Half Way through ProRodeo Season Houston Impact Continues

By Courtesy PRCA
Posted Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Houston victories help Sumpter, Peek carry advantages into summer season
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Halfway through the 2008 ProRodeo season, standings leaders in the timed events of steer wrestling and tiepdown roping have pronounced leads in their respective specialties, thanks to RodeoHouston and its innovative Super Series bracket system and big-time payoffs.

RodeoHouston, which ran from March 3-22 at Reliant Stadium, for the second straight year continued its bracket-style format and record $50,000 payouts to the champions, setting the stage for high drama on the event’s final day. The rodeo paid $1,300,000 to a total of 267 contestants, with the champions of the Shootout Round virtually punching their tickets for the Wrangler NFR in the process.

Sumpter, who won $54,000 in Houston, holds a lead of more than $25,000 heading into June, while Peek, who carried $58,250 out of Reliant Stadium, has an advantage of nearly $22,000 through the first half of the season.

Sumpter’s win in Houston was not the only highlight of the season’s first half in bulldogging. Luke Branquinho, the 2004 world champion steer wrestler, won average titles at the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo in Denver and the Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days Rodeo and sat third in the latest Crusher Rentals PRCA World Standings. The 1999 world champion, Mickey Gee, was ranked No. 10 as he seeks to return to the Wrangler NFR for the first time since 2003. Another cowboy hoping to break a Las Vegas drought is timed-event cowboy Cash Myers, who last qualified for the Wrangler NFR in steer wrestling in 2005. He’s currently ranked 15th.

Also, Canadian champion Curtis Cassidy is off to his best steer wrestling start in his 10 seasons in ProRodeo, earning more than $50,000 in the season’s first half and holding a No. 2 ranking.

In tie-down roping, five of the most decorated cowboys of all time highlight the contenders lurking behind Peek. It’s almost more of a “who’s who” list in rodeo history – Mike Johnson and his event-record 22 Wrangler NFR berths is No. 2; Trevor Brazile, who won his first world championship in tie-down roping in 2007, along with his fifth all-around and second steer roping title, is close behind at No. 3. Blair Burk, who has reached the last 13 Wrangler NFRs, is ranked No. 7, while Fred Whitfield, a ProRodeo Hall of Famer and seven-time world champion, and Cody Ohl, a six-time world champion, come in at No. 13 and No. 14, respectively.

Stran Smith, a nine-time Wrangler NFR contestant, also had a strong first half, earning nearly $40,000, highlighted by victories in San Angelo, Texas; Austin, Texas; and Red Bluff, Calif.

The top of the team roping standings was nearly deadlocked at the end of May, with the team of Travis Tryan/Michael Jones holding a slim lead over RodeoHouston champions Chad Masters – the reigning World Champion Header – and Jade Corkill.

Team roping highlights from the first half included consecutive wins for brothers Brady and Riley Minor at the SandHills Stock Show & Rodeo in Odessa, Texas, and the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo in Denver; a pair of victories for 2006 World Champion Header Matt Sherwood (with Randon Adams) in Fort Worth, Texas, and Logandale, Nev.; and legendary ropers Speed Williams (eight world titles) and Allen Bach (four world titles) striking for victories in Tucson, Ariz., and Oakdale, Calif.

Listed Steer wrestling Team Roping Tie-down
October 07
Waco (5-13) Clark Key/Koontz Bailey
Pasadena (7-9, 11-13) Price Kropik/Clayton Good
Billings (17-20) Bell Jr. Minor, R./Minor, B. Hofstetter
January
Odessa (4-5, 9-12) Myers, R. Minor, R./Minor, B. Johnson
Denver (12-13, 17-27) Branquinho Minor, R./Minor, B. Garten
Fort Worth (18-Feb. 3) Silver Sherwood, Adams, R. Cerny
Febrary
Rapid City (31-3) Hughes Yost/Levy Hofstetter
Guy
San Antonio (1-16) Morgan Powell/Graves, T. Robinson
Jackson (7-13) Hettinger Tanner/Egusguiza Swor
Kissimmee (16-17) Ariola Tanner/Egusquiza Beach
Nelson
Tucson (16-17, 21-24) McIntyre Williams/Bach Brazile
San Angelo (21-March 1) Cassidy Key/Koontz Smith
March
Austin (3-15) Graves, S. Bacon/Gatz Smith
Houston (3-17, 19-22) Sumpter Masters/Corkill Peek, Josh
Montgomery (6-9) Lowry Kobold/Bates Catalani
Hofstetter
Pocatello (19-22) Jones, K.C. Spence, Arnold, E. Shiozawa
Laughlin (27-30) Myers, C. Begay/Aros Peek, Josh
Huntsville (28-29) McMillen Odell/Rampy Brazile
April
San Francisco (4-13) Deskovick Green/Hampton Branquinho, C.
Hopper
Logandale (10-13) Lewis Sherwood/Adams, R. Cooper, Tuf
Oakdale (12-13) Carnine Willams/Bach McCulloch
Red Bluff (18-20) Knowles, T. Green/Kelly Smith
Corpus Christi (24-27) Lewis Lemond/Lucero, M. Garrison
Clovis (25-27) Petry Bach, J./Cowden, C. Chapman, Z.
May
Guymon (2-4) Branquinho Kelton, C./Ray Hanchey
Redding (15-17) Branco Stanley/Cowden, C. Brazile