ProRodeo Sports News - Nov. 1, 2024

DUNCAN, OKLA.

Jarrett makes late push at Prairie Finals Perfect Finish BY ALEX RILEY, Special to ProRodeo Sports News N ow or never. That’s what Ryan Jarrett faced going into the final round of the RAM Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo in Duncan, Okla. The veteran PRORODEO athlete got off to a bit of a RAM PRAIRIE CIRCUIT FINALS

TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY EARNER Weston Patterson ($9,685, saddle bronc riding) BAREBACK RIDING

slow start in tie-down roping. His opening run finished well outside of cashing a check at 11.3 seconds. His second go was decidedly better, a 9.5-second effort that placed him fourth in the round and earned a little bit of money. But if he was going to have a chance at another circuit championship, everything hinged on the final go. And the Comanche, Okla., native made it count. “I just drew a really good calf in the third round. I wanted to win the year-end deal and kind of knew I needed to turn it up a little bit if it was going to happen,” Jarrett said. “Everything went right, got a good start at the barrier and my little horse, just a young horse I’ve been piddling with and roping on, he was really good, and it couldn’t have worked out better.” Jarrett and his horse, Cracker Jack, posted a time of 7.4 seconds. The effort not only won the round but was also the single quickest tie-down time of the entire three-day event, allowing him to make up for that slow start and easily capture the title. The 15-time qualifier for the National Finals Rodeo finished with an aggregate time of 28.2 seconds on three runs, a full two seconds ahead of runner-up Austin Lawrence. In all, Jarrett secured $6,267 in earnings on his way to a third Prairie Circuit Title. He last won the tie-down roping in 2014 and took home an all-around honor in 2012. With circuit-leader Cash Fuesz not competing, Jarrett’s earnings during the season-culminating event pulled him ahead in the tie-down roping standings, giving him the overall season circuit championship by little more than $100. Along with a strong finish to the 2024 season, the win gives Jarrett something to look forward to in 2025. A circuit finals championship qualifies him for a spot at NFR Open in Colorado Springs, Colo., this July. The event brings together circuit champions for an exclusive rodeo during the heart of the summer run. For a cowboy who has been competing in the PRCA more than two decades and owns a 2005 PRCA All-Around World Title, the NFR Open is a new but welcome wrinkle in the sport. Jarrett remembers earning a place at previous National Circuit Finals Rodeos as being a bit of a chore. Previously, the event didn’t add anything to regular season earnings and generally took place in the spring. Thanks to restructuring in 2022, qualifying for the NFR Open has become a goal for every rodeo athlete. Jarrett is excited to be among them this summer. “The PRCA and rodeo itself has kind of, after COVID, sure turned it up a notch. It wasn’t that big a deal five or six years ago – I mean it was, but it didn’t count for the World Standings, and it just adds so much now,” Jarrett said. “PRCA puts quite a bit towards it and it’s dang sure worth getting a spot. Before, it would be like, ‘Aw, shoot,’ if you missed it. Now, it’s like, ‘I’m going to try and get there.’ In the middle of July in Colorado Springs, it’s the perfect time to be having it.”

Patterson

1. Bryce Eck ..................... 247 pts. on 3 2. Jayco Roper................................ 246 3. Quintonn Lunsford ...................... 231 (Tie) Gauge McBride ................... 231 STEER WRESTLING 1. Cody Devers ............... 15.5 sec. on 3 2. Travis Munro ............................. 18.5 3. Trisyn Kalawaia .......................... 23.1 TEAM ROPING 1. Muggli/McCleskey ...... 26.7 sec. on 3 2. Yeahquo/Hawkins II ........... 11.3 on 2 (Tie) M. Appleton/R. Doyal ........ 11.3 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Weston Patterson ........ 247 pts. on 3 2. Trent Burd ................................ 235.5 3. Denton Ward ........................... 234.5 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Ryan Jarrett ................ 28.2 sec. on 3 2. Austin Lawrence ........................ 30.2 3. Tyler Milligan ............................. 30.4 STEER ROPING 1. Trenton Johnson ......... 35.2 sec. on 3 2. Blake Deckard ............................ 38.6 3. Dee Kyler Jr. .............................. 39.6 BULL RIDING 1. Jesse Hopper ............ 253.5 pts. on 3 2. Coy Pollmeier ............................. 236 3. Fulton Rutland .................... 166 on 2

Complete results/Page 59

Dale Hirschman photo

Ryan Jarrett wouldn’t be denied at the RAM Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo, capturing the tie-down roping title with 28.2 seconds on three head.

ProRodeo Sports News 11/1/2024

ProRodeo Sports News 11/1/2024

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