Muncy Looking for First Reno Rodeo Title
by Jim Bainbridge | Jun 21, 2016
By Guy Clifton/For the Reno Rodeo
RENO, Nev. – Taos Muncy has two gold buckles and the trophies that go with winning many of the top rodeos in the country, but one that has eluded the saddle bronc rider from Corona, N.M., is the Silver Spurs of the Reno Rodeo.
That might be changing this year as Muncy rode Flying Five Rodeo Company’s bronc Spring Jubilee for 80 points on June 20 in front of a near-sellout crowd of 7,800 at the Reno Rodeo Arena. Combined with his first-round leading 84.5-point ride on Sunday, Muncy has the overall lead heading into the June 25 championship performance. He edged out Heith DeMoss by just a half a point.
“This is one of those rodeos that everyone wants to win,” Muncy said.
On a night that has become known as “Blue Monday,” in Reno because the bucking stock consists primarily of the blue roan bucking horses of the Big Bend and Flying Five Rodeo Companies, Muncy had only the fourth-highest score of the night.
Top honors went to Dustin Flundra, of Pincher Creek, Alberta, who rode the champion bucking horse Spring Planting for 84.5 points. Flundra, who had a 77 on his first-round ride, is also nearly assured a return trip to Saturday’s final round.
Former Reno saddle bronc and all-around champion Cody DeMoss finished just behind Flundra with and 83 of Big Bend’s Broken Spring, while Sterling Crawley was two points back with an 81 on Big Bend’s Bye Gosh.
All of them, though, are chasing Muncy in the average.
In the bareback riding, Tyler Scales of Severance, Colo., topped the field with an 80.5 on Big Bend’s bronc Dunny. In the bull riding, it was Shawn Proctor of Tooele, Utah taking the top honors after riding Big Bend’s Sammy’s Fine Line for 83 points.
The top steer wrestler was veteran K.C. Jones of Decatur, Texas, who threw his steer in 4.6 seconds. In the team roping, it was Hayes Smith of Central Point, Ore., and Bruce Reidhead of Taylor, Ariz., who set the pace, roping their steer in 5.0 seconds to take the victory lap.
The best tie-down roping run was turned in by Ike Fontenot of Ville Platte, La., with a time of 8.3 seconds. The quickest barrel racer was Kimmie Wall of Roosevelt, Utah with a 17.17-second run.
Tuesday night’s fifth performance starts at 7 p.m.
Courtesy of PRCA