Wins are key as Montana Pro Rodeo season nears its end

By Chronicle Staff

With the 2007 Montana Pro Rodeo season drawing to a close, every strong finish can loom large in terms of making the Circuit Finals.

Three Forks saddle bronc rider Wade Black and Livingston barrel racer Shelly Anzick are fighting to get to the Four Seasons Arena at Great Falls, so their wins last weekend were critical. Bozeman bareback rider Derry McLane already has secured a spot in the Finals, but his win pushed him closer to the top of the standings.

Black scored 82 points to emerge as top bronc rider at the Eastern Montana Fair & Rodeo in Miles City. He sat 14th in the Circuit standings before last weekend, so his $760 payday might have vaulted him into the top 10.

Anzick, who only recently returned to competition after purchasing a new horse, won the barrel racing at the Broadus PRCA Let'R Buck Rodeo in 17.20 seconds. Anzick, the defending Circuit champion, was not ranked in the latest standings, but she added $786.60 to the $1504.80 she earned earlier this month for finishing second at the Western Montana Fair PRCA Rodeo In Missoula.

McLane scored 78 points at Broadus to share first place with South Dakota's Marvin Garrett. McLane, who earned $505.40, was fourth in the latest bareback standings, but he was just $100 out of second place before the weekend.

Belgrade's Andy Bolich, who leads the bareback standings in search of his third consecutive year-end Circuit title, finished third in the competition at Miles City with an 83-point ride. Cut Bank's Buck Lunak and Garrett shared the top spot, each scoring 86 points. Bozeman's Tyler Dellen, who sat 12th in the bull riding standings, tied for third place at Miles City with a 78-point ride. Lewistown's Justin Bailey won with 81 points.

Former Montana State football star Beau Clark, of Belgrade, finished second at Miles City in the steer wrestling in 4.3 seconds. Three Forks's Roddy Watson tied for third in 4.7 seconds. South Dakota's Ivan Tergen delivered the winning time: 3.7 seconds.

Mercede and Morgan Knudsen, both members of the MSU rodeo team, and Whitehall's Lorie Dunagan tied for eighth in the barrel racing at Miles City with 17.74-second runs. Winston's Lindsay Knaff won in 17.31 seconds. Mercede Knudsen ranks fourth in the latest Circuit standings, and Dunagan was ninth.

Bozeman's Rob Kountz and his partner, Shepherd's Ross Carson, finished in the money in the team roping at both weekend rodeos. They were third at Miles City in 5.3 seconds, and they tied for fifth at Broadus with Belgrade's Cody and Colt Tew in 5.8 seconds. Bozeman's Chase Gauger and Huntley's Ryan Siemsen finished fourth at Broadus in 5.5 seconds. The winning times were 4.5 seconds in Miles City, turned in by Worden's Derick Fleming and Lolo's Kory Mytty, and 5.1 seconds in Broadus, turned in by Huntley's Brady Tryan and Lodge Grass' Justin Tom.

Livingston's Mike Strong tied for fourth with two others in the bull riding at Broadus, scoring 75 points. Cut Bank's Nathan Hofer won with an 83-point ride.

The summer portion of the Montana season concludes with three rodeos this weekend: the Sanders County Fair PRCA Rodeo, Friday and Saturday in Plains; the Dillon Jaycee PRCA Rodeo, Saturday and Sunday; and, the White Sulfur Springs Labor Day Rodeo, Sunday and Monday. The last event of the regular season is the Northern International Livestock Exposition PRCA Rodeo, scheduled Oct. 17-20 in Billings.

Reader Comments