Round 2 of the PBR's Mohegan Sun Invitational is a ride-fest in a race to the Finals

By Mary Rudloff
Posted Saturday, October 17, 2009

UNCASVILLE, Conn. - (October 17, 2009) – Guilherme Marchi wants to be the first PBR World Champion to win back to back world titles.

He wants it really, really badly.

In the last regular event of the 2009 season, with the World Finals in Las Vegas less than two weeks away, Marchi is doing everything he can to close the gap on the points lead Kody Lostroh is holding onto.

Proof came Saturday night, when Marchi split round two of the Mohegan Sun Invitational, with 87.0 points, with Ryan McConnel. Marchi’s score, his second of the weekend so far, came aboard “Chocolate Chip” (Danny Reagan Bucking Bulls). That ride sends him into Sunday’s round three as one of a surprising 13 riders that have covered both of their bulls so far.

At the end of Saturday’s round, Marchi is sitting eighth in the average, at 171 points.

McConnel, who is outside the race for the world title, scored his 87-pointer on “Ding-a-Ling” (Jeff Robinson Bulls), a re-ride bull, after his original pick, “Chief of Staff” (Dakota Rodeo/Julie Rosen) spent its eight seconds gracefully leaping down the length of the arena, drawing a 31-point score and sending re-ride flags flying.

Marchi isn’t the only one trying to gain ground on Lostroh’s lead. Number three man JB Mauney put his second score of the weekend on the board as well Saturday night. Mauney scored 86.75 points, splitting 3rd and 4th in the round with Travis Briscoe.

The score, on “Big Coyote” (Berger Bucking Bulls) also has Mauney heading into Sunday’s round in the number two spot in the average, at 173.5 points right behind Briscoe.

Briscoe rode Clam Digger (Dakota Rodeo/John & Lacey Berger) Saturday night – the one that Mauney rode Friday – and got the exact same score on the bull. That, combined with Briscoe’s round-winning 87.25 pointer Friday puts him in the number one spot heading into Sunday, with 174 points, a half point ahead of Mauney in the average.

Just because he can feel Marchi and Mauney breathing down his neck doesn’t mean Kody Lostroh is going to sit back and wait to see what they do. After a rare buck off Friday night, Lostroh never wavered Saturday, riding “Total Package” (Danny Reagan) for 86 points and fifth place in the round. He currently sits 15th in the average, making it likely he’ll need a qualified ride Sunday to make it to the championship round.

The top ten riders in the standings were tying up most of the top spots on the scoreboard Saturday night. Brazilians Robson Palermo and Renato Nunes split 6th and 7th in the round, at 85.75 points. Palermo rode “Little Donnie” (Jeff Robinson), while Nunes covered “Hell Yeah” (Danny Reagan) and threw in the much anticipated back-flip for the crowd.

Palermo is now fourth in the average after two rounds, while Nunes’ weak 78.75 points Friday night leaves him in 13th in the average heading into Sunday.

Eighth through tenth place in Round two, at 85.5 points, was shared between Zack Brown, Sean Willingham and Rocky McDonald. Brown rode “Little Coyote” (Dakota Rodeo/Clay Struve), while Willingham worked over “Outsider” (Currey Creek Bucking Bulls) and McDonald took it to “Top Flight” (Currey Creek).

Brown, McDonald and Willingham are each two-for-two on the weekend so far, in the average, with Brown sitting in fourth and McDonald and Willingham tied for 5th through 7th in the average (with McConnel).

More than half the riders in Saturday’s round two at Mohegan Sun put up scores, with 23 riders of the 39 competing (Luke Snyder is out, after round one) covering their bulls. Saturday’s round was a “draft” round, with each rider picking his bull, based on riders’ scores or ride times in Friday’s round. Reviews paid off for two riders Saturday night. Caleb Sanderson hit the challenge button right away, when he made the whistle but got called for a slap at 2.4 seconds. The ruling went Sanderson’s way and he scored 84.5 points – 13th in the round – on “Mac-Nett’s Hydroblast” (Robinson/ Bar None/ McNeely/ Patterson).

A judge called for a review as Mike Lee was heading for the challenge button, after the clock showed a 7.9 second buck off time. The ruling also went in Lee’s favor, and he scored 82.75 points on “Black Mamba” (Currey Creek), for 17th in the round and 11th in the average at 166.75.

Mike White rode “White Trash” (Dakota Rodeo/Struve/Rosen) for 84.25 points in the round, tying him for 14th and 15th, but he needs a big Sunday payday if he is going to make it to the World Finals, as he still is $6,500 short in qualifier dollars, after missing much of the season due to injuries.

Another rider taking a shot at making it to Las Vegas after losing a lot of time to injuries in Brendon Clark, who was visibly frustrated after bucking off “Big Rig” (Danny Reagan) at 4.9 seconds Saturday.

Many of the riders have a great deal on the line Sunday, as the PBR BFTS Stop 31, at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn., gets underway at noon. Besides the round and event wins, there are riders still trying to make it to Las Vegas, a few sitting right on the cut line trying to hold their spots, and one of the closest races in PBR history for the World Champion title, between Lostroh, Marchi and Mauney – with a few riders right behind them and mathematically not out of the mix, hoping to beat the Vegas odds and pull a big upset in the Thomas and Mack Center. Round One of the PBR World Finals gets underway in Las Vegas on Oct. 30.

Other qualified scores in round two were:

11th, Dustin Elliott, 85.0 points on “Big Mack” (Dakota Rodeo/Denny Hawks);

12th, Valdiron deOliveira, 84.75 points on “Frank the Tank” (Dakota Rodeo/J&L Berger/Struve);

13th, Caleb Sanderson, 84.5 points on “Mac-Nett’s Hydroblast”;

14th/15th, Ednei Caminhas 84.25 points on “Wreaking Havoc” (J Robinson/Bar X); and Mike White on “White Trash”;

16th, Wiley Petersen, 83.5 points on “God’s Gift” (Dakota/Struve);

17th/18th, Mike Lee on “Black Mamba” and Austin Meier on “Push Baby” (Rice Ranch), who got a re-ride and took the same bull again, each with 82.75 points;

19th/20th, McKennon Wimberly for 82.5 points on “The Rock” (Currey Creek) and Josh Koschel on “Indisputable” (Sonny Williams);

21st, Shane Proctor, 81.75 points on “Eviction” (Robinson/Tedesco);

22nd/23rd, 81.25 points for Dusty Ephrom on “Grampa Joe” (Berger Bucking Bulls) and Travis Sellers on “Blue Boy” (Dakota/Roger Ward).