Diaz Takes First Step to Bucket-List Win at Fort Worth’s World’s Original Indoor Rodeo®

by Susan Kanode
for the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

FORT WORTH, Texas — Every rodeo contestant has a bucket list of rodeos they want to win, and the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo is often at the top.

That is certainly the case for saddle bronc rider Isaac Diaz of Desdemona, Texas. The six-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) qualifier has been competing in the Will Rogers Coliseum for over 10 years and has been hoping to leave with one of the signature trophy buckles given to the champions, but it has yet to happen.

Diaz took the lead in the first round here on Saturday evening with an 88-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s horse named Cowboy Town. The lead had been held for a week by Kole Ashbacher from Arrowwood, Alberta who scored 84.5.

There is a little extra motivation for many of this year’s Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo contestants as this is the last year that the rodeo will be held in the Will Rogers Coliseum.

“This rodeo has always been on my bucket list,” Diaz said. “A guy can’t help but think of the history here and all of the great bronc riders that have ridden in this arena. To be the last guy that wins the rodeo here would be really cool.”

Diaz has one more horse to ride in preliminary competition. He will do that on Sunday afternoon and hope for another good score to get him back in Fort Worth for the championship finals on Saturday, Feb. 9th.

He finished the 2018 season in 8th place and got to mark a round win at the NFR off his list. Two days after he and his wife, Britany, celebrated Christmas, they welcomed their daughter Whitlee into the world.

The family made the trip to Fort Worth with him. While Isaac was happy about his ride, he was even happier to have his new daughter with him at her very first rodeo. They will be back to watch him climb on his second horse Sunday.

“It’s awesome,” he said of being a new dad. “She is such a good baby and we are all having a lot of fun.”

Bareback riders here get on three horses during the regular part of the rodeo, hoping to have a high enough total score to get them to next week’s finals. The ones that were here on Saturday each got on three horses and gave their bodies an extreme workout.

That didn’t bother Chad Rutherford from Lake Charles, Louisiana. He scored 82 points at the morning performance, 75.5 during the matinee and 81 Saturday evening. Rutherford moved into second place in the overall standings with his total of 238.5 and will be making plans to be back here next week.

The World’s Original Indoor Rodeo® continues with two performances on Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m.

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The following are unofficial results from Saturday’s performances of the World’s Oldest Indoor Rodeo® at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, February 2, 2019.

Thirteenth Performance

Bareback Riding: 1, Chad Rutherford, Lake Charles, La., 82 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Foxtrot. 2 (tie), Tyler Berghuis, Atwater, MN, and Hunter Carter, Athens, Texas, 76. 3, Jeff Johnson, Tulsa, Okla., 66.

Steer Wrestling: (three times) 1, Jake Fulton, Rosebud, S.D., 4.4 seconds. 2, Garrett Poston, Winnsboro, Texas, 4.9. 3, Talon Roseland, Marshalltown, Iowa, 6.5.

Team Roping: 1, Caleb Smidt, Bellville, Texas, and Will Woodfin, Marshall, Texas, 5.4 seconds. 2, Kal Fuller, Bozeman, Mont., and Travis Woodard, Huckabay, Texas, 5.5. 3, Garett Chick, Salado, Texas, and Ross Ashford, Lott, Texas, 6.2. 4, Nick Sartain, Yukon, Okla., and Austin Rogers, Crescent, Okla., 6.9.

Saddle Bronc Riding: (three rides) 1, Ryder Wright, Milford, Utah, 73.5 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Yellow Fizz. 2, Tyrel Larsen, Weatherford, Okla., 73. 3, Rhett Fanning, Martin, S.D., 66.

Tie-Down Roping: 1, Marty Yates, Stephenville, Texas, 9.3 seconds. 2, Bailey Moore, Joplin, Mo., and Ross Tucker, Archer City, Texas, 10.2 each. 4, Cody McCartney, Ottawa Lakes, Mich., 10.4.

Barrel Racing: 1, Sydney Forrest, Lipan, Texas, 16.60 seconds. 2, Ari-Anna Flynn, Charleston, Ark., 16.86. 3, Ericka Nelson, Century, Fla., 16.93. 4, Jackie Jatzlau, Giddings, Texas, 16.99.

Bull Riding: (two rides) 1, Stetson Wright, Beaver, Utah, 84.5 points on Andrews Rodeo’s #5. 2, Wyatt Edwards, Sulphur, Okla., 77.5.

Fourteenth Performance

Bareback Riding: (three rides) 1, Luke Creasy, Hobbs, N.M., 84 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Sweet Medicine. 2, Chad Rutherford, Lake Charles, La., 75.5. 3, Tyler Berghuis, Atwater, Minn., 74.

Steer Wrestling: (three times) 1, Logan Gledhill, Huntsville, Texas, 6.2 seconds. 2, Dalton Massey, Hermiston, Ore., 6.9. 3, Craig Weisgerber, Ponoka, Alberta, 12.7.

Team Roping: 1, Casey Tew, Billings, Mont., and Boogie Ray, Mabank, Texas, 4.7 seconds. 2, Steven Duby, Hereford, Ore., and Jason Duby, Klamath Falls, Ore., 6.8. 3, Keith Hanna, Henryville, Ind., and Corey Barnett, Scottsburg, Ind., 7.4. 4, Marcus Battaglia, Dallas, Texas, and Bronc Boehnlein, Riverside, Calif., 12.2.

Saddle Bronc Riding: (one ride) 1, Ryder Wright, Milford, Utah, 84.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s A33.

Tie-Down Roping: 1, Mason Carter, Checotah, Okla., 10.3 seconds. 2, Dillon Holder, Eugene, Mo., 13.5. 3, Caddo Lewallen, Morrison, Okla., 14.0. 4, Hunter Herrin, Apache, Okla., 23.3.

Barrel Racing: 1, Amberleigh Moore, Salem, Ore., 16.60 seconds. 2, Taci Bettis, Round Top, Texas, 16.63. 3, Tillar Murray, Fort Worth, Texas, 16.74. 4, Andrea Busby, Brock, Texas, 16.87.

Bull Riding: (one ride) 1, Tom Patrick, Loveland, Colo., 78 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Wing Man.

Fifteenth Performance

Bareback Riding: (three rides) 1, Tyler Berghuis, Atwater, Minn., 82.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Sweet Child. 2, Chad Rutherford, Lake Charles, La., 81. 3, Luke Creasy, Hobbs, N.M., 45.

Steer Wrestling: 1, Jason Stewart, Bristow, Okla., 5.4 seconds. 2, K.J. Carmon Jr., Beaumont, Texas, 9.2. 3, Tooter Silver, Quitman, Ark., 18.1. 4, Jake Kraupie, Bridgeport, Neb., 19.1.

Team Roping: (two times) 1, Chris Francis, Las Vegas, N.M., and Cade Passig, Las Vegas, N.M., 6.4 seconds. 2, Cory Smothers, Henryville, Ind., and Blake Bentley, Burleson, Texas, 20.8.

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Isaac Diaz, Desdemona, Texas, 88 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Cowboy Town. 2, Shorty Garrett, Eagle Butte, S.D., 84.5. 3, Brody Cress, Hillsdale, Wyo., 83. 4, Cody DeMoss, Heflin, La., 81.

Tie-Down Roping: 1, Kyle Lucas, Carstairs, British Columbia, 8.4 seconds. 2, Andrew Burks, Kiln, Miss. 12.2. 3, Justin Macha, Needville, Texas, 12.3. 4, Trent Creager, Stillwater, Okla., 13.9.

Barrel Racing: 1, Taylor Langdon, Aubrey, Texas, 16.43 seconds. 2, Jimmie Smith, McDade, Texas, 16.71. 3, Kappy Allen, Austin, Texas, 16.97. 4, Randi Buchanan, Choteau, Okla., 17.01.

Bull Riding: (one ride) 1, Garrett Wickett, Battle Creek, Neb., 84.5 points on 4L & Diamond S Rodeo’s Hot Sauce.

Current Leaders

Bareback Riding: (first round) 1, Kaycee Feild, Genola, Utah, 87.5 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Biscuit. 2, Casey Colletti, Pueblo, Colo., 85.5. 3, Tyler Johnson, Burneyville, Okla., 83.5. 4 (tie), Winn Ratliff, Leesville, La., and Chad Rutherford, Lake Charles, La. 82 each. 6, Waylon Guy Bourgeois, Church Point, La., 79.5. (second round) 1 (tie), Pascal Isabelle, Okotoks, Alberta, on Silver Creek Rodeo’s Plastic Fantastic and Luke Creasy, Hobbs, N.M., on Frontier Rodeo’s Sweet Medicine, 84 points each. 3 (tie), Kaycee Feild, Genola, Utah, and Leighton Berry, Weatherford, Texas, 83.5 each. 5, Tristan Hansen, Dillon, Mont., 82.5. 6, Logan Patterson, Kim, Colo., 82. (third round) 1, Casey Colletti, Pueblo, Colo., 84 points on Dakota Rodeo’s Sunrise. 2, Tyler Berghuis, Atwater, Minn., 82.5. 3, Austin Foss, Terrebonne, Ore., 82. 4, Bourgeois, 81.5. 5, Rutherford, 81. 6, Tristan Hansen, Dillon, Mont., 78.5. (total on three) 1, Feild, 245 points. 2, Rutherford, 238.5. 3, Winn Ratliff, Leesville, La., 235. 4 (tie), Foss and Lane McGeHee, Victoria, Texas, 233.5 each. 6, Berghuis, 232.5.

Steer Wrestling: (second round) 1, Baxtor Roche, Tremonton, Utah, 3.5 seconds. 2 (tie), Tyler Pearson, Louisville, Miss., and Clayton Hass, Weatherford, Texas, 3.6 each. 4, Ryan Lewis, Hineston, La., 5, Bubba Boots, St. Anthony, Idaho, 4.0. 6, Cade Austin Goodman, Waelder, Texas, 4.1. (total on two) 1 (tie), Jace Melvin, Fort Pierre, S.D., and Marcus Theriot, Poplarville, Miss., 8.6 seconds each. 3, Jesse Brown, Baker City, Ore., 9.0. 4. Tom Lewis, Lehi, Utah, 9.2. 5, Boots, 9.3. 6, Brandon Harrison, Port Arthur, Texas, 9.9.

Team Roping: (first round) 1, Jeff Flenniken, Caldwell, Idaho, and Jake Minor, Ellensburg, Wash., 5.0 seconds. 2, Steven Duby, Hereford, Ore., and Jason Duby, Klamath Falls, Ore., 5.3. 3 (tie), Matt Sherwood, Pima, Ariz., and Tyler Worley, Berryville, Ark.; and Caleb Smidt, Bellville, Texas, and Will Woodfin, Marshall, Texas, 5.4 each. 5, Kal Fuller, Bozeman, Mont., and Travis Woodard, Huckabay, Texas, 5.5. 6 (tie), Garrett Rogers, Baker City, Ore., and Cesar de la Cruz, Tucson, Ariz.; Dustin Egusquiza, Mariana, Fla., and Kory Koontz, Stephenville, Texas; and Brye Crites, Afton, Okla., and Jake Clay, Sapulpa, Okla., 5.8. (second round) 1, Marcus Theriot, Poplarville, Miss., and Coleby Payne, Lipan, Texas, 4.7 seconds. 2, Joshua and Jonathan Torres, Ocala, Fla., 4.8. 3, Aaron Macy, Post, Texas, and Jason Johe, San Luis Obispo, Calif., 4.9. 4, Nick Sartain, Yukon, Okla., and Austin Rogers, Crescent, Okla., 5.0. 5, Riley and Brady Minor, Ellensburg, Wash., 5.1. 6, Matt Sherwood, Pima, Ariz., and Tyler Worley, Berryville, Ark., 5.2. (total on two) 1, Sherwood and Worley, 10.6 seconds. 2, Kal Fuller, Bozeman, Mont., and Travis Woodard, Huckabay, Texas, 11.3. 3, Riley and Brady Minor, 11.4. 4, Levi Simpson, Ponoka, Alberta, and Cole Davison, Stephenville, Texas, 12.1. 5, Ty Bach, Millsap, Texas, and Trey Johnson, Weatherford, Texas, 13.3. 6, Brandon Gonzales, Seboyeta, N.M., and Steve Northcott, Odessa, Texas, 13.8.

Saddle Bronc Riding: (first round) 1, Isaac Diaz, Desdemona, Texas, 88 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Cowboy Town. 2 (tie), Kole Ashbacher, Arrowwood, Alberta, and Shorty Garrett, Eagle Butte, S.D., 84.5 each. 4, Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, 84. 5, Colt Gordon, Comanche, Okla., 83.5. 6, Brody Cress, Hillsdale, Wyo., 83. (second round) 1, Sterling Crawley, Stephenville, Texas, 86.5 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Rock Bottle. 2, Ryder Wright, Milford, Utah, 84.5. 3, Thurston, 84. 4 (tie), Bradley Harter, Loranger, La.; Wyatt Casper, Pampa, Texas, and Colt Gordon, Comanche, Okla., 82.5. (total on two) 1 (tie), Crawley and Thurston, 168 points each. 3, Gordon, 166. 4, Dawson Hay, Wildwood, Alberta, 164. 5 (tie), Joey Sonnier III, New Iberia, La., and Casper, 160.5.

Tie-Down Roping: (second round leaders) 1, Sterling Smith, Stephenville, Texas, 7.5 seconds. 2, Alex Caudle, Livingston, Ala., 8.3. 3, Kyle Lucas, Carstairs, B.C., 8.4. 4 (tie), Clint Cooper and Clif Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 8.7 each. 6, Justin Brinkerhoff, Corinne, Utah, 9.0. (total on two) 1, Clif Cooper, 16.9 seconds. 2, Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas, 17.1. 3 (tie), Marty Yates, Stephenville, Texas, and Lucas, 17.1. 5, Caudle, 19.1. 6, Ross Tucker, Archer City, Texas, 19.2.

Barrel Racing: (first round) 1, Sydni Blanchard, Pueblo, Colo., 16.22 seconds. 2, Taylor Langdon, Aubrey, Texas, 16.43. 3, Jennifer Sharp, Montgomery, Texas, 16.48. 4, Jill Wilson, Snyder, Texas, 16.49. 5, Tiany Schuster, Krum, Texas, 16.53. 6 (tie), Ilyssa Glass, Tatum, N.M., and Ivy Conrado, Nowata, Okla., 16.58.

Bull Riding: (first round) 1, Dallee Mason, Weiser, Idaho, 89 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s King Herod. 2 (tie), Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, and Garrett Wickett, Battle Creek, Neb., 84.5 each. 4, Jeff Askey, Athens, Texas, 83. 5, Dalan Duncan, Ballard, Utah, 82.5. 6, J.T. Moore, Alvin, Texas, 80.5. (second round) 1, Boudreaux Campbell, Crockett, Texas, 87.5 points on Rafter G Rodeo’s Johnny Cash. 2, Tyler Taylor, Stephenville, Texas, 84.5. 3 (tie), Trey Kimzey, Strong City, Okla., and Dustin Bowen, Fredericksburg, Pa., 83 each. 5, Moore, 82. 6, Cullen Telfer, Thonotosassa, Fla., 81. (total on two) 1, Moore, 162.5. 2, Askey, 160. 3, Duncan, 158. 4, Aaron Williams, Pismo Beach, Calif., 156.5, 5, Bowen, 155. (on one) 6, Mason, 89.