PRCA - J. W. Harris finds his stride at River City Roundup

By Jim Bainbridge, PRCA
Posted Friday, September 26, 2008

OMAHA, Neb. -- Bull rider J.W. Harris has never had much luck at the Qwest Center and he had no reason to expect any better Thursday night when he drew Silverado Rodeo's Alabama, a big mouse-colored bull who had only been ridden once since last spring.

Only a funny thing happened on the way to the dirt. Harris took everything Alabama threw at him and stayed on for a 91-point ride that won the first round of the River City Roundup, two points better than 2006 World Champion B.J. Schumacher.

"It was good," Harris said. "You know I had to work the whole stinkin’ time. He wasn’t an easy bull, he’d only been ridden once before he came here. So, I knew I was going to have my work cut out with him.

"Man, this is great. This is my third year here. I finally got one under my belt and we can just go on with it for now."

The $3,750 he won on the first night of this Ariat Playoffs rodeo helped his bottom line, and the 14 Wrangler ProRodeo Tour points he earned assured he will have a berth in the Tour Championships in Dallas, Nov. 7-9.

Chad Ferley of Oelrichs, S.D., who parlayed a win at Omaha two years ago into his first world championship, is hoping he can find that same sort of magic at the Qwest Center this time. He put an 88-point ride on JS Rodeo's Red Feather Thursday night to win the first round by four points over Justin Arnold, the winner of the last Ariat Playoffs stop in Puyallup, Wash.

"I had a paint horse of John Smith’s and nobody really knew what to expect," Ferley said. "He’s been kind of hit or miss this year, but it sure turned out today. He was really good."

Brothers Riley and Brady Minor, who started their breakthrough 2008 season with a win at the NILE ProRodeo in Billings, Mont., keep finding a way to top themselves.

The team ropers from Ellensburg, Wash., handled an all-star cast Thursday night, winning the first round with a time of 4.5 seconds, three tenths ahead of seven-time world champions Jake Barnes and Clay O'Brien Cooper.

Hunter Herrin, of Apache, Okla., continued his late-season charge with a win in the tie-down roping. His time of 7.8 seconds was good enough to edge Jeff Chapman by two tenths of a second and move him into a commanding position to make the field for Dallas.

"I missed the barrier a little bit," Herrin said. "They said the calves hadn’t been roped many times and they said my calf was really good and she was. I kind of reached and threw at her, missed her, roped her around the ears it fell on. After that, it's kind of like the ‘money loop’…you miss one, it goes on, you’re supposed to get paid. I was fortunate it worked that way tonight."

There were a pair of ties on opening night of the three-day rodeo. Reigning World Champion Bobby Mote had an 86-point ride on Western Trails' Blue Sugar, a score that was matched by Ryan Gray on Beutler & Son Rodeo's Molly Brown. Wade Sumpter, Curtis Cassidy and Ken Lewis all had times of 3.8 seconds in the steer wrestling to share first place.

"I was lucky enough to end up 3.8 and tie for first with Cassidy and Sumpter," Lewis said. "Those guys always do a great job. I'm just happy to be tagging along on their shirttail."

River City Roundup
Omaha, Neb., Sept. 25
Bareback riding: First Round: 1. (tie) Ryan Gray on Beutler & Son Rodeo's Molly Brown and Bobby Mote on Western Trails' Blue Sugar, 86 points, $3,281 each; 3. (tie) Tim Shirley and Justin McDaniel, 84, $1,406 each; 5. (tie) Chris Harris, Kelly Timberman, Steven Dent and Royce Ford, 83; 9. Cimmaron Gerke, 82; 10. Kaycee Feild, 81; 11. Will Lowe, 80; 12. Josi Young, 76.

Steer wrestling: First round: 1. (tie) Wade Sumpter, Curtis Cassidy and Ken Lewis, 3.8 seconds, $2,813 each; 4. Beau Franzen, 4.0, $938; 5. Dean Gorsuch, 4.1; 6. Trevor Knowles, 4.2; 7. Luke Branquinho, 4.4; 8. Cash Myers, 4.5; 9. Stockton Graves, 5.3; 10. Jason Miller, 5.5; 11. Gabe Ledoux,14.4; 12. Les Shepperson, NT.

Team roping: First round: 1. 1. Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 4.5 seconds, $3,750 each; 2. Jake Barnes/Clay O'Brien Cooper, 4.8, $2,813; 3. JoJo LeMond, Andrews/Martin Lucero, 4.9, $1,875; 4. Jake Stanley/Marty Becker, 5.2, $938; 5. (tie) Turtle Powell/Travis Graves and Matt Funk/Cory Petska, 5.3; 7. Colter Todd/Cesar De La Cruz, 6.3; 8. Speed Williams/Michael Jones, 12.8;

9. Logan Olson/Broc Cresta, 13.9; 10. Matt Sherwood/Randon Adams, 16.5; 11. Garrett Tonozzi/Kinney Harrell, 22.9; 12. Travis Tryan/Walt Woodard, NT.

Saddle bronc riding: First round: 1. Chad Ferley, 88 points on JS Rodeo's Red Feather, $3,750; 2. Justin Arnold, 84, $2,813; 3. (tie) Jesse Kruse and Anthony Bello, 81, $1,406 each; 5. (tie) Chet Johnson and Cody Wright, 80; 7. Benjamin Morrow, 78; 8. J.J. Elshere, 77; 9. Billy Etbauer, 69; 10. (tie) Jess Martin, Cody Taton and Rod Hay, NS.

Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Hunter Herrin, 7.8 seconds, $3,750; 2. Jeff Chapman, 8.0, $2,813; 3.Stran Smith, 8.8, $1,875; 4. Mike Johnson, 9.4, $938; 5. Fred Whitfield, 10.0; 6. Tuf Cooper,10.3; 7. Ryan Jarrett, 10.4; 8. Doug Pharr, 11.0; 9. (tie) Josh Peek and Trevor Brazile, 11.2; 11. (tie) Seth Childers and Jerrad Hofstetter, NT.

Barrel racing: First round: 1. Mary Burger, 13.89 seconds, $3,750; 2. Jill Moody, 13.98, $2,813; 3. Brittany Pozzi-Pharr, 14.10, $1,875; 4. (tie) Christina Richman and Annesa Self, Valley View, Texas, 14.13, $469 each; 6. Brenda Mays, 14.17; 7. Terra Bynum, 14.19; 8. Tiffany Fox, 14.20; 9. Maegan Reichert, 14.82; 10. Lindsay Sears, 18.76; 11. Cassie Moseley, 18.81; 12. Shelley Murphy, 19.29.

Bull riding: First round: 1. J.W. Harris, 91 points on Silverado Rodeo's Alabama, $3,750; 2. B.J. Schumacher, 89, $2,813; 3. Shawn Proctor, 87, $1,875; 4. Stormy Wing, 85, $938; 5. Steve Woolsey, 83; 6. Jake Wade, 77; 7. (tie) Cory McFadden, Kanin Asay, Brian Curtis, Chance Smart, Howdy Cloud and Fred Boettcher, NS.