CLAREMORE, Okla. – Over his eight-year career, Jared Keylon has reached many of his goals while riding bareback horses.
During Sunday’s final performance in Claremore, Keylon crossed another one on his list. The cowboy from Uniontown, Kan., matched moves with Rafter H Rodeo’s Roany Pony for 75 points to win the 66th edition of the Will Rogers Stampede PRCA Rodeo.
“I’ve always wanted a chance to win this rodeo, because it’s close to home and close to Fort Scott; it’s right between the best of two worlds for me,” said Keylon, who grew up in the northwestern Arkansas community of Hagarville – Uniontown is in southeastern Kansas, just 15 miles west of Fort Scott, where Keylon attended the community college.
“This is also the first ProRodeo I took my son to, and that just tickled me that he got to watch Dad win.”
Gunner Keylon is just 17 months old, so he won’t remember. But Jared Keylon will, especially if he crosses another goal off his bucket list. He’s No. 13 in the world standings, and he’d like to be in similar position four months from now
“My goal this year is to definitely make the NFR,” he said of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s championship event for which only the top 15 contestants in each event qualify when the 2012 season concludes the end of September. “My main goal is to just keep eating at them, winning $1,000 and $2,000 a week right now, then work for the $5,000s over the summer when I have to knock heads with all the best guys.”
Keylon, who won the Prairie Circuit bareback riding championship in 2008 and 2009, is just one of the winners of the 2012 Will Rogers Stampede; other winners were steer wrestler Heath Thompson of Enola, Ark.; tie-down roper Hunter Herrin of Apache, Okla., a five-time NFR qualifier; saddle bronc rider Tol Cawley of Crockett, Texas; team ropers Destry Graham of Sallisaw, Okla., and Jimmy Thomas of Hodgen, Okla.; NFR barrel racer Carlee Pierce of Stephenville, Texas, who won the Claremore title for the second straight year; and bull rider Ty Clearwater of LaCynge, Kan.
“It means a lot to me to win this rodeo,” said Clearwater, who won the Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo this past fall. “I’ve been coming to rodeos and bull ridings down here since I was a kid. I’m from a place in Kansas that’s about three hours from here, and my folks came down to watch me tonight. It was really cool for them to come down and see me win one.”
Clearwater scored 86 points on Rafter H’s Playing Hooky to win the lion’s share of the money, $1,608.
“I think I’ve bucked off just two out of 15 bulls this past month,” he said. “I finally got some soreness worked out, and my confidence is coming back to me.”
Will Rogers Stampede
Claremore, Okla.
Final results
Bareback riding
1. Jared Keylon, 75 points on Rafter H Rodeo’s Roany Pony, $1,178; 2. Matt Bright and Bee Jay Scott, 72, $736; 4. Jake Self and Heath Ford, 71, $147.
Steer wrestling
1. Clay Mindeman and Heath Thompson, 3.7 seconds, $1,593; 3. Shane Henderson, 3.9, $1,260; 4. Walt Sherry, 4.0, $1,037; 5. Sean Mulligan and Crazy Clark, 4.2, $704; 7. Jason Tapley, 4.3, $371; 6. Tommy Cook, 4.5, $148.
Saddle bronc riding
1. Tol Cawley, 79 points on Rafter H Rodeo’s Slim Jim, $1,144; 2. Andrew Counts, 78, $867; 3. Jesse James Kirby, Jacobs Crawley and Justin Hegwer, 77, $428; 6. Travis Sheets and Louie Brunson, 76, $87.
Tie down roping
1. Hunter Herrin, 7.7 seconds, $1,880; 2. Will Howell, 8.6, $1,556; 3. Caddo Lewallen, 8.9, $1,232; 4. Travis Rogers, 9.3, $908; 5. Chris Neal, 9.8, $584; 6. Trell Etbauer, Blake Deckard and Ross Beasley, 10.0, $108.
Team roping
1. Destry Graham/Jimmy Thomas, 5.2 seconds, $1,732; 2. Hunter Munsell/Derrick Jantzen, 5.4, $1,506; 3. Trey Harmon/Braden Harmon, 5.5, $1,280; 4. Brett Christensen/J.D. Holland, 5.8, $1,054; 5. Jesse Stipes/Casey Stipes, Cale Markham/Stitches Stanley and Wes Kent/Justin Johnson, 5.9, $602; 8. Tyler Johnson/Mitch Murray, 6.1, $151.
Barrel racing
1. Carlee Pierce, 17.36 seconds, $1,768; 2. Kyra Stierwalt, 17.44, $1,515; 3. Mary Walker, 17.47, $1,263; 4. Megan Rinehart, 17.49, $1,094; 5. Jeanne Anderson, 17.50, $842; 6. Robyn Herring, 17.51, $673; 7. Shada Brazile, 17.53, $505; 8. Kara Fox, 17.56, $337; 9. Kara McKim, 17.62, $253; 10. Kaley Bass, 17.67, $168.
Bull riding
1. Ty Clearwater, 86 points on Rafter H Rodeo’s Playing Hooky, $1,608; 2. Jesse Pohlman and Tyler Bingham, 76, $1,048; 4. Beau Schroeder, 72, $585; 5. Buck Moon, 70, $341; 6. Bayle Worden, 68, $244.
Steer roping
First round
1. J.P. Wickett, 10.5 seconds, $946; 2. Chet Herren, 11.1, $783; 3. Brad Prather, 11.8, $620; 4. Shane Suggs, 12.4, $457; 5. Kim Ziegelgruber and Cody Scheck, 12.7, $228.
Second round
1. Rocky Patterson, 10.1 seconds, $946; 2. Shandon Stalls, 10.4, $783; 3. Jess Tierney, 11.3, $620; 4. Walter Priestley, 11.8, $457; 5. Bryce Davis, 11.9, $294; 6. Mike Chase, 12.3, $163.
Average
1. Bryce Davis, 25.2 seconds, $946; 2. Brad Prather, 25.7, $783; 3. Cody Scheck, 27.8, $620; 4. Shane Suggs, 28.0, $457; 5. Shorty Garten, 28.9, $294; 6. J. Tom Fisher, 31.9, $163.