ProRodeo Sports News - November 19, 2021

EDITOR’S LETTER TRACY RENCK Santos, Stetson Wright eye paydays & history in Vegas

T he Finals season has started for the PRCA. Mulvane, Kan., Nov. 12-13. name is Cole Patterson. The Pratt, Kan., cowboy had a record-setting regular season and didn’t miss a beat at the NFSR. Patterson earned an NFSR-record $85,726 and finished the season with a steer roping record earnings mark of $190,242 and his first career gold buckle. The 26-year-old had a steer roping season for the ages. He stopped cashing checks in Mulvane when the 2021 season came to an end. One cowboy who is still making money is Taylor Santos. The Creston, Calif., native made his steer roping debut and had a strong effort. Santos earned $18,916 at the Kansas Star highlighted by him winning Round 10 with a 9.8-second run to earn $9,155. He was 11th in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings with $55,811. Next up for Santos is a trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge at theThomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Dec. 2-11. Santos is making his second appearance at the NFR, his first coming in 2019, when he finished 10th in the world standings in tie-down roping with $182,484. Santos enters the NFR 14th in the world standings with $89,048. He made the ultimate late season push to qualify for NFR’s Super Bowl by traveling all over America the last week of the season to cash enough checks to earn a bid to Vegas. Santos’ crazy travel schedule paid dividends – literally – since The National Finals Steer Roping took place in It was a weekend full of fun, especially if your

contestants who qualify for the Wrangler NFR receive a $10,000 stipend. Santos’ talent and determination should be applauded. It’s tough enough to qualify for one Finals and he made two in 2021. Santos is not the only cowboy who can double his earnings chances at the upcoming NFR. Rodeo superstar StetsonWright is doubled-up at the NFR for the second year in a row. Wright, 22, will be competing in saddle bronc riding and bull riding at the NFR in Vegas. He’s aiming to win three world titles. The Milford, Utah, cowboy is the reigning two-time all- around champion and the reigning bull riding champ. Wright will step into theThomas &Mack Center with a commanding $185,339 lead in the all-around standings and is first in the saddle bronc standings – by $11,202 over his brother Ryder and second in the bull riding standings $60,639 behind Sage Kimzey. Stetson is aiming to become the first three-time world champion in one year since 2010 when Trevor Brazile was the champ in the all-around, team roping as a header, and tie- down roping. Brazile, the King of Cowboys, also won three world crowns in 2007 in the all-around, tie-down roping and steer roping. If Stetson wins his third consecutive all-around gold buckle – and barring unforeseen circumstances that will happen – he will become the first three-time all-around world champ since Brazile in 2013-15.

Tracy Renck is the editor of the ProRodeo

Sports News . He previously served more than seven years as a media coordinator at the PRCA. He has three decades of experience in sports journalism with the last several consumed by ProRodeo.

History awaits cowboys like Santos and StetsonWright at the Wrangler NFR, and it will be exciting to see what transpires in10 days of action that no one wants to miss.

12 ProRodeo Sports News 11/19/2021

WRANGLER NATIONAL FINALS RODEO