RENO, Nev. – For team roper Kory Koontz, the win at the Reno Rodeo June 26 had just a little bit different feel than the two that had gone before it.
Koontz picked up his third set of silver spurs with new – and 23-year-old – partner Colby Lovell from Madisonville, Texas. The pair has only roped together for about a month.
“I have never roped with anyone who hasn’t made the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo,” said Koontz, who has qualified 14 times himself. “It was time for me to make a decision to either quit or to take a chance on a young guy.”
Well, now we know the rest of the story. Koontz, who turns 39 next month, did take that chance on a young, enthusiastic roper, who only switched from heeling to heading about 18 months ago.
Lovell may not be on some people’s radar, but he showed he knows how to rope when he finished second to Russell Cardoza at the World’s Greatest Roper on June 20, also held in Reno. The event tests a cowboy’s skill in heading, heeling and tie-down roping, and Lovell proved to be quite a hand. And he demonstrated no signs of jitters or inexperience at the Reno Rodeo.
Lovell and Koontz won the final round with a time of 5.7 seconds to hold off world record holders Chad Masters and Jade Corkill, who tied for second, stopping the clock in 6.0 seconds in the short round.
“I’m stoked,” said Lovell, who got a rousing ovation from the more than 8,000 fans on hand. “I was hollering when he caught. This is my first time out here, and to get the opportunity to rope at these big rodeos is great.”
Lovell, now fifth in the PRCA World Standings, and Koontz, sixth, clicked right away and hope Reno is a sign of things to come as the Gold stop on the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour, presented by Justin Boots, kicked off the lucrative summer run.
“I’ve been out here for 20 years, so it’s good for me to see the excitement in him,” Koontz said about Lovell. “It makes it fun for me. This is going to put us right back where we want to be and give us a good chance to win a championship.”
Lovell and Koontz led the average with a time of 16.9 seconds on three runs, followed by Masters and Corkill, a Nevada native, in 18.0 seconds. Lovell and Koontz also were the top money earners in Reno, pocketing $14,786 each. Koontz’s previous wins at the Reno Rodeo were with Matt Tyler in 1996 and Daniel Green in 2002.
Along with Koontz, a few other veterans were happy to add silver spurs to their trophy cases. Josh Peek, of Pueblo, Colo., won the all-around title competing in the steer wrestling and tie-down roping and left town with $6,319. He also won the all-around and tie-down roping at the Reno Rodeo in 2008.
An elated D.V. Fennell split the bareback riding title with Canadian Dusty LaValley. Fennell, 36, often teased for being among the older guys in roughstock – his buddies gave him a rocking chair at the Wrangler NFR last year when he qualified for the first time – won the final round with an 85-point ride on Big Bend Rodeo’s Diaper Dandy. LaValley, 28, was second in the finals, scoring 84 points on the strawberry roan mare Moulin Rouge of the Growney Brothers string.
The cowboys led the way with 246 points on three head. Fennell, a Missouri cowboy eyeing his first gold buckle, won $9,061 and LaValley pocketed $9,223.
Steer wrestler Gabe Ledoux sustained fractures in his left foot when a hazing horse stepped on him during a run at RodeoHouston in March. The Kaplan, La., cowboy has been working his way back to top form and showed he’s ready for the Fourth of July run by picking up his first set of silver spurs.
Ledoux (12.0 seconds on three runs) held off two-time World Champion Steer Wrestler Luke Branquinho (12.3 seconds) for the win. Branquinho (4.1 seconds) posted the fastest run in the short round, followed by Ledoux and Matt Reeves, who tied for second in 4.2 seconds. Ledoux collected $13,624 for his Gold tour victory.
“It’s unreal,” said Ledoux, who had 2006 World Champion Dean Gorsuch hazing for him. “I can’t believe that it has come true. It’s one of the best rodeos all year, and to win it feels really good.”
Bradley Harter won the saddle bronc riding with a score of 249 points on three head. The Weatherford, Texas, cowboy came into the final round with a 13-point advantage over Jesse Wright, 170-157. He needed the lead because Wright, the reigning Resistol Rookie of the Year, teamed up with 2009 Saddle Bronc Riding Horse of the Year Spring Planting for an 89-point effort and first place in the short round.
Harter’s 79 points on Big Bend Rodeo’s Bordello Blues was enough to hold off Rusty Allen (247) and Wright (246) and claim a check for $8,756.
In the tie-down roping, Joseph Parsons won the average in 27.9 seconds and pocketed $8,155. The Marana, Ariz., cowboy finished third in the final round, stopping the clock in 9.1 seconds to take the Reno title.
Corey Maier edged Steve Woolsey by one point, 168-167, on two head to claim the bull riding average and $9,118. Maier, from Timber Lake, S.D., split the top spot in the final round with D.J. Domangue, with both cowboys scoring 86 points. Maier stayed aboard Flying U Rodeo’s Domino Theory to secure the win. Domangue rode Pretty Boy Blue, also of Flying U Rodeo.
Barrel racer Timi Lickley had tears in her eyes after netting the biggest win of her career. The Jerome, Idaho, cowgirl doesn’t go to a lot of big rodeos, but thought she would give Reno a third and final try and she won the final round in 17.02 seconds to finish with 51.64 seconds on three runs and $7,787.
More than 700 cowboys participated in the 91st annual Reno Rodeo, which began on June 18. The June 26 final performance will be televised on In Country Television at 8 p.m. (ET) on July 10. Check your local listings for re-air dates and times.
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On The Rodeo Road 