Kansas contestants collected major paychecks at the recent National Finals Rodeo in Arlington, Texas.
Lighting the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association scoreboard the brightest was Jess Pope, 22-year-old bareback bronc rider from Waverly.
In his first NFR appearance, the five-foot-ten, 170-pound cowboy earned the privilege to compete ranking 11th in regular season standings. Prior to the first NFR go-round, Pope had won $49,612 riding bareback broncs this year.
When the curtain closed at the 2020 NFR, Pope had a total of $220,028 in his pocketbook. That put him third in the PRCA yearend bareback bronc riding standings.
Qualifying on all ten of his bareback broncs at the NFR, Pope scored 853 points to win the average worth $67,269 alone.
ARLINGTON, Texas The Wright family of southern Utah continued its legacy of professional rodeo success this weekend, as two Wrights captured three world titles at the National Finals Rodeo in Arlington, Texas.
Stetson Wright secured an all-around world championship on Friday, then won the bull riding championship Saturday night. His brother Ryder won the saddle bronc competition for the second time, and Genola native Kaycee Feild won his fifth bareback world championship, locking up four different world titles for three Utah cowboys during the biggest annual rodeo event.
Stetson Wright s all-around world championship is his second in a row. That s what I always wanted growing up, to be one of the best cowboys to ever live, he told the PRCA rodeo organization. That means a lot to hear people talk that highly about me makes me feel lucky and happy to be where I m at.
Missouri Valley College senior Jesse Pope, of Waverly, Kansas, capped his first-ever appearance at the National Finals Rodeo in Arlington, Texas, Saturday with a second-place finish in the 10th and final go-round.
Riding “Uncapped”, Pope scored an 89.5, which was good enough for him to capture to average title with an 853 in the 10 rounds, three points ahead of Kaycee Feild.
Three-time World Champion and MVC alum Tim O’Connell finished third in the average and Tanner Aus, another MVC alum, was fourth.
O’Connell, a Zwingle, Iowa, native and Marshall resident, was in contention for his fourth-career World championship, but finished second, less than $7,000 in earnings behind Feild. Aus finished fourth in the World standings.
KNBN NewsCenter1
December 10, 2020
ARLINGTON, TX – We’re in the final stretch of the National Finals Rodeo in Arlington, Texas.
The eighth round was held on Thursday and Levi Lord from Sturgis tied for third in the team roping with a time of 4.7 seconds.
He won over $13,327 for his performance.
In the barrel racing, Lisa Lockhart from Oelrichs placed 4th in the 8th round and Jessica Routier from Buffalo placed 5th.
Lockhart has now placed in five rounds and has won $68,962.
Meanwhile, Shorty Garrett from Eagle Butte won $6,769 on Thursday after placing fifth in the saddle bronc with a score of 84.5 points.
Tim O’Connell slipped back a bit in the overall average at the National Finals Rodeo in Arlington, Texas.
According to Prorodeo.com, in Round 7, O’Connell, a three-time world champion, scored a 77 aboard “Network Gazer”. That was good enough for a tie for 10th in the bareback riding event.
The round was won by Orin Larsen, who scored a 90 on “Yippee Kibitz”. Winn Ratliff, aboard Black Leg,” scored an 87; followed by Missouri Valley College grad Jesse Pope and Tanner Aus tied for third with an 83.5 on “Bar Talk” and “MLW’s Irish Eyes”, respectively.
Kaycee Feild and Richmond Champion are tied for the lead in the overall average at the NFR with 594.0 through seven rounds. Pope has surged into third place with a 592.0; with O’Connell in fourth with a 590.0.