ProRodeo Sports News - July 7, 2023

OAKLEY INDEPENDENCE DAY RODEO

OAKLEY, UTAH

Paydirt

Yeahquo brothers nab Oakley victory BY TANNER BARTH T he 2023 ProRodeo season has been a dream come true for J.C. and L.J. Yeahquo. Headed into the Cowboy Christmas run, the team roping brothers already had six rodeo wins on their resumes, highlighted by titles at Rodeo Rapid City (S.D.) and the San Angelo (Texas) Rodeo. A season ago, they totaled just five. They added to their already impressive season during the Fourth of July weekend. Everything clicked for the brothers at the Oakley (Utah) Independence Day Rodeo, June 30. The duo found success in the first performance of the weekend, clocking a 3.9-second run, which held on to win the rodeo. “We had an amazing steer over there,” said J.C. Yeahquo, 22. “He went out there and made a good little trip for us to catch. We like to go fast, and he let us do exactly what we wanted to do.” The win in Oakley earned them $4,696 toward the PRCA | RAM World Standings, where they both sit comfortably inside the Top 15. L.J. said even though they didn’t catch as much as they wanted to over the Fourth of July, when they did it paid off. “Our run is just the go fast run,” said L.J. Yeahquo, 23. “It didn’t connect much for us over the Fourth, we ended up only catching twice in the six rodeos we went to. But the two times that we did catch we got paid and it ended up with us winning Oakley.” The Yeahquo brothers hail from Mandaree, N.D. A trip to the Killdeer (N.D.) Mountain Roundup PRCA Rodeo, which is just 30 minutes down the road, provided them with the opportunity to visit family over the holiday. “We were just up in Killdeer (N.D.), and Mandan (N.D.) and we have a lot of family up there,” J.C. said. “That’s where my parents are from and where they were born and raised. It was great being back up there around family.” The Yeahquo family belongs to the Mandan and Hidatsa Native American tribes from the Three Affiliated Tribes in New Town, N.D. Their Native American heritage is something they are proud of, and it shows with the way they carry themselves. “When you’re out there roping, you don’t really think about it, but it’s awesome to know they are behind us,” L.J. said. “We both try to carry ourselves in a professional way, whether we are inside the arena or out of it. We want to go out there and make them proud.”

COWBOY CHRISTMAS Phillip Kitts photo Earlier this season in Woodward, Okla., header J.C. Yeahquo makes a catch, while his brother, L.J. Yeahquo prepares to make his throw. The duo would also cash in at the Oakley Independence Day Rodeo, June 30. TOP MONEY EARNERS Kaycee Feild (bareback BAREBACK RIDING 1. Kaycee Feild .... 88.5 pts. 2. Keenan Hayes ........ 87.5 3. Two at ....................... 87 STEER WRESTLING 1. Ty Erickson .... 3.3 sec. 2. Levi Rudd ............. 3.4 3. Jacob Talley .......... 3.5 TEAM ROPING 1. J.C. Yeahquo/L.J. Yeahquo ....... 3.9 sec. 2. D. Begay/C. Todd ............................. 4.0 3. D. Egusquiza/L. Lord ....................... 4.3 riding) and Stetson Wright (bull riding) $7,191 each

Complete results/Page 90

SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Statler Wright ......... 87.5 pts. 2. Tanner Butner ............... 86.5 3. Three tied ........................ 86

TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Zack Kirkpatrick ....... 7.3 sec. (Tie) Haven Meged ........... 7.3 3. Two at ............................. 7.5

BARREL RACING 1. Shelley Morgan .... 17.22 sec. 2. Jordan Driver .............. 17.27 3. Two at ......................... 17.30

BULL RIDING 1. Stetson Wright .......... 91 pts. 2. Sage Kimzey .................... 90 3. Two at ........................... 88.5

TOP

SCORES

ProRodeo Sports News 7/7/2023

ProRodeo Sports News 7/7/2023

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