ProRodeo Sports News - October 19, 2018

ALL AMERICAN PRORODEO FINALS

shared by Shane Hanchey (2015) and Marcos Costa (2017). GUENTHNER SNARES STEER WRESTLINGTITLE A year ago, steer wrestler Scott

Guenthner let a chance to win the All American ProRodeo Finals slip away. “I came into the finals No. 1, and I didn’t have any luck and it was just a disaster,” said Guenthner, of Provost, Alberta. “This year, I came with a little bit different attitude in the finals.” Guenthner had a much different result this time around, claiming the title with a 4.1-second run. “I thought I broke the barrier, but fortunately I didn’t,” he said. “To win something like this is a great accomplishment because lots of guys don’t get a chance to ever compete here.” Guenthner is heading to his secondWrangler NFR in December, and he’s happy to get some momentum going in the meantime. “This is a very nice tune-up because I go from (Waco) to the Canadian Finals Rodeo (Oct. 30-Nov. 4), which will tune me up some more,” Guenthner said. “Then I will go to the NFR, and it’s a whole other level.” TEAM ROPERS BROWNAND KOCHVICTORIOUS With one solid run, team roping header Billy Bob Brown and heeler Hunter Koch couldn’t wipe the smiles off their faces. The duo clocked a 4.8-second run in the finals to win the All American ProRodeo Finals. “This is the biggest win of my career,” Brown said. “I was using a horse I got last year, his name is Decent, and he’s 14. He’s just honest, and he’s been good for me. This is awesome to be the champions.” Brown and Koch each earned $10,879. “This is my first time here, and

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Shady Nights in the finals for the first time in his career. He had an 86.5-point trip to edge Bill Tutor by a half point. “I heard everything about that horse and have seen it a bunch of times and by golly it feels amazing to be on that thing,” Howlett said. “It was a crazy- fun ride. This is a big win for me, and now my next goal is to make the NFR.” Howlett earned $12,773 inWaco. He finished 28th in the 2018 standings with $35,969. DURFEYWINS FOR FIRSTTIMEATALLAMERICAN The decorated career of veteran tie-down roper Tyson Durfey got even better inWaco. Durfey, the 2016 PRCA world champion, added the All American ProRodeo Finals crown to his résumé, thanks to clocking an 8.6-second run in the four-man finals at the Extraco Events Center. “I had a little bit of a stronger calf, and I knew my catch was in good shape, but I reached a long way and my go was a little funny and wide,” Durfey said. “I was just trying to hustle and keep my feet. When I flanked the calf, I wanted to keep everything tight and nice and clean, and it just worked out. The calf took a tie and I got a championship.” Durfey qualified for the four-man finals by winning the nine-man semifinals earlier in the evening with a 7.2-second run. That time was one- tenth of a second off the All-American ProRodeo Finals record of 7.1 seconds

it is awesome to win,” Koch said. “Billy Bob did a great job all week and made my job easy. We came out with a win. I wasn’t nervous in the finals, but in the semifinals I was a little nervous. But Billy Bob and I had a good feeling, and things worked for us.” Koch was riding a 6-year-old horse, Grizzly. “I just got that horse five or six months ago, and he was great here,” he said. “I’m at a loss for words. I can’t believe we won this.” SNEDECORTAKES STEER ROPING It’s not as if steer roper Scott Snedecor needed a tune-up before competing at the 2018 Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping at the Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kan., Nov. 2-3. Snedecor is the reigning world champion and a three-time world champion. But he did hone his skills even more at the All American ProRodeo Finals, winning the rodeo with a 34.3-second time on three head. Snedecor will arrive in Mulvane second in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings with $70,845.

Steer roper Scott Snedecor competes during the All American ProRodeo Finals in Waco, Texas. Snedecor won the average with a 34.3-second time on three head. Snedecor earned $3,258 in Waco. James Phifer photo

ProRodeo Sports News 10/19/2018

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