ProRodeo Sports News - January 20, 2023

ODESSA, TEXAS

SANDHILLS STOCK SHOW & RODEO

New Strategy

Stan Branco changing with the times, wins in Odessa BRADY RENCK, Special to ProRodeo Sports News H ere is a partial list of things needed to win in steer wrestling: strength and technique to take down the stock; mental toughness to deal with relentless travel and humbling setbacks; a support system; trusted horse and passion for the sport. Stan Branco is 36, navigating the ProRodeo circuit since 2006, while checking these boxes. He made the National Finals Rodeo in 2013, and made a strong push last season, finishing 28th in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings. He has reinvented himself along the way. “Why do I keep doing it? I guess it’s like that ‘Dear Rodeo’ song (by Cody Johnson). After everything, I love it. I had goals to make it to the NFR more, and it didn’t happen. I feel like the game changed, the steers changed, and I didn’t adapt for a long time,” Branco said. “The last few years I have been putting bulldog schools on and tried to change my game. I am not going to say I have it figured it out. But I feel like I am good place.” It helps that Branco found the right horse. After riding Dirk Tavenner’s horse last season, plans changed when Tavenner suffered an injury. Branco discovered a fit with Trevor Nelson’s Dr Pepper. Branco flew out to Texas and ran some steers, quickly seeing his new ride “had a good pattern.” And it led Branco in the right direction. He won the steer wrestling crown at the Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo in Odessa, Texas, posting 9.3 seconds on two-head. “The key was getting out there and getting some practice runs. You can get by without it, but it really helped,” said Branco, who pocketed $4,517 in prize money. “I knew what kind of horse I was getting when I got to the competition. It was a good fit.” Branco captured the first round with a 4.0-second run, pocketing $1,817. He followed with a 5.3 run to seal the title. The success is a continuation of last season when Branco finished 28th in the standings. His push toward the NFR included a 3.2-second run for a victory at the Gooding (Idaho) Pro Rodeo, which stands at his career best. The ascension in standings was on Tavenner’s horse Oscar, who was Branco’s ride when he was going full time in 2018-19 and again last season. “A great horse,” said Branco, whose family is steeped in rodeo with five generations of competitors on his mother’s side and three generations on his father’s side. Dr. Pepper provides hope that solid runs will pile up. There’s a chance Oscar becomes available when Tavenner returns later in the season. For now, Branco looks to strike a balance. He has not given up his dream of returning to the sport’s biggest stage in Las Vegas. But he is also pragmatic. He runs a shoeing business and works for a feeding company in California where his wife Kate is a school teacher. The couple has an infant a seven-month-old son Riggs. “My goal is to make the NFR. But I am not going to jeopardize my family. I am going to try to keep making money and see how the winter rodeos go with a plan to go hard through the Fourth of July,” Branco said. “Then I will evaluate after that. But I do love it.”

TOP MONEY EARNER Chet Weitz ($6,305, tie TOP SCORES

down roping, team roping) BAREBACK RIDING

Weitz

1. Kade Sonnier........................... 87 pts. 2. Chett Deitz...................................... 85 3. Jacek Frost. ................................. 81.5 STEER WRESTLING 1. Stan Branco....................9.3 sec. on 2 2. Laramie Warren............................. 9.6 3. Four tied at . .................................. 9.9 TEAM ROPING 1. C. Smith/J. Long.............9.8 sec. on 2 2. J. Cooper/T. McKnight. ................ 10.0 3. C. Thomas/C. Green..................... 11.0 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Brody Cress............................. 88 pts. 2. Jacobs Crawley ............................. 84 3. Tyler Beebe..................................... 82 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Bryson Sechrist......................8.1 sec. 2. (Tie) Cash Enderli. ......................... 8.3 Owen Wahlert................................ 8.3 STEER ROPING 1. Jess Tierney..................50.7 sec. on 4 2. Chris Glover................................. 60.9 3. Shay Good................................... 61.4 BULL RIDING 1. Shawn Bennett Jr.................. 88.5 pts. 2. Jeff Askey.................................... 87.5 3. Zach Miles................................... 86.5

Complete results/Page 40

Robby Freeman photo Veteran steer wrestler Stan Branco jump-started his career with his win at the Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo in Odessa, Texas.

ProRodeo Sports News 1/20/2023

ProRodeo Sports News 1/20/2023

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