There’s nothing like the first time, but for Erich Rogers and Paul Eaves, winning their second California Rodeo Salinas titles July 21, 2024, felt equally epic.
Rogers and Eaves topped the field of 100 teams to take home the prestigious California Rodeo Salinas title with a 46.5 on five steers. Raking in $10,946 a man, Salinas also aided Rogers and Eaves in climbing to 15th and 16th in the world standings with $61,691.99 and $62,291.00 won on the year.
“It’s just as sweet as the first time,” Rogers, the 2017 World Champion, said with a laugh. “Horsepower is the greatest thing that we got and, when you got good horses and you draw good, it makes things a lot easier to capitalize on what we do. When you come out here to Salinas, it’s kind of a good time to hang out and just have fun and enjoy family and friends.”
Rogers won the coveted Salinas title for the first time in 2016 with Cory Petska. Eaves, on the other hand, won his first in 2021 with Colby Lovell when the rodeo hosted the ProRodeo Tour Finale. Winning it in a “normal” year does make a difference in Eaves’ opinion.
“This [year] probably means a little bit more just because there’s the original setup and the 100 teams—the whole deal,” admitted two-time World Champion Eaves. “I mean, that [first] one was awesome for sure, but this probably means a little more.”
Big Week marathon
A rodeo of unique traditions, Salinas is famous for its 35-foot score in the team roping. Over the years, they’ve roped a little bit of everything, from fresh steers to older steers. This year the team ropers recognized the herd from the Reno Rodeo, and the steers continued to get better as the week progressed.
“We knew they were going to be good and strong, and then they kind of gave it up a little bit,” Rogers said. “But when you strap it out there 30 feet and you’re chasing them, it’s hard on them and it’s hard on everything. So, guys were roping them and stretching them out, and then they were a good set of steers.”
The famous long score was no match, though, for Rogers and Eaves’ team of horses. Rogers rode a gelding he calls “Whiskey,” who has a special background with the 12-time NFR qualifier.
“He’s a son of a mare that I rode years ago, and Driftwood on the bottom and then a little running bred on top,” Rogers explained. “I’ve raised him since he was a baby, and I brought him here last year as a 4-year-old, placed on him and then got here and got the win on him again. So pretty special.”
Eaves called on TRR Big Hustler, his 13-year-old, roan Tongue River Ranch horse he calls “Kid Rock.”
“I got him from a guy that lives right around me and had him the last two years,” Eaves said. “He’s really, really done a good job.”
Rogers and Eaves kicked off the Salinas marathon July 18, with an 8.0-second run for fourth in the first round for $1,686 a man. They stayed solid in the average race but outside the money with an 11.3 in the second round, 9.4 in the third round and 9.2 in Round 4. They entered the short round high call with a 37.9 on four steers without much of a game plan.
“Everybody was catching, making good runs, and the steers were really good,” Eaves said of the short round. “We knew that ours was kind of the pick of the [herd], and I think we had to be 10 to win it, so just catch the steer.”
With an 8.6-second run, they won third in the short round for $950 a man and sealed the deal on the aggregate with a 46.5 on five steers for $8,310 each.
On to the next ones
Salinas is also unique in that the team ropers run four steers, and five if they qualify for the 12-man short round on Sunday. That means teams are there for the entire duration of the four-day rodeo. With so many other major rodeos going on like Salt Lake City’s Days of ’47, Cheyenne Frontier Days, Fiesta Days Rodeo in Spanish Fork and Ogden Pioneer Days, many teams fly or drive back and forth. But for Rogers and Eaves, they were able to layover in the cool, coastal weather for the duration.
“We didn’t do any good at Salt Lake, so we were here the whole time,” Eaves said. “I kind of took it as a blessing to hang out with family and stay right here.”
Rogers and Eaves followed their Salinas win with a 5.0-second run in the first round at Ogden on Monday. Next, they will rope at Spanish Fork, Utah, Wednesday, July 24.
Full 2024 California Rodeo Salinas team roping results
First round: 1. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 7.5 seconds, $2,770 each; 2. (tie) Kash Bonnett/Logan Spady and Dallas Owen/Brent Lockett, 7.9, $2,228 each; 4. Erich Rogers/Paul Eaves, 8.0, $1,686; 5. Lane Karney/Wyatt Hansen, 8.2, $1,325; 6. Brayden Schmidt/Kyle Lockett, 8.5, $963; 7. Audon Lutz/Mike Anaya, 8.6, $602; 8. Kolton Schmidt/Landen Glenn, 8.8, $241.
Second round: 1. Presto Burgess/Cody Cowden, 8.4 seconds, $2,770 each; 2. Daniel Green/Elijah Green, 8.6, $2,409; 3. Kolton Schmidt/Landen Glenn, 8.8, $2,047; 4. Doyle Hoskins/William Cowden, 8.9, $1,686; 5. Shain Sproul/Manny Flores, 9.0, $1,325; 6. Luke Brown/Travis Graves, 9.2, $963; 7. Kash Bonnett/Logan Spady, 9.4, $602; 8. (tie) Derrick Begay/Colter Todd, Jake Clay/Trey Yates, Ben Jordan/JR Gonzalez and Jaxson Tucker/Jason Johe, 9.5, $60 each.
Third round: 1. Jaxson Tucker/Jason Johe, 7.4 seconds, $2,770 each; 2. Derrick Begay/Colter Todd, 8.0, $2,409; 3. J.D. Yates/Jake Bourdet, 8.1, $2,047; 4. (tie) Tee McLeod/Sid Sporer and Reno Stoebner/L.J. Yeahquo, 8.3, $1,505 each; 6. Doyle Hoskins/William Cowden, 8.5, $963; 7. Luke Brown/Travis Graves, 9.0, $602; 8. Audon Lutz/Mike Anaya, 9.2, $241.
Fourth round: 1. Jr. Dees/JC Flake, 6.7 seconds, $2,770 each; 2. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 7.4, $2,409; 3. Tee McLeod/Sid Sporer, 8.2, $2,047; 4. Dallas Owen/Brent Lockett, 8.4, $1,686; 5. Jaxson Tucker/Jason Johe, 8.6, $1,325; 6. Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, 8.8, $963; 7. Chad Masters/Wyatt Cox, 9.0, $602; 8. Chisum Allen/Rial Engelhart, 9.1, $241.
Finals: 1. Aaron Tsinigine/Dennison Boone, 8.4 seconds, $1,450 each; 2. Derrick Begay/Colter Todd, 8.5, $1,200; 3. Erich Rogers/Paul Eaves, 8.6, $950; 4. Ben Jordan/JR Gonzalez, 8.7, $700; 5. Devon McDaniel/Walt Woodard, 8.9, $450; 6. (tie) Chase Helton/Spencer Mitchell and Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 9.0, $125 each.
Average: 1. Erich Rogers/Paul Eaves, 46.5 seconds on five head, $8,310 each; 2. Wyatt Bray/Paden Bray, 48.7, $7,226; 3. Derrick Begay/Colter Todd, 49.0, $6,142; 4. Brayden Schmidt/Kyle Lockett, 50.9, $5,058; 5. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 51.0, $3,974; 6. Devon McDaniel/Walt Woodard, 51.3, $2,890; 7. Ben Jordan/JR Gonzalez, 51.5, $1,806; 8. Aaron Tsinigine/Dennison Boone, 53.0, $723.