 each.
Cowtown Rodeo
Woodstown Pilesgrove, N.J. 1. Chuck Smith/Kevin Brown, 5.6 seconds, $1,125 each; 2. Jacob Rounds/Shawn Quinn, 5.8, $844; 3. Eric Fabian/Derek Carey, 6.9, $563; 4. Terry Shetron/J.R. Myers, 7.6, $281.
Mesquite Championship Rodeo
Mesquite, Texas 1. Charly Crawford/Logan Medlin, 4.9 seconds, $1,125 each; 2. Wyatt Imus/Joseph Harrison, 5.5, $844; 3. Billy Bob Brown/Zane Bruce, 5.7, $563; 4. Luke Brown/Patrick Smith, 6.8, $281.
Price County Rodeo
Phillips, Wis. 1. Coy Rahlmann/Ryan Von Ahn, 4.9 seconds, $920 each; 2. Adam Rose/Heath Williams, 6.1, $761; 3. (tie) Keith Hanna/Corey Barnett and Mitchell Barney/J.W. Nelson, 6.7, $523 each; 5. Tyler Jackson/Hadley DeShazo, 7.0, $286; 6. Tye Casey/Jake Hawkins, 11.9, $159.
Annual World s Oldest Continuous Rodeo
Payson, Ariz. 1. Cody Snow/Junior Nogueira, 4.3 seconds, $1,924 each; 2. (tie) Aaron Tsinigine/Kyle Lockett and Reno Stoebner/Colton Brittain, 5.2, $1,548 each; 4. Matt Sherwood/Trey Yates, 5.4, $1,171; 5. Nate Singletary/Tom Bill Johnson, 5.5, $920; 6. Kal Fuller/Reagan Ward, 5.6, $669; 7. Rhett Anderson/Cullen Teller, 7.2, $418; 8. Pedro Egurrola/Trevor Nowlin, 9.4, $167.
Brown County Fair Pro Rodeo
Depere, Wis. 1. Cooper Bruce/Reed Boos, 5.1 seconds, $954 each; 2. (tie) Butch Levell/Brent Miller and Adam Rose/Heath Williams, 5.5, $707 each; 4. Brody Braden/Trent Vaught, 6.3, $461; 5. Shaw Loiseau/Cole Stevens, 7.0, $296; 6. Rob McPhail/Dustin Schaefer, 8.4, $165.
Cassia County Fair & Rodeo
Burley, Idaho 1. Jr. Dees/Coleby Payne, 3.8 seconds, $2,041 each; 2. Jake Orman/Brye Crites, 4.4, $1,775; 3. (tie) Hayes Smith/Evan Arnold, Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley and Kaleb Driggers/Cory Petska, 4.6, $1,243 each; 6. Tadd Thomas/Kelton Morse, 4.8, $710; 7. Quinn Kesler/Colby Siddoway, 4.9, $444; 8. (tie) Cody Snow/Junior Nogueira and Matt Sherwood/Trey Yates, 5.1, $89 each.
Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo
Kalispell, Mont. 1. Levi Simpson/Shay Dixon Carroll, 5.1 seconds, $1,941 each; 2. Clay Ullery/Jake Edwards, 5.2, $1,688; 3. Aaron Tsinigine/Kyle Lockett, 5.9, $1,435; 4. Caden Camp/Riley Wilson, 6.0, $1,181; 5. Spencer Mitchell/Jason Duby, 6.1, $928; 6. Cody Tew/Zachary Schweigert, 6.8, $675; 7. Brady Tryan/Trent Tunke, 7.2, $422; 8. Reno Stoebner/Colton Brittain, 7.3, $169.
Big Timber Weekly PRCA Rodeo
Big Timber, Mont. 1. Shawn Bessette/Matt Robertson, 6.2 seconds, $981 each; 2. Brooks Dahozy/JC Flake, 6.4, $812; 3. Steven Duby/Taylor Duby, 11.0, $643; 4. Hank Hollenbeck/John Bell, 12.5, $474; 5. Cody Tew/Zachary Schweigert, 12.6, $305; 6. Spencer Mitchell/Jason Duby, 13.7, $169.
Eastern Montana Fair Rodeo
Miles City, Mont. 1. Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 4.5 seconds, $1,224 each; 2. Ian Austiguy/Sam Levine, 4.9, $1,013; 3. Brady Tryan/Trent Tunke, 5.1, $802; 4. Shawn Bessette/Matt Robertson, 5.3, $591; 5. Cooper White/Tucker White, 5.5, $380; 6. Bryce Bott/Logan Brown, 6.7, $211.
