North Platte, Neb. (June 20, 2015) –A couple of Husker cowboys left the 2015 Buffalo Bill Rodeo with some extra cash in their pockets, and one of them with the gold buckle.
Riley Pruitt returned to the Wild West Arena, where he has competed in the pro ranks, as well as in high school rodeo and with the Nebraska State Rodeo Association, and walked out as tie-down roping champion.
The Gering, Neb. man made an 8.2 second run on his first animal in slack Wednesday morning, and followed up with an 8.8 second time on his second run to win the average with a time of 17.0 seconds on two head.
He’s won money at the North Platte event before, but never won the gold buckle, which his dad, 1991 world champion tie-down roper Troy Pruitt, has won several times. Troy and Riley’s granddad,Don Meter were in attendance to watch his runs.
Pruitt rode a 14 year old buckskin he bought from Steve Chittick in North Platte about two months ago. Buck, as Pruitt calls him, “is a really nice horse. He keeps getting better and I’m roping really good on him right now.” Buck isn’t Pruitt’s only mount. He’s also traveling with a bay horse he calls Victory, and he brings his A-team – “my two starters,” he calls them, to the big rodeos, and rides young horses at smaller rodeos.
As a high school rodeo standout, Pruitt won the Nebraska High School Rodeo Tie-Down Roping championship his sophomore year and as a senior in 2010. He won the Nebraska State Rodeo Association’s title in 2009.
Steer wrestler Dru Melvin, who grew up in the Tryon, Neb. area but now lives in Hebron, Neb., won the second go-round and finished second in the average with a time of 8.4 seconds on two head. The 32 year old cowboy has qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo twice. His father, Wayne Melvin, who passed away in 2006, won last year’s Trail Boss Award given by the North Platte rodeo committee to someone who has dedicated their lives to rodeo.
Another standout Nebraska steer wrestler, Dean Gorsuch, finished in third place in the average. The two-time world champion and Gering resident had a time of 8.5 seconds on two head.
In the saddle bronc riding, Elsmere, Neb.’s Cort Scheer finished in third place. Scheer is another Wrangler NFR qualifier and is the reserve world champion saddle bronc rider. He scored 84 points to tie for third with Rusty Wright, Milford, Utah.
Wyoming cowboy Chet Johnson scored 86 points to win the saddle bronc riding. The 25 year old cowboy was looking to settle a score. It was the second match-up for him and the Beutler and Son horse Black Gold. He’d ridden that horse eight years ago in the short go-round in Tucson, where the ride was only 80 points. “I wanted him pretty bad,” Johnson said, “for a little redemption. “I was only 80 on him (in Tucson), and it was my fault. I ‘ve wanted him back ever since so I could ride him better.”
Black Gold is the kind of horse every saddle bronc rider wants to get on, Johnson said. He is “pretty snappy, and that lets you show off when you get on a horse that is that good. He has good timing, and he’s what we want as a bronc rider.”
Johnson had a late start to his rodeo year after suffering an injury on Dec. 31 of last year. He got run over by a pickup man’s horse and broke a bone in his shoulder. To avoid surgery, he gave it two months to heal before returning to competition.
The 2015 Trail Boss Award went to Larry Piester of North Platte. He has served for over 25 years on the NebraskalandDays board and the Buffalo Bill Rodeo committee. His handiwork is evident around the arena: he managed the building of the pavilion, the ticket booth, and the rodeo shack, helped improve the chutes, and worked with the Jaycees in the beer stand. He and his wife Jean moved to North Platte in 1972, where they began a construction company. They have two daughters and four grandchildren.
Other 2015 champions include bareback rider Kenny Haworth, Orofino, Idaho; steer wrestler Nick Guy, Sparta, Wisc.; team ropers Rowdy Rieken, Arp, Texas and Clay Sieber, Troup, Texas; barrel racer Christy Loflin, Franktown, Colo., who won the title last year as well, and bull rider Luke Bradley, Seligman, Mo.
More NEBRASKAland Days activities take place from now until June 28. The U.S. Cellular Summer Jam Concert Series takes place Fri., June 26 with Thomas Rhett. The Sat., June 27 concert is Florida Georgia Line. For more information, visit www.NebraskaLandDays.com.
– ### –
Results, North Platte, Nebraska – Buffalo Bill Rodeo
Bareback riding – 2015 champion: Kenny Haworth, Orofino, Ida.
1 Kenny Haworth, Orofino, Ida. 84 points; 2. (tie) David Peebles, Redmond, Ore., Joe Gunderson, Gettysburg, S.D. Caine Riddle, Vernon, Texas, Joel Schlegel, Burns, Colo. 83 each; 6. (tie) Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, Minn., Evan Jayne, Marseille, France, and Tyler Scales, Severance, Colo. 82 each.
Steer wrestling – 2015 champion: Nick Guy, Sparta, Wis.
1st go-round
1 Nick Guy, Sparta, Wis. 3.6 seconds; 2 (tie) Stan Branco, Chowchilla, Calif. and Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb. 3.8 each; 4. (tie) Ty Talsma, Verdire, Neb., Clayton Hass, Terrell, Texas and Brad Loesch, Graham, Texas 3.9 each.
2nd go-round
1 Dru Melvin, Hebron, Neb. 3.5; 2. Nick Guy, Sparta, Wis. 3.6; 3. Beau Clark, Belgrade, Mont. 3.8; 4. Jule Hazen, Ashland, Kan., Tom Uttermark, Kesston, Kan., Logan Rudd, Chelsea, Okla., and Chad Johnston, Thedford, Neb. 4.1 each.
Average
1 Nick Guy, Sparta, Wisc. 7.2 seconds on 2 head; 2. Dru Melvin, Hebron, Neb. 8.4; 3. Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb. 8.5; 4.(tie) Beau Clark, Belgrade, Mont., Bray Armes, Ponder, Texas and Brad Loesch, Graham, Texas 8.7 each.
Tie-down roping – 2015 champion: Riley Pruitt, Gering, Neb.
First go-round
1 Marcos Costa, Childress, Texas 8.1 seconds; 2. Riley Pruitt, Gering, Neb. 8.2; 3. Caleb Smidt, Belleville, Texas 8.9; 4. Catfish Brown, Collinsville, Texas 9.1; 5. Will Howell, Stillwater, Okla. 9.2; 6. Cody Quaney, Cheney, Kan. 9.3.
2nd go-round
1 Clint Cooper, Decatur, Texas 8.1; 2. Riley Pruitt, Gering, Neb. 8.8; 3. Cody Quaney, Cheney, Kan. 9.0; 4. Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla. 9.3; 6. (tie) Hunter Herrin, Apache, Okla. and Caleb Smidt, Bellville, Texas 9.7 each.
Average
1 Riley Pruitt, Gering, Neb. 17.0 seconds on 2 head; 2. Cody Quaney, Cheney, Kan. 18.3; 3. Caleb Smidt, Bellville, Texas 18.6; 4. Clint Cooper, Decatur, Texas 19.4; 5. (tie) Marcos Costa, Childress, Texas, Brady Brock, Justin, Texas and Trell Etbauer, Goodwell, Okla. 19.9 each.
Saddle bronc riding – 2015 champion: Chet Johnson, Sheridan, Wyo.
1 Chet Johnson, Sheridan, Wyo. 86 points; 2. Heith DeMoss, Heflin, La. 85; 3. (tie) Cort Scheer, Elsmere, Neb. and Rusty Wright, Milford, Utah 84 each; 5. Sam Spreadborough, Snyder, Texas 80; 6. (tie) Andy Clarys, Riverton, Wyo., Cody DeMoss, Heflin, La. and Travis Nelson, Philip, S.D. 78 each.
Team roping – 2015 champions: Rowdy Rieken, Arp, Texas/Clay Sieber, Troup, Texas
First go-round
1 Chase Wiley, Charlotte, Texas/Ace Pearce, Washington, Texas 5.6 seconds; 2. (tie) Colt Braden, Dewey, Okla./Chad Evans, Fourland, Okla. and Adam Rose, Willard, Mo./Walt Woodard, Stephenville, Texas 5.9 each; 4. Rowdy Rieken, Arp, Texas/Clay Sieber, Troup, Texas 6.0; 5. Pate Norell, Delta, Colo./DJ Tidyman, Carpenter, Wyo. 6.3; 6. (tie) Travis Warren, Mullen, Neb./Ty Reynolds, Tribune, Kan. and Blaine Vick, Dublin, Texas and Twister Cain, Gonzales, Texas 6.4 each.
2nd go-round
1 Brian Dunning, McClave, Colo./Jesse Jolly, Agate, Colo., 5.6 seconds; 2. Rowdy Rieken, Arp, Texas/Clay Sieber, Troup, Texas 5.7; 3. (tie) Blaine Vick, Dublin, Texas/Twister Cain, Gonzales, Texas and Brett Christensen, Alva, Okla./Chase Boekhaus, Alva, Okla. 5.8 each; 5. Adam Rose, Willard, Mo./Walt Woodard, Stephenville, Texas 5.9; 6. Pate Norell, Delta, Colo./DJ Tidyman, Carpenter, Wyo. 6.0.
Average
1 Rowdy Rieken, Arp, Texas/Clay Sieber, Troup, Texas 11.7 seconds on two head; 2. Adam Rose, Willard, Mo./Walt Woodard, Stephenville, Texas 11.8; 3. Blaine Vick, Dublin, Texas/Twister Cain, Gonzales, Texas 12.2; 4. Pate Norell, Delta, Colo./DJ Tidyman, Carpenter, Wyo. 12.3; 5. Colt Braden, Dewey, Okla./Chad Evans, Fourland, Okla. 12.7; 6. Jesse Roberts, Lincoln, Neb./Cody Carlson, Ashland, Neb. 14.8.
Barrel racing – 2015 champion: Christy Loflin, Franktown, Colo.
1 Christy Loflin, Franktown, Colo. 17.49 seconds; 2. Ari-Anna Flynn, Charleston, Ark. 17.53; 3. Shali Lord, Lamar, Colo. 17.65; 4. C.J. Vondette, Rifle, Colo. 17.67; 5. Jeanne Anderson, White City, Kan. 17.68; 6. Michelle Lummus, Hiram, Ga. 17.72; 7. Cheryl Wallace, Broken Bow, Neb. 17.74; 8. Britta O’Keefe, Mohall, N.D. 17.75; 9. Kassidy Dennison, Tohatchi, N.M. 17.77; 10. Brittany Pozzi, Victoria, Texas 17.81; 11. Kelley Schnaufer, Pueblo, Colo. 17.82; 12. Tally Roepke, Washta, Iowa 17.88
Bull riding – 2015 champion: Luke Bradley, Seligman, Mo.
1 Luke Bradley, Seligman, Mo. 84 points; 2. John Jacobs, Little Eagle, S.D. 75; 3. Jeremy Kolich, Norco, Calif. 72; 4. Pistol Robinson, Coolidge, Texas 67; 5. Brian Larson, Erie, Colo. 66.
** All results are unofficial.