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PRCA Standings Shuffle: 24 Move Up in Top 15

By Matt Naber

The only breaks in ProRodeo during Labor Day Weekend came from breaking records and breaking into the Top 15 of the PRCA | RAM World Standings.

With the end of the 2019 season on the horizon, cowboys were focused on the ProRodeo Tour’s final competitions in hopes of qualifying for the ProRodeo Tour Finale in Puyallup, Wash., Sept. 5-8. Meanwhile, the 33 ProRodeo competitions held Aug. 26 through Sept. 2 across North America presented more than $1.9 million in prize money.

With so much money up for grabs, 24 cowboys saw their positions improve within the Top 15, largely thanks to successful trips to last week’s biggest rodeos.

Six of last week’s competitions featured six-figure payouts, three of which were ProRodeo Tour events: the Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo at $368,274, Walla Walla (Wash.) Frontier Days at $216,214 and the Magic Valley Stampede in Filer, Idaho, at $148,219.

The other three that broke the six-figure mark were the IPE and Stampede in Armstrong, British Columbia, at $134,256, the Ellensburg Rodeo Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale at $101,520, and the Colorado State Fair & Rodeo in Pueblo, Colo., at $101,262.

Cowboys know it’s easier to maintain a position at the top than it is to play catch-up when trying to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Every dollar counts, and making the Top 15 in the world standings during the final month of the season builds a cowboy’s confidence and establishes a foundation for the race for the gold buckle at the Wrangler NFR.

Nobody knows this better than bull rider Jordan Spears as he jumped 12 spots during the week, climbing to eighth by winning $36,465 across eight rodeos. The majority of Spears’ Labor Day Weekend success came thanks to winning three of the biggest rodeos of the week.

First, the 27-year-old cowboy won the average at the Ellensburg Rodeo Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale for $27,410, Aug. 31. His win was determined in the final round with an 89-point ride on Big Stone Rodeo Inc.’s Spotted Demon.

Spears also won the Magic Valley Stampede with an 89.5-point ride on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Crazy Rein for $4,667 Aug. 31.

The next day, he scored 87.5 points on Bridwell Pro Rodeos’ Catfish Clinger to split the win in Walla Walla with Trey Benton III for $3,587.

The California-born cowboy turned Oregon resident is a three-time qualifier for the Wrangler NFR (2014, 2016-17), narrowly missing the Finals in 2018 when he finished the season 18th in the world standings.

He returned to win some of the biggest rodeos of the 2019 season, including the San Angelo (Texas) Rodeo, the Clovis (Calif.) Rodeo and the Sheridan WYO Rodeo.

With the ProRodeo Tour Finale on the line Sept. 5-8, big jumps like Spears’ are sure to happen again.

The following cowboys also moved up within the Top 15 last week.

Six Spots

Ty Harris moved from 15th to ninth in tie-down roping.

Five Spots

Tate Kirchenschlager moved from 16th to 11th in team roping heading.
Tanner Milan moved from 19th to 14th in steer wrestling.

Three Spots

Jess Tierney moved from 10th to seventh in steer roping.
Cameron Morman moved from 16th to 13th in steer wrestling.

Two Spots

Kaleb Driggers moved from fourth to second in team roping heading.
Junior Nogeuira moved from fourth to second in team roping heeling.
Chase Brooks moved from sixth to fourth in saddle bronc riding.
Travis Graves moved from seventh to fifth in team roping heeling.
Boudreaux Campbell moved from seventh to fifth in bull riding.
Kyle Irwin moved from ninth to seventh in steer wrestling.
Cole Patterson moved from 11th to ninth in steer roping.

One Spot

Brady Minor moved from fifth to fourth in team roping heeling.
Rocky Patterson moved from seventh to sixth in steer roping.
Trey Benton III moved from eighth to seventh in bull riding.
Spencer Wright moved from ninth to eighth in saddle bronc riding.
Clint Laye moved from 10th to ninth in bareback riding.
Brenten Hall moved from 11th to 10th in team roping heading.
Jake Brown moved from 13th to 12th in bareback riding.
Bradley Harter moved from 13th to 12th in saddle bronc riding.
J.J. Elshere moved from 16th to 15th in saddle bronc riding.
Shad Mayfield moved from 16th to 15th in tie-down roping.
Daylon Swearingen moved from 16th to 15th in bull riding.

Check back with ProRodeo.com next week to see who the leaders are in the PRCA | RAM World Standings.

Courtesy of PRCA

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