DUNCAN, Okla. – An injured right knee wrecked Tyrel Larsen’s 2019 season, so he has no championships to play for this weekend at the Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo.

Each contestant is mandated to compete in 15 rodeos within the circuit, made up primarily of events in Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. After suffering a lateral collateral ligament tear in June, he wasn’t able to go to near enough rodeos. Still he’s competing in Duncan this weekend because there weren’t enough saddle bronc riders to fill the 12 spots in the championship.

“I whole-heartedly planned on getting my rodeo count in and being here anyway, but that didn’t happen, so we just came to make some money and get on some good horses,” said Larsen, a National Finals Rodeo qualifier originally from Inglis, Manitoba, and now living in Weatherford, Oklahoma.

“Money’s money, and I’ll take it wherever I can get it.”

On Friday night, he rode Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Falling Star for 81 points to win the second round, pocketing $1,935. He also sits second in the all-important average, a two-ride total of 154 points on two rides, just a point behind the leader, Colt Gordon of nearby Comanche, Oklahoma. Gordon also leads the circuit’s year-end standings.

“That horse is an old sucker of Bennie’s (Beutler) that’s just as honest as he can be,” Larsen said. “You know you’ve always got a chance to win on him.

“You always want to do good anywhere, but here at the circuit finals, you’re so close to home and you’re with guys you’re around most of the year. You know just about everybody there. It’s like a hometown rodeo.”

He’s feeling the comforts of home … the one in Oklahoma. He moved to the Sooner State more than a decade ago to attend Oklahoma Panhandle State University, where he competed on the rodeo team for four years and qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo each year. While working toward a master’s degree at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Larsen enlisted in a fifth year of eligibility and finished the 2011-12 campaign as the national champion.

Three years later, he qualified for the NFR. Injuries and other circumstances have kept him from ProRodeo’s grand finale, but he’s still plugging away at age 30. In addition, he’s just taken on the responsibilities as assistant rodeo coach at Southwestern.

“I’ve been around college rodeo,” said Larsen, whose father-in-law, Craig Latham, was his coach at Panhandle State. “I did it for five yeas of college rodeo and always been a part of it. I married into it. I really like it, and it lets me keep rodeoing professionally and helping out kids.”

At the circuit finale, he’s teaching the youngsters in the field a few things first-hand.

Chisholm Trail Ram Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo
Oct. 17-19
Duncan, Okla.
Bareback riding: Round 1: 1. Ty Blessing, 81 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Jason’s Pride, $1,916; 2. (tie) Caine Riddle and Blaine Kaufman, 80.5, $1,197 each; 4. Garrett Shadbolt, 78, $479. Round 2: 1. Blaine Kaufman, 84.5 points on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Bell Star, $1,916; 2. Garrett Shadbolt, 79.5, $1,436; 3. Caine Riddle, 77, $958; 4. Yance Day, 76.5, $479.

Steer wrestling: Round 1: 1. Tanner Brunner, 3.8 seconds, $1,935; 2. Shane Frey, 4.5, $1,451; 3. Tom Uttermark, 4.8, $967; 4. Hunter Crawford, 5.1, $484. Round 2: 1. Tom Uttermark, 4.2 seconds, $1,935; 2. (tie) Tanner Brunner and Jacob Edler, 4.5, $1,209; 4. (tie) Stockton Graves and Shane Frey, 4.6, $242 each.

Team roping: Round 1: 1. Andrew Ward/Reagan Ward, 5.8 seconds, $1,935; 2. Paul David Tierney/Tanner Braden, 5.9, $1,451; 3. Curry Kirchner/Austin Rogers, 6.8, $967; 4. Blake Hughes/Braden Harmon, 7.3, $484. Round 2: 1. Gavin Foster/Daniel Reed, 5.3 seconds, $1,935; 2. Coleman Proctor/Jake Clay, 5.4, $1,541; 3. Jesse Stipes/Buddy Hawkins, 5.8, $967; 4. Nick Becker/Dawson McMaster, 6.2, $484.

Saddle bronc riding: Round 1: 1. Colt Gordon, 82.5 points on Rafter H Rodeo’s Aces Wild, $1,935; 2. Rowdy Chesser, 80.5, $1,451; 3. Trent Burd, 79.5, $967; 4. (tie) Preston Kafka, Tyrel Larsen and Dalton Davis, 72.5, $161 each. Round 2: 1. Tyrel Larsen, 81 points on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Falling Star, $1,935; 2. Cody Ballard, 76.5, $1,451; 3. Cooper Thatcher, 76, $967; 4. Hardy Braden, 75.5, $484.

Tie-down roping: Round 1: 1. Ryan Jarrett, 9.1 seconds, $1,935; 2. Cody McCartney, 10.2, $1,451; 3. Cheyenne Harper, 11.0, $967; 4. Glenn Jackson, 11.2, $484. Round 2: 1. Luke Potter, 9.4 seconds, $1,935; 2. Cole Bailey, 9.5, $1,451; 3. Bryson Sechrist, 10.5, $967; 4. Caddo Lewallen, 10.7, $484.

Barrel racing: Round 1: 1. Tamara Reinhardt, 16.20 seconds, $1,935; 2. Michelle Darling, 16.38, $1,451; 3. Leslie Smalygo, 16.55, $467; 4. Jeanne Anderson, 16.61, $484. Round 2: 1. Tamara Reinhart, 16.16 seconds, $1,935; 2. Michelle Darling, 16.29, $1,451; 3. Emily Miller, 16.31, $967; 4. Kara Large, 16.56, $484.

Bull riding: Round 1: 1. Cody Keathley, 86 points on Rafter H Rodeo’s Deets, $1,935; 2. Trevor Kastner, 84, $1,451; 3. Fulton Rutland, 82.5, $967; 4. Clayton Joe Appelhans, 81, $484. Round 2: 1. Fulton Rutland, 86.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Kooter Crazy, $1,935; 2. (tie) Creek Young and Coy Pollmeier, 86, $1,209 each; 4. Hayden Harris, 82, $484.