ProRodeo Sports News - December 16, 2022

XTREME BRONCS TOUR RECAP

XTREME BRONCS TOUR RECAP

Brody Cress had a 93.5-point ride on Sutton Rodeo’s South Point to win the Xtreme Bronc Finals in Rapid City, S.D., on Aug. 21.

Alaina Stangle photo

Cress Crowned Brody claims Xtreme Broncs Finals title

BY BRADY RENCK, Special to ProRodeo Sports News B rody Cress makes no excuses. There is no room when chasing former high school wrestler fell back on a common refrain: work don’t worry. That singlemindedness has made him one of the sport’s best bronc riders. He started at 18, and now 26, he boasts three Wrangler National Finals Rodeo average titles, including last season, and six qualifications. “I hurt my shoulder in Cheyenne and that made me miss rodeos for two weeks. And I didn’t get the best draws, so I was in a slump. But it doesn’t matter, you still have to make the best with the horses you get,” Cress said. “And when you get that horse that is special, you have to do your job.” The performance he delivered on Aug. 21 at the Xtreme Broncos Finals in Rapid City, S.D., followed that script. Cress tied for eighth after the long ride, making him the last in and first to go in the short round. “I knew it was going to take something really good given the horses and the competition,” Cress said. He drew Sutton Rodeo’s South Point, knowing a title was within reach. Against a loaded field, Cress posted a 93.5-point ride, besting a group that included three other scores in the 90s at the Central State Fair at the Grandstand Arena. championships. So, when he fell into a slump this summer, amplified by a shoulder injury that knocked him out for a couple of weeks, the

Cress captured the two-head average with 180 points, netting $14,382 for the finals and $23,059 for the event. Back in 2019, Cress split the win at the inaugural Xtreme Broncs Finals withWade Sundell. South Point might as well be an arrow pointing toward a victory. The winner rode him at the event for the third consecutive year. “I couldn’t have gotten a better horse. He gives you a chance every time. He had been hurt and we didn’t know if he would compete,” Cress said. “But he healed up. So, to ride a horse of that caliber, it was really hard to lose.” It represented a dramatic rally for the star. He had an 86.5-point ride on Bailey Pro Rodeo’s Capone in his first ride, placing him last among the eight cowboys to make the short round. He had ground to cover. Cress left the chute on South Point and the horse kicked its back legs violently into the air 11 times as she made her way forward. The public address announcer bellowed, “You’ve got to be kidding! Oh, my goodness!” as Cress stayed in rhythm, hopped off onto his feet and into the prize money. “You saw my reaction, throwing my arm into the air,” said Cress after setting a new arena record. “I was pumped up.” “The physical and mental side of the sport teaches you so much. It’s very similar to rodeo. You are on top of the world one day and at the bottom of the next,” Cress said. “I am so thankful for the coaches who taught me not just about wrestling but how to look at things off the mat. It has helped me.”

ProRodeo Sports News 12/16/2022

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