ProRodeo Sports News - Oct. 18, 2024

WACO, TEXAS

Big rides propel Mize to circuit title Hot Start RAM TEXAS CIRCUIT FINALS RODEO

BY ALEX RILEY, Special to ProRodeo Sports News T ristan Mize could have let the first outcome at the RAM Texas Circuit Finals impact his overall performance. Facing off with High Class, a bull from Lancaster & Cude Pro Rodeo, Mize was bucked off to start competition, setting an inauspicious tone – one that the Bryan, Texas, product quickly bounced back from. “When you’ve got four of them to get on, you can’t really let one of them take you out of it,” Mize said. Mize rebounded from the opening round disappointment to post back-to-back high scoring efforts in the second and third go-rounds, leading to an aggregate total of 172 points on two head. That proved to be just enough to take care of business at the four-day circuit finale, with Mize finishing a half-point ahead of Hayden Ferguson to claim the Texas Circuit championship, earning himself $9,032 in prize money. Mize’s resurgence started with a little redemption in the second go. Back in March, he drew Stockyards Pro Rodeo’s Cheddar Biscuit at the Ellis County Stock Show and Rodeo in Waxahachie, Texas, resulting in a no-score after getting bucked off. Knowing that a rematch was looming, Mize honed in and came up with an 86.5-point effort to place second in the round and get things rolling in Waco. “He’s a really good bull and everybody gets along with him really good, so I knew I had a good chance on him,” Mize said. “I had been on him once and he put me down – but I knew I could get some revenge on him. I reckon we’re even now.” In the third go, Mize came up big again, going for 85.5 points against United Pro Rodeo’s Back Bender to once again place runner-up in the round. Mize was unable to cover his fourth-round bull and Ferguson made it interesting by scoring 88 points on his last ride, but it wasn’t enough to overtake the longtime PRORODEO competitor as he claimed his first circuit championship. The win gives Mize a head start on 2025 after a return to the PRCA last year. He ended the 2024 campaign with a little more than $65,000 in earnings to finish 38th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings. Now, he’s got significant money to his ledger before the calendar flips to a new year, along with a guaranteed spot at the NFR Open in July 2025. Between now and then, Mize plans to continue adding to his winnings, with a focus on being in contention for his first trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge next December. The outcome in Texas certainly helped bolster his confidence to get the job done. “I think everybody wants to kind of start the year off at the circuit finals because it pays pretty good compared to the other rodeos this time of year,” Mize said. “It’s definitely helpful to get that good of a start early on in the year and get some money won off the bat.”

TOP SCORES

TOP MONEY EARNER Chad Rutherford ($12,336, bareback riding) BAREBACK RIDING

Rutherford

1. Chad Rutherford ....... 333.5 pts. on 4 2. Bradlee Miller ............................ 328 3. Jacob Lees ............................. 316.5 STEER WRESTLING 1. Justin Shaffer ............ 18.6 sec. on 4 2. Rowdy Parrott .......................... 22.9 3. Grady Payne ............................. 28.1 TEAM ROPING 1. T. Wade/W. Thorp ...... 20.0 sec. on 4 2. D. Egusquiza/L. Lord ................ 24.5 3. T. Tomlinson/K. Profili .............. 37.0 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Brody Cress ................. 333 pts. on 4 2. Isaac Diaz .................................. 332 3. Jake Finlay ................................. 326 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. John Douch ............... 35.0 sec. on 4 2. Shad Mayfield ........................... 36.0 3. Tyler Calhoun ............................ 36.4 STEER ROPING 1. Scott Snedecor .......... 47.0 sec. on 4 2. Cole Patterson .......................... 49.9 3. Vin Fisher Jr. ............................. 58.9 BULL RIDING 1. Tristan Mize ................. 172 pts. on 2 2. Hayden Ferguson .................... 171.5 3. Cutter Kaylor .............................. 170

Complete results/Page 49

James Phifer photo

Tristan Mize finished second in Round 2 of the RAM Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo with an 86.5-point ride on Stockyards Pro Rodeo’s Cheddar Biscuit.

ProRodeo Sports News 10/18/2024

ProRodeo Sports News 10/18/2024

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