Tyson Durfey advances to the RodeoHouston BP Super Series Championship with a 9.0 second time winning $2,000 in the Semifinal 1 round and $5,000 total. This marks Durfey’s fifth time to compete at RodeoHouston.
“I’ve never made it to finals, so this is awesome,” Durfey said. “I thought I was going to place lower, but those two-tenths of a second made all the difference.”
Durfey advances to the Championship with Trent Creager, Landon McClaugherty and Stran Smith.
Bobby Mote moved forward to the Championship in Bareback Riding with a score of 88 to win $2,000 and $8,250 total. The 2007 RodeoHouston Bareback Riding Champion, Mote is competing for his second title in Bareback Riding.
“I’ve had great success in the past at RodeoHouston,” Mote said. “I think it’s because of the great atmosphere, great fans and of the course the possibility of winning a lot of money.”
Mote advanced to the Championship with Matt Bright, Jared Keylon and Steven Dent.
Luke Brown and Martin Lucero advances to the Championship in Team Roping with a 5.1 second time winning $4,000 in the Semifinal 1 round and $16,250 total. This is the first year for Brown and Lucero to compete together at RodeoHouston.
“This is wonderful because it’s a step closer to the big one,” Lucero said. “We were the first team out, so we had to make a really aggressive run. We plan to do the same in the finals.”
Brown and Lucero advances to the Championship in Team Roping with Turtle Powell and Cory Petska, Jake Weddle and Broc Cresta, and Ty Blasingame and Cody Hintz.
Rod Hay moves on to the Championship in Saddle Bronc Riding with a score of 81.5 to win $2,000 in the Semifinal 1 round and $4,250 total. This year marks his 22nd time to compete at RodeoHouston.
“A rodeo is already exciting, but Houston truly outdoes them all,” Hay said. “The tournament format is exciting along with the big prize at the end.”
Hay advances to the Championship in Saddle Bronc Riding with Luke Butterfield, Taos Muncy and Bryce Miller.
K.C. Jones made it to the Championship in Steer Wrestling with a 4.0 second run winning $1,500 in the Semifinal 1 round and a total of $4,750. A RodeoHouston competitor for 14 years, Jones advanced to the Semifinals last year.
“When you’ve been rodeoing for so long, you don’t get nervous, but when you get to Houston, it’s completely different,” Jones said. “The hair stands up on your neck when the crowd cheers you on.”
Jones moves on to the Championship in Steer Wrestling with Olin Hannum, Beau Franzen and Trevor Knowles.
Shawn Hogg advances to the Championship in Bull Riding with a score of 81.5 winning $2,000 in the Semifinal 1 round and $6,250 overall. This is Hogg’s second year to compete at RodeoHouston.
“RodeoHouston is the most important of them all,” Hogg said. “If you win in Houston, it catapults your career.”
Hogg moves on to the Championship in Bull Riding with Seth Glause, Clayton Williams and Clint Craig.
Jill Moody advances to the Championship in Barrel Racing with a time of 14.80 winning $2,000 in the Semifinal 1 round and a total of $4,000. This is Moody’s first time to win a Semifinal round.
“This feels great because my mare nearly died last year and it has been slow getting her back,” Moody said.
Moody moves forward to the Championship in Barrel Racing with Sheena Robbins, Rachael Ross and Stephanie Fryar.
Tomorrow, catch the Semifinal 2 round. The top four from each event in each Semifinal round will advance to the BP Super Series Championship March 20. The remaining six from each event in each Semifinal will compete in the Wild Card March 19, where the top two from each event will advance to the BP Super Series Championship March 20.
RodeoHouston BP Super Series Champions walk away with a $50,000 payout, plus previous winnings. The RodeoHouston Super Series continues through March 20, with an Xtreme Bulls competition March 21.
