Sunny Weather, Good Rodeo

South Dakota cowboy leads saddle bronc riding, enjoys California sunshine

Red Bluff, Calif. – Shane O’Connell sure appreciates California and its weather.

And he appreciates it even more, now that he’s in the running for some money at the Red Bluff Round-Up.

The South Dakota cowboy, a saddle bronc rider, moved into first place in his event with an 85 point ride on the Bridwell Pro Rodeos horse Caddy Wagon after the first performance at the Red Bluff Round-Up April 21.

The 21 year old cowboy did his homework on the bronc. “My buddy Wyatt Bloom (a fellow competitor at Red Bluff) showed me videos on him last week, so I got to watch video before I got on him.” Bloom won the Logandale, Utah rodeo on the horse last week. “I sure liked what I was looking at, and it sure worked out good,” O’Connell said. “That horse bucked really hard out of there, kind of set me up for one jump, then it was game on after that. I had a lot of fun.”

O’Connell, who hails from the Rapid City, S.D. area, divides his time between home and the rodeo road, and he’s happy to be in a warmer climate. “The weather’s been pretty tough (in S.D.) so it’s nice to come out to California. It’s been cold and snowy for three, four months now.”

When he’s at home, he’s helping on the family ranch. “We’re calving cows right now, so I have to take care of the ranch a little bit, and rodeo when I get the chance, and make them pay when I come.” It snowed an inch at his home last week. “We need the moisture, but it feels good to come and ride bucking horses. I’m getting sick of dealing with cows every day.” And he loves being among his rodeo friends. “And you get to come out here and see all your buddies. I live at home by myself, so it’s good to see all your friends. It ain’t work when you’re having fun.”

O’Connell finished the 2016 rodeo season in nineteenth place in the PRCA world standings, just four slots out of qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He’s currently ranked thirty-sixth in the standings.

Other leaders after tonight’s performance are steer wrestler Cody Pratt, Pueblo, Colo., 4.4 seconds; tie-down roper Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla., 8.9 seconds; team ropers Hayes Smith, Central Point, Ore. and Russell Cardoza, Terrebonne, Ore., 7.3 seconds; barrel racer Tiany Shuster, Krum, Texas, 17.23 seconds, and saddle bronc rider Jesse Wright, Milford, Utah, 84.5 points. Bull rider Trey Benton, III, Rock Island,Texas, leads his event with a score of 88 points.

The second of three performances of the Red Bluff Round-Up takes place Saturday, April 21. The Kiwanis Pancake breakfast runs from 7-10 am, and the rodeo parade kicks off at 10 am. The rodeo begins at 2:30 pm. For more information, visit the rodeo’s website at RedBluffRoundup.com. Tickets range in price from $14 to $30 and are available at the gate and online.

Results after first performance, Red Bluff Round-Up, April 21, 2017

Friday, April 21, 2017 – first performance

Bareback riding
1. Shane O’Connell, Rapid City, S.D. 85 points on Bridwell Pro Rodeos’ Caddy Wagon; 2. Jessy Davis, Power, Mont. 84.5; 3. Kaycee Feild, Spanish Fork, Utah 83; 4. (tie) Austin Foss, Terrebonne, Ore. and Justin Miller, Billings, Mont. 81.5 each; 6. Wyatt Bloom, Bend, Ore. 81.

Steer wrestling
1. Cody Pratt, Pueblo, Colo. 4.4 seconds; 2. Baylor Roche, Tremonton, Utah 4.7; 3. Josh Peek, Pueblo, Colo. 4.9; 5. Luke Branquinho, Los Alamos, Calif. 5.1; 6. Jarret New, Wimberley, Texas 5.3.

Saddle bronc riding
1. Jesse Wright, Milford, Utah 84.5 points on Rosser Rodeo’s 507 Blackhawk Blaze; 2. Jake Watson, Hudsons Hope, B.C. 83.5; 3. Tyrell J. Smith, Sand Coulee, Mont. 82; 4. CoBurn Bradshaw, Beaver, Utah 81.5; 5. Nat Stratton, Goodwell, Okla. 81; 6. Samuel Kelts, Millarville, Alb. 75.

Tie-down roping
1. Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla. 8.9 seconds; 2. Jake Pratt, Ellensburg, Wash. 10.8; 3. Jake Paul Hannum, Plain City, Utah 11.5; 4. Monty Lewis, Hereford, Texas 11.8; 5. Lane Livingston, Seymour, Texas 12.9; 6. Doyle Hoskins, Chualar, U.S. 15.8.

Team Roping
1. Hayes Smith, Central Point, Ore. and Russell Cardoza, Terrebonne, Ore. 7.3 seconds; 2. Jake Cooper, Monument, N.M. and Brady Norman, Springer, Okla. 9.0; 3. Blake Hirdes, Turlock, Calif. and John Chaves, Los Alamos, Calif. 9.5; 4. Cory Kidd V, Statesville, N.C. and Cole Davison, Stephenville, Texas 9.7; 5. Luke Brown, Stephenville, Texas and Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kan. 11.3; 6. Jake Stanley, Hermiston, Ore. and Kyle Lockett, Visalia, Calif. 12.8.

Barrel racing
1. Tiany Schuster, Krum, Texas 17.23 seconds; 2. Mary Jo Camera, Ceres, Calif. 17.40; 3. Kellie Collier, Hereford, Texas 17.42; 4. Charleen Ornellas, Lemoore, Calif. 17.47; 5. Kathy Petska, Turlock, Calif. 17.92; 6. Cathy Cagliari, Corning, Calif. 18.03.

Bull riding
1. Trey Benton, III, Rock Island, Texas 88 points on Rosser Rodeo’s Heartbreak; 2. Tim Bingham, Honeyville, Utah 85.5; 3. Jordan Hansen, Okotoks, Alb. 81; 4. Cain Smith, Pendleton, Ore. 79; 5. Brennon Eldred, Sulphur, Okla. 76; 6. Scottie Knapp, Albuquerque, N.M. 74.5.

** All results are unofficial. For more information, visit RedBluffRoundup.com.