Contestants Seeking Berths in San Antonio Rodeo Semi-Finals Heat Up

By Susan Kanode
Posted Saturday, February 14, 2009

SAN ANTONIO --- The fourth of five brackets at the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo is well underway.

With two performances on Saturday, several contestants have already had enough success to nearly assure them a spot in the semi-finals. The top four money earners in bareback riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, team roping, saddle bronc riding, barrel racing and bull riding will compete in the semi-finals hoping to advance to Saturday night’s final round.

Each bracket includes three rounds of competition and the top four contestants in each round win money. If a contestant places high in two out of the three rounds, they are nearly assured a place in the semi-finals. Tim Shirley, from Conifer, Colo., did just that. The bareback rider is coming off of a win at the National Western Stock Show Rodeo in Denver and he and his wife just found out that they are going to have a baby girl.

Shirley placed in the first round, then came back and won the second round with an 84 point effort on the Calgary Stampede horse named French Wake. He has already won nearly $3,000.

Steer wrestling was one of the most exciting events to watch on Saturday night as there were five times under four seconds. Leader of the pack Joey Bell, from Athens, Texas, nearly broke the 3.2 second arena record. Bell stopped the clock in 3.3 seconds to win the round. When added with his second place finish from the matinee performance, he has $3,630 in earnings.

In saddle bronc riding, Bryce Miller is the man to beat. The Buffalo, S.D., man has won the first and second rounds. In the matinee, he rode Carr Pro Rodeo’s horse Deuces Wild for 85 points, then came back and scored 87 on Calgary Stampede’s Hell’s Half Acre. Miller added $4,148 to his checking account.

Casey Baize from San Angelo has won many buckles from prestigious rodeos and is just waiting to add San Antonio to his list that includes Cheyenne and Pendleton. Baize placed second in both rounds on Saturday and is the high money earner so far in bull riding with $3,111.

These contestants will have their third round competition at the 1 p.m. performance in the AT&T Center on Sunday. The 7:30 p.m. performance will see the final bracket making their first appearance here.

SAN ANTONIO RESULTS - The following are results from the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo, Saturday, February 14, 2009. Complete results are available at www.sarodeo.com.

Tenth Performance -

Bareback Riding: 1, Zach Curran, Arvada, Colo., 84 points on Calgary Stampede’s Kinetic Tango, $2,074. 2, Kelly Timberman, Mills, wyo., 83, $1,556. 3 (tie), Tim Shirley, Conifer, Colo., and Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas, 82, $778 each.

Steer Wrestling: 1, Luke Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif., 3.6 seconds, $2,074. 2, Joey Bell, Jr., 3.7, $1,556. 3, Blake Doyle, Granbury, Texas, 3.9, $1,037. 4, Shawn Greenfield, Lakeview, Ore., 4.0, $518.

Tie-Down Roping: 1, Steve Brickey, Tahlequah, Okla., 8.4 seconds, $2,074. 2, Seth Hopper, Stanfield, Ore., 9.5, $1,556. 3, Jake Hannum, Ogden, Utah, 9.9, $1,037. 4, Mike Johnson, Henryetta, Okla., 10.5, $518.

Team Roping: 1, Jay and Austin Adams, Logandale, Nev., 5.1 seconds, $2,074. 2, Colby Siddoway, Argyle, Texas, and Victor Aros, Tucson, Ariz., 5.9, $1,556. 3, Caleb Mitchell, Charlotte, Texas, and Coby Jones, Gatesville, Texas, 7.8, $1,037. 4, Steve Purcella, Hereford, Texas, and Jhett Johnson, Casper, Wyo., 7.8, $518.

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Bryce Miller, Buffalo, S.D., 85 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Deuces Wild, $2,074. 2, Brad Rudolph, Battle Mountain, Nev., 84, $1,556. 3 (tie), Todd Rangel, Gladewater, Texas; Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb.; and Wade Sundell, Boxholm, Iowa, 80, $518 each.

Barrel Racing: 1, Brenda Mays, Terrebone, Ore., 14.03 seconds, $2,074. 2 (tie), Shali Lord, Lamar, Colo., and Stephanie Fryar, Big Spring, Texas, 14.14, $1,296 each. 4, Megan McLeoad, Star, Idaho, 14.20, $518.

Bull Riding: 1, Cody Whitney, Asher, Okla., 88 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Wolf Brand. 2, Casey Baize, San Angelo, Texas, 87, $1,556. 3, Cory Melton, Tolar, Texas, 82, $1,037. 4 (tie), Austin Ambrose, Fletcher, Okla., and Douglas Duncan, Alvin, Texas, 79, $259.

Eleventh Performance ---

Bareback Riding: 1, Tim Shirley, Conifer, Colo., 84 points on Calgary Stampede’s French Wake, $2,074. 2, Will Lowe, Canyon, Texas, 83, $1,556. 3, Wes Stevenson, Lubbock, Texas, 82, $1,037. 4, Cody DeMers, Kimberly, Idaho, 6.1, $519.

Steer Wrestling: 1, Joey Bell, Jr., Athens, Texas, 3.3 seconds, $2,074. 2, Clint Robinson, Spanish Fork, Utah, 3.4, $1,556. 3, Shawn Greenfield, Lakeview, Ore., 3.5, $1,037. 4 (tie), Steve Gaines, Brandon, Miss., and Mickey Gee, Wichita Falls, Texas, 3.8, $259.

Tie-Down Roping: 1, Clint Robinson, Spanish Fork, Utah, 8.2 seconds, $2,074. 2, Mike Johnson, Henryetta, Okla., 8.3, $1,556. 3 (tie), Jake Hannum, Ogden, Utah, and Steve Brickey, Tahlequah, Okla., 10.2, $778.

Team Roping: 1, Joe Beaver, Huntsville, Ore., and Bobby Harris, Highmore, S.D., 5.5 seconds, $2,074. 2, Jake and Jim Ross Cooper, 6.1, $1,556. 3, Brad Hamilton, Pollok, Texas, and Joe Day, Howe, Texas, 6.5, $1,037. 4, Colby Siddoway, Argyle, Texas, and Victor Aros, Tucson, Ariz., 6.6, $518.

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Bryce Miller, Buffalo, S.D., 87 points on Calgary Stampede’s Hell’s Half Acre, $2,074. 2, Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb., 80, $1,556. 3, Morgan Forbes, Kaycee, Wyo., 73, $1,037. 4, Leland Wood, Silverton, Texas, 70, $518.

Barrel Racing: 1, Stephanie Fryar, Big Spring, Texas, 13.90 seconds, $2,074. 2, Megan McLeod, Star, Idaho, 14.03, $1,556. 3, Shali Lord, Lamar, Colo., 14.04, $1,037. 4, Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D., 14.06, $518.

Bull Riding: 1, Douglas Duncan, Alvin, Texas, 88 points on Big Bend Rodeo’s #499, $2,074. 2, Casey Baize, San Angelo, Texas, 83, $1,556. 3, Tate Stratton, Stanley, N.M., 80, $1,037. 4, Cody Whitney, Asher, Okla., 72, $518.