Looking at the Leaderboard
By Matt Naber
Rank rides and fast times are what every cowboy strives for, but only the highest scores and quickest runs make the leaderboard.
The best scores and times can vary from one year to the next, so here’s a comparison between the leaderboard of Feb. 2, 2019, and the leaderboard as it stood a year ago on Feb. 2, 2018.
This week’s leaderboard features eight additions – bareback riders Ty Breuer and Jared Keylon, saddle bronc riders JJ Elshere and Rusty Wright, bull riders Cody Rostockyj and Coleman Rude, steer wrestler Harley Cole, and team ropers Brenten Hall and Chase Tryan.
Three bareback riders share the top score of 89 points, and two of them were on the same bronc, Three Hills Rodeo’s Big Show. Grant Denny rode Big Show in Des Moines, Iowa, and Ty Breuer rode Big Show in St. Paul, Minn. Meanwhile, Jared Keylon made 89 points on Three Hills Rodeo’s Devil’s Advocate at St. Paul. One year ago, the top bareback ride belonged to Tim O’Connell with 89.5 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Jason’s Pride in Denver.
Elshere made one of the highest-scored saddle bronc rides of all time this week when he scored 93.5 points on Burch Rodeo’s Lunatic From Hell in Rapid City, S.D. One year ago, the highest saddle bronc riding score was 90 points, posted by Jesse Kruse on Powder River Rodeo’s Show Me Again in Billings, Mont.
Bull rider Cole Melancon holds the highest-scored ride of 2019 with 91 points on Hurst Pro Rodeo’s Mojo in Waco, Texas. At this point in 2018, 91 points was also the highest bull riding score, held by Reid Barker on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Slim Kitty in Denver.
Jacob Talley was the top steer wrestler at this point in 2018, and he’s at the top again this year, but now he’s joined by Brent Sutton, Clayton Haas and Cole. Talley clocked in at 3.4 seconds in Bellville, Texas, this season. His time was matched by Sutton in Minot, N.D., Haas at Hempstead, Texas, and Cole in Denver. One year ago, Talley was at the top of the leaderboard with his 3.1-second run in Davie, Fla.
Casey Tew and Jerren Johnson hold the fastest team roping run of the 2019 season after clocking in at 3.8 seconds in Denver. At this point a year ago, the fastest team roping time was 3.5 seconds, posted by Jake Cooper and Cody Doescher in Tulsa, Okla.
Two tie-down ropers share the top spot with 6.8-second runs. Tanner Green made his in Waco, Texas, and Chance Oftedahl made his at Louisville, Ky. One year ago, Marty Yates held the fastest tie-down roping time of 6.8 seconds, which he made in Denver.
Trevor Brazile holds the top two times for steer roping this season. He clocked in at 9.2 seconds at Odessa, Texas, and 9.3 seconds at Hempstead, Texas. At this point in 2018, Brent Lewis held the fastest steer roping time with 8.8 seconds, made at Odessa, Texas.
Check back with prorodeo.com next week to see if anyone tops the current batch of best rides and runs of the season.
Courtesy of PRCA