ProRodeo Sports News July 9, 2021

Rookie roper Darnell caps off monster June with win Finest Hour BY KEVIN CARMODY, Special to ProRodeo Sports News I f Cody Darnell had his way, he’d probably wish for the calendar to not flip past the month of June. The ProRodeo rookie tie-down roper fromGordon, Neb., finally saw a horrid, months- long run come to an end when he earned paychecks at six rodeos – he had cashed at just one previously, way back in late October – and put the finishing touches on the month with a 7.9-second run to win the title at the Rodeo of the Ozarks in Springdale, Ark. His effort put $6,340 in his pocket and, perhaps more importantly, gave him a surge of confidence heading into the feeding frenzy of rodeos just around the bend. For the month, Darnell earned $13,152 and sat 35th in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings heading into July. “This is definitely the biggest check I’ve ever won at a PRCA rodeo,” said Darnell, 23. “That definitely helps, and it’s good timing for the sake of the summer. It was kind of a rough spring. I spent TOP MONEY WINNER Cody Darnell ($6,340, tie-down roping) BAREBACK RIDING TOP SCORES Darnell

1. Seth Hardwick ..................... 88.5 pts. 2. Tyler Johnson ............................ 87.5 3. Cole Franks .................................... 87 STEER WRESTLING 1. Justin Morehouse .................. 3.5 sec. 2. Hunter Cure .................................. 4.0 (Tie) Cade Staton ......................... 4.0 TEAM ROPING 1. J. Orman/B. Crites ................ 4.3 sec. 2. P. Egurrola/JC Flake ..................... 4.6 3. Two tied at .................................... 4.9 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Dawson Dahm .................... 90.5 pts. 2. Shorty Garrett ............................... 89 3. Isaac Diaz ..................................... 86 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Cody Darnell ................................ 7.9 2. Three tied at . ................................ 8.0 BARREL RACING 1. Michelle Darling ................. 17.41 sec. 2. Cayla Small .............................. 17.42 3. Taycie Matthews ...................... 17.46 BULL RIDING 1. Jack Gilmore . ...................... 90.5 pts. 2. Jeff Askey .................................. 88.5 3. Fulton Rutland ........................... 87.5

the whole winter and spring down in Texas, just trying to compete against the best guys. I definitely spent a lot of the spring learning and making mistakes, doing things I knew better than.” Following a solid showing at last October’s RAMMountain States Circuit Finals Rodeo in Loveland, Colo., where he earned $2,544, Darnell then went through a stretch of 26 consecutive rodeos where he didn’t earn a dime. Then, during the first weekend of June, he earned a sixth-place check at the Crossett (Ark.) Riding Club 73rd Annual PRCA Rodeo. It might have been only $164, but it was a start. Darnell added to that with additional paydays in Mesquite, Texas ($65) and North Platte, Neb. ($2,786) over the next two weekends. In Springdale, Darnell borrowed a horse from fellow roper Trey Young to rest his top mounts after driving home from the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo before catching a flight to Arkansas. Competing in slack, Darnell and his borrowed mount combined for a solid run. Then, he had to wait to see if it would hold up. There were still several top-tier cowboys who had yet to compete, such as reigning World Champion Shad Mayfield, along with two-time World Champion Caleb Smidt and Haven Meged, who won the world title in 2019. All three clocked times of 8.0 seconds, meaning Darnell had finally won his first ProRodeo. “Truthfully, I thought all three were going to get me,” Darnell said. “For some reason, they didn’t. After my slow spring, I kind of feel like I’ve somewhat gotten it together, and that’s probably a big thing going into the summer, where the heat of the battle starts.” And he hopes to be a contender in that battle. “The spring was challenging, but these last two weeks have been pretty good to me,” Darnell said. “I’d like to think I still have a chance to go to Vegas. That’s going to be my goal until the end of the season.”

MONEY MOVES A winning, 4.3-second run worth $4,097 in Springdale, gave team ropers Jake Orman and Brye Crites a bump in their respective rankings in the world standings. In a week that also included a fourth-place check at the West of the Pecos (Texas) Rodeo, the earnings helped Orman move up four spots to 13th among headers, while Crites jumped up two spots to ninth. Both ropers finished 22nd in the final 2020 standings. FRANKS DISCUSSION Rookie bareback rider Cole Franks continues to make an impression. Franks took third in Springdale to help him climb to 25th in the Tour, one spot away from qualifying for the ProRodeo Tour Finale.

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ProRodeo Sports News 7/9/2021

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