Flawless Dawson Branton Wins Boot Barn PBR Youngstown at Sold-Out Covelli Centre
By: Andrew Hatfield
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – As a capacity crowd roared their approval inside the Covelli Centre at the Boot Barn PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Youngstown, Dawson Branton (Jefferson, Oregon) stood victorious, going a perfect 3-for-3.
A rider for the Carolina Cowboys on the separate PBR Camping World Team Series, Branton was tied for second entering Round 2 after topping Grayson (J Bar W) for 84.5 points in the final out of the evening.
Brimming with confidence, the Oregonian roared out of the gate aboard Lock ‘n Load (5S Ranch) for 86.5 points to move him into first entering the final round.
Now seemingly unstoppable, Branton moved in perfect time with Good To Go (Twisted Horns Cattle Co./Hearn) for 84 points to complete his flawless performance with a walk-off victory.
Branton progressed in his quest to return to the premier series by seizing 133.5 Velocity Global points.
The only other rider to go a perfect 3-for-3, Jesse Petri (Dublin, Texas) finished second.
The Texan was tied with Branton for second after the opening round, scoring 84.5 points on Kephart’s Soloman (G&H Cattle).
The soft-spoken cowboy then held his spot heading into the final round by successfully covering Thunder (Barrett/Barnes PRCA Rodeo) for 85 points.
Seeking his first victory of the season, Petri thundered out of the gates on Sphincter (Battles End Bucking Bulls) for a round-winning 85 points to briefly take the lead before once again being overtaken by Branton.
The Arizona Ridge Riders’ Petri left Covelli Centre with 112.5 Velocity Global points.
Joao Paulo Fernandes (Hidrolina, Brazil) finished third, going 2-for-3.
The veteran cowboy rocketed out of the chutes Friday evening on Crazed Addiction (Cornwell Bucking Bulls) for 81.5 points in Round 1.
Sitting in fifth entering the second day of action, the Brazilian rode Tom Horn (LH Cattle Co./2T Cattle Co.) for 82 points to secure a spot in the championship round.
The Brazilian briefly sat tall atop Oreo (Twisted Horns Cattle Co./Hearn) before being thrown after 3.26 seconds.
He returns home with a critical 67 Velocity Global points.
The Texas Rattlers’ Trace Redd (Malad, Idaho) went 1-for-3, finishing fourth.
After being bucked off by Crossin’ The Delta Line (Dana White/DD Bucking Bulls) in 5 seconds in Round 1, he battled back to win Round 2 by topping Kephart’s Lego Armour (G&H Cattle) for 87 points.
Looking to jump onto the podium, he leaped out of the gate aboard Little Bit Crazy (Blue Ridge Bucking Bulls) but was unseated after a thrilling 5.8 seconds.
The fourth-place finish garnered Redd 49 Velocity Global points.
Round 1 winner Josh Stepp (Hendersonville, North Carolina) rounded out the Top 5.
He got out to an early lead in the event by riding Grey Goose (LH Cattle Co./Chandler Cattle Co.) for 85 points Friday night.
After being bucked off Long Gone (Twisted Horns Cattle Co./Hearn) in 4.18 seconds, the North Carolinian was unable to compete in the final round due to an upper-body injury.
His 1-for-2 performance netted him 45 Velocity Global points.
In a fierce bull pen, Little Bit Crazy took home the Bull of the Event title for his aforementioned buck off of Redd, marked 44 points.
Velocity Global points contribute to the Velocity Global Standings and determine which new riders are added to the elite Unleash The Beast throughout the season. The Top 3 Velocity Global riders who have not already qualified are also invited to the PBR World Finals in May.
While the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour bucked in Youngstown and Memphis, Tennessee, the elite Unleash The Beast hits the west coast inside the iconic Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour
Boot Barn PBR Youngstown
Covelli Centre – Youngstown, Ohio
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Dawson Branton, 84.5-86.5-84-255.00-133.5 Points.
2. Jesse Petri, 84.5-85-85-254.50-112.5 Points.
3. João Paulo Fernandes, 81.5-82-0-163.50-67 Points.
4. Trace Redd, 0-87-0-87.00-49 Points.
5. Josh Stepp, 85-0-0-85.00-45 Points.
6. Brandon Chambers, 83-0-0-83.00-28 Points.
7. Matt Allgood, 0-80-0-80.00-21 Points.
Michael Lane, 0-0-0-0.00
Hunter Ball, 0-0-0-0.00
Cody McCandless, 0-0-0-0.00
Tyler Manor, 0-0-0-0.00
Dustin Herman, 0-0-0-0.00
Justin Ethridge, 0-0-0-0.00
Dylan Smith, 0-0-0-0.00
Dustin Martinez, 0-0-0-0.00
Ueberson Duarte, 0-0-0-0.00
Cameron Delano, 0-0-0-0.00
Trace Brown, 0-0-0-0.00
Eduardo de Oliveira, 0-0-0-0.00
Alex Jenks, 0-0-0-0.00
Jake Goodson, 0-0-0-0.00
Tristen Marshall, 0-0-0-0.00
Devon Weaver, 0-0-0-0.00
Cole Trivette, 0-0-0-0.00
Matt Hennelly, 0-0-0-0.00
Eli Byler, 0-0-0-0.00
Eder Barbosa, 0-0-0-0.00
Perry Schrock, 0-0-0-0.00
Joseph Petersheim, 0-0-0-0.00
Brandon Ferguson, 0-0-0-0.00
Michael Phillips, 0-0-0-0.00
Winston Speicher, 0-0-0-0.00
Brylee Smith, 0-0-0-0.00
Wyatt Mandel, 0-0-0-0.00
Geferson Damascena, 0-0-0-0.00
Eli Hershberger, 0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Johnson, 0-0-0-0.00
Douglas da Silva Barreto, 0-0-0-0.00
Thomas Tindell, 0-0-0-0.00
Kyle Toth, 0-0-0-0.00
Photo courtesy of Scott Galvin/Galvin Photography
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