East Oregonian
MILTON-FREEWATER — The first and only cowboy at the University of Idaho college rodeo to outlast his foe the bull on Saturday came in the final ride of the afternoon. Pendleton native Bryan Carter concluded competition at the Pioneer Posse rodeo grounds in Milton-Freewater with a score of 72.
That number didn’t matter much, he said. All he really had to do was hold on to win.
"I knew the buzzer was almost there so I had to just tough it out. And I ended up getting trampled,” said Carter, a sophomore for Blue Mountain Community College who will have some hoove-shaped bruises on his lower legs today.
The judges ruled his ride a complete one and with it came the payday.
Carter’s glory gave the crowd something to cheer about minutes after a frightening moment in the arena. Treasure Valley Community College’s Clayne Haight was the first cowboy on a bull in the event and lasted only a second.
One of the bull’s first upward head jerks caught Haight square in the nose and the cowboy fell limply into the dirt face first. Haight lay unconscious for minutes less than 10 feet from the chutes before refusing an ambulance ride and walking off under his own power.
“That’s just a part of bull riding, and it’s sad to see him go down like that,” Carter said. “Most of us have seen quite a bit of that, though.”
Earlier in the day, Austin Foss of Blue Mountain won the bareback riding event under similar conditions. The Timberwolf from Redmond was the only rider out of four entrants to complete the eight seconds.
Foss drew the bronco High Heels, a horse with some history for him.
"I’ve actually been on that horse a few times and she’s just a nice old horse,” Foss said. “I don’t remember my scores on them but I think I won some money on her each time so I’m happy with it.”
Blue Mountain completed its winnings on the first afternoon of the two-day rodeo — which continues at 10 a.m. today in Milton-Freewater — with Bryan Reay winning the steer wrestling event with a 5.4-second takedown and a pair of cowgirls tying atop the breakaway roping tier. Kayla Tiegs and Taylor Schneider each roped their calf in 3.6 seconds to share the winning time.
Jade Crossley, also of Blue Mountain, came in third with a time of 3.9 seconds. The three Timberwolves were the only ladies to sneak in under the four-second mark.
Crossley also finished in second place in the barrel race with a time of 17.71 seconds. Her run was the first of 32 cowgirls to hit the course and stood up until Emily Robertson of Treasure Valley started to ride. Robertson bested Crossley by one-tenth of a second.
Robertson could tell her run was going to be quick by the way her horse, Judge, was acting near the trailers.
“He was all jacked up, like hot,” Robertson said. “He knew what he was getting ready to do, but I didn’t really realize he was doing it that fast. He proved me wrong once again.”
Treasure Valley also got winners in goat tying — an eight-seconds flat tie by Brianne Baty — and in saddle bronc riding. Kyle Dennis broke his horse with a score of 57, edging teammate Dustin Easterday’s 54 for the victory.
“I just went out there and did what I was taught to do in practice and did what Dusty told me to do,” said Dennis, a freshman. “I actually look up to Dusty. This is my first year and I remember watching him last year. He’s kind of my idol that I practice to be like.”
The Walla Walla Community College duo of Bryce Palmer and Jake Minor took home the team roping crown with a 7.2-second run. Palmer, of Milton-Freewater, also took the runner’s up spot in the tie down roping event to teammate Mitch Dove. Dove’s time of 10.3 seconds beat Palmer’s 10.4.
Palmer’s run knocked BMCC roper Justin Parke out of the top spot halfway through the round. The Treasure Valley roper didn’t last long in first as Dove was the immediate next competitor.
Parke finished third.