Jesse Moves to No. 4 in the World with Win in Bismarck

By: Mandi McCary

BISMARCK, N.D. – The world’s best cowboys and bucking bulls clashed Saturday night in Bismarck to decide the first event of the 2020 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) second half, accompanied by loudly cheering fans during a dramatic, high-scoring championship round as one rider topped another, and the real human voices in the grandstands of the Bismarck Civic Center sure sounded beautiful.

As the PBR Dakota Community Bank & Trust Invitational presented by Cooper Tires came to a close, Colten Jesse (Konawa, Oklahoma) stood atop the Can-Am cage in the center of the dirt with a triumphant smile on his face following a title-clinching 92.25-point trip aboard Sky Harbor (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve/ Wilks Ranch). Jesse put up the highest score of the weekend when it counted most to win the first event win of his career on the Unleash The Beast (UTB).

During the championship round, four of the 15 riders recorded monumental 90-point rides, including young gun Ezekiel Mitchell (Rockdale, Texas), who recorded the first 90-point ride of his career aboard Good Night Robicheaux (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve/ Diamond Willow), and 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas), who scored 90.25 points on Speed Demon (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve/ Heald Pro Bulls).

The weekend falls just short of the “night of 90s” during 2019’s Touring Pro Division event in Bismarck when eight riders hit the 90-point mark.

Over the course of the weekend, which marked the beginning of the second half of the PBR Unleash The Beast season in which PBR is welcoming fans back into the arena with new safety protocols in place, Jesse went a perfect 3-for-3, continuing his climb in the world standings.

 
As the final evening of competition began, Jesse conquered Get Shorty (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/ Clay Struve/ Heald Pro Bulls) in Round 2 for an 86.25-point score, landing him at a pivotal place on the leaderboard heading into the Championship Round.

The North Dakota crowd went wild as the calm and steady Jesse rocketed out of the chutes aboard Sky Harbor to make the 8-second whistle and clinch the win.

The win moved Jesse from No. 5 in the world standings to No. 4, leaving him 358.5 points behind world leader Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil). He becomes the 10th different PBR Unleash The Beast event winner this season and breaks a streak in which the last seven had been won by Brazilians.

The Oklahoma cowboy earned $36,770 and 112 world points.

Brazilian rider Joao Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) was on Jesse’s heels, finishing second. Earlier in the night before the championship round battle, the veteran rider had made the 8 aboard Melanie’s Dream (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve) for 89.5 points.

For the championship round, the seasoned rider selected Safety Meeting (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve), making the 8-second whistle for 90.75.

 
Vieira, who started the season strong with a win in New York at Madison Square Garden, also went 3-for-3 over the weekend, moving from No. 3 in the world to No. 2, leapfrogging ahead of reigning world champion Jess Lockwood (Volborg, Montana), who is still sidelined recovering from injuries earlier in the year.

Vieira leaves North Dakota with $19,250 and 73 world points.

Third place went to went to Lucas Divino (Nova Crixas Goias, Brazil), the winner of Round 1 on Friday night.

After riding Suspicious Minds (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve/ Heald Pro Bulls) for 83.75 points in Round 2, the Brazilian phenom selected Trail of Tears (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve/ MAGA Cattle/ Roper Angus) in the championship round. Just short of adding to the line of 90’s throughout the round, Divino recorded an 89.75-point score.

Divino’s 3-for-3 weekend earned him $11,980 and 63 world points. He began the weekend at No. 8 in the world and now holds the No. 6 position.

 
2016 World Champion Cooper Davis came in fourth for the weekend after going 2-for-3. Despite a rocky start to the weekend when he bucked off Quickfire (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Stuve/ Heald Pro Bulls) in Round 1 Friday night, the Texan came into Saturday with determination and grit to get the job done.

After riding Quid Pro Quo (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve) in Round 2 for 87 points, Davis selected Speed Demon for his championship ride. The socially distanced fans were on their feet as Davis exploded from the chutes showcasing his World Champion style to record an impressive 90.25 points.

Davis earned $9,100 and 34 world points. He moved from No. 28 in the world at the event’s start to now hold the No. 21 position.

 
Rounding out the Top 5 was Joao Henrique Lucas (Bastos, Brazil) with a 3-for-3 performance. The confident young Brazilian rider was matched with Beaver Creek Beau (Chad Berger/ Clay Struve/ PBR Rock Bar) in Round 2 where he made the whistle and recorded an 84.25-point ride score.

In the championship round, Lucas selected South Texas Gangster (Dakota Rodeo/Julie Rosen/Clay Struve/Chad Berger) and proved successful in his selection when he rode for 87.75 points.

He earned $4,270 and 32 world points, and more impressively moved up from No. 27 in the world to No.20.

Falling just short of the Top 5 was world leader Leme with a sixth-place finish after some trouble in the championship round when he bucked off Jive Turkey (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve/ MAGA Cattle/ Roper Angus) in 7.29 seconds. Earlier in the night he conquered Space Force (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Clay Struve/ Heald Pro Bulls) with ease for 89.75 points.

Fans can relive all the action from Bismarck on Monday, Aug. 9 at 8:00 a.m. EDT at RidePass.com or via the RidePass mobile app.

The PBR Unleash The Beast next travels to Guthrie, Oklahoma, for the PBR Bullnanza at the Lazy E Arena on Friday, Aug. 14 at 7:45 p.m. CDT and Saturday, Aug. 15 at 12:45 p.m. CDT.

PBR Unleash The Beast – Dakota Community Bank & Trust Invitational presented by Cooper Tires
Bismarck Events Center -Bismarck, North Dakota
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Colten Jesse, 87.25-0-86.25-92.25-265.75-112 Points.
2. João Ricardo Vieira, 84.25-0-89.5-90.75-264.50-73 Points.
3. Lucas Divino, 88.5-0-83.75-89.75-262.00-63 Points.
4. Cooper Davis, 0-0-87-90.25-177.25-34 Points.
5. Joao Henrique Lucas, 85-0-84.25-87.75-257.00-32 Points.
6. Jose Vitor Leme, 85.5-87-89.75-0-175.25-31 Points.
7. Ezekiel Mitchell, 87-0-0-90-177.00-27 Points.
8. Cannon Cravens, 88-0-85.75-0-173.75-16 Points.
9. Marco Eguchi, 0-0-88.5-0-88.50-11 Points.
(tie). Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 88.25-0-0-0-88.25-11 Points.
11. Dakota Louis, 0-0-86.75-0-86.75-7 Points.
12. Cole Melancon, 86.5-0-0-0-86.50-6 Points.
(tie). Junio Patrik Souza, 82.75-0-76-0-158.75-6 Points.
14. Matt Triplett, 0-0-86.5-0-86.50-5.5 Points.
(tie). Paulo Ferreira Lima, 0-0-86.5-0-86.50-5.5 Points.
16. Brennon Eldred, 0-0-86-0-86.00-3 Points.
Daylon Swearingen, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Derek Kolbaba, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Alex Cerqueira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Andrew Alvidrez, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Silvano Alves, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Taylor Toves, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Amadeu Campos Silva, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Casper, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Marcus Mast, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Jake Lockwood, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Devon Weaver, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Grayson Cole, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Nance, 0-0-0-0-0.00
J.B. Mauney, 0-0-0-0-0.00

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