(PHOTO BY PEGGY GANDER)
By LUKE CREASY
For TwisTed Rodeo
LOVINGTON, N.M. – With just two months remaining in the ProRodeo regular season, tie-down roper Taylor Santos is a man on a mission.
“I’m just trying to get every dollar I can this time of year,” said Santos, a two-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Creston, California.
He gave himself a big step forward Thursday night by roping the two-run aggregate lead at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. He also owns the first-round lead after starting his Thursday in the morning with an 8.1-second run. His 8.7 during Thursday’s second performance sealed his fate and gave him a cushion with two nights remaining in this year’s PRCA Rodeo.
“I had a good calf and put it on him pretty fast,” said Santos, who is 16th in the world standings – only the top 15 when the season concludes Sept. 30 will advance to the NFR. “I flanked him and put a wrap and a hooey on him.”
He described a full wrap of three legs, then a half-hitch to hopefully secure the tie. The most secure would be two wraps with a half-hitch, but Santos gambled.
“That calf got missed (Thursday) morning,” he said. “They got a really good start on him and missed him in two or three swings; (the calf) puled up, so he never got chased much. I figured he wouldn’t really know what was going on again, so I didn’t have anybody push him and let him go at his own pace.”
The calf gingerly entered the arena at an amble before beginning his job free from the barrier. Santos patiently waited for the calf to pick up the pace before taking chase and slipped the loop around the animal. He glided down the rope with calm consistency to tie for the fastest time of the evening. His lead over the field is nearly two seconds.
“Any time you can start stacking checks, you start seeing in the standings,” said Santos, who has earned just shy of $70,000 so far this season.
He’s been stacking them fairly quickly. He earned $14,501 at the national circuit finals three weeks ago, then pocketed more than $7,500 in Sheridan, Wyoming, that same week. In rodeo, dollars equal points, and moving up the money list is important.
Santos returns to Jake McClure arena Friday to compete in steer roping. He’s now a multi-event cowboy, having earned his first National Finals Steer Roping qualification a season ago. He sits 12th steer roping world standings and seventh in the all-around race.
“This is my favorite time of the year,” said Santos, 27. “You see guys that shine in the winter time, and I’ve had decent winters, but I’ve never had great winters.
“This is my favorite time of the year. You see guys that shine in the winter time, and I’ve had decent winters, but I’ve never had great winters. It seems like when August comes around, you’re going to one, sometimes two rodeos a day. I just feel I get in a groove, and August is usually my time.”
Lea County Fair and Rodeo
Lovington, N.M.
Aug. 3-6
Bareback riding leaders: 1. R.C. Landingham, 86 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Knight Mare; 2. Orin Larsen, 83.5; 3. (tie) Waylon Bourgeois and Kody Lamb, 79; 5. Bill Tutor, 73; 6. Brendon Crawley, 64; no other qualified rides.
Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Tyler Pearson, 4.1 seconds; 2. Tyler Waguespack, 4.2; 3. (tie) Cade Goodman and Chance Howard, 4.3; 5. Ryan Shuckburgh, 5.0; 6. Marc Joiner, 9.0; 7. Kyle Irwin, 23.9; 8. Stephen Culling 26.5. Second round leaders: 1. Stephen Culling, 3.9 seconds; 2. Tyler Waguespack, 4.0; 3. Joe Nelson, 4.1; 4. (tie) Talon Roseland, Chance Howard and Stetson Jorgensen, 4.2; 7. (tie) Kyle Irwin and Trell Etbauer, 4.3. Average leaders: 1. Tyler Waguespack, 8.2 seconds on two runs; 2. Chance Howard, 8.5; 3. Trell Etbauer, 8.6; 4. Sterling Lee, 8.9; 5. (tie) Ryan Shuckburgh and Joe Nelson, 9.5; 7. Cade Goodman, 9.8; 8. Austin Eller, 10.1.
Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Taylor Santos, 8.1 seconds; 2. Macon Murphy, 8.7; 3. (tie) Cooper Martin and Chance Thiessen, 9.1; 5. Kase Bacque, 9.6; 6. Dallen McIntire, 9.9; 7. Kincade Henry, 10.0; 8. (tie) Kason Dyer and Brokk Baldwin, 10.2. Second round leaders: 1. Ryan Thibodeaux, 7.3 seconds; 2. John Pereira, 7.6; 3. Paul David Tierney, 8.2; 4. Shawn Poag, 8.5; 5. (tie) Taylor Santos and Kincade Henry, 8.7; 7. (tie) Marcos Costa and Quay Howard, 8.8 Average leaders: 1. Taylor Santos, 16.8 seconds on two runs; 2. Ryan Thibodeaux, 18.5; 3. Kincade Henry, 18.7; 4. Chase Webster, 20.0; 5. (tie) Dylan Ward Murphy and Kase Bacque, 21.0; 7. Cooper Martin, 21.4; 8. Lucas Bueno Peres, 21.8.
Breakaway roping: 1. Madalyn Richards, 2.0 seconds; 2. Amanda Coleman, 2.1; 3. Jordan Joe Hollabaugh, 2.4; 4. Faith Holyan, 2.7; 5. (tie) Lari Dee Guy and Mollie Bassett, 2.9; 7. Haley Waters, 3.5; 8. Kassidy Dennison, 3.6; 9. Montana Brown, 3.7; 10. Tacy Webb, 3.8; 11. Lacy Wilson, 4.4; 12. Emma Charleston, 5.3.
Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Stetson Wright, 88 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Fox Hole Gunner; 2. Sage Newman, 87.5; 3. Lefty Holman, 87; 4. (tie) Chase Brooks and Riggin Smith, 83.5; 6. (tie) Allen Boore and Ryder Wright, 81; 8. (tie) T.W. Flowers and Brody Wells, 80.
Steer roping: First round leaders: 1. Chet Herren, 11.1 seconds; 2. Scott Snedecor, 11.4; 3.Slade Wood, 12.6; 4. (tie) Cole Patterson and Clay Long, 12.7; 6. Bryce Davis, 13.7. Second round leaders: 1. Kenyon Burns, 11.3 seconds; 2. Cole Patterson, 11.5; 3. Clay Long, 11.6; 4. Laramie Allen, 11.9; 5. Kyle Cauthorn, 12.1; 6. Slade Wood, 12.2. Third round leaders: 1. Slade Wood, 11.0 seconds; 2. Cash Myers, 11.1; 3. Laramie Allen, 11.4; 4. Rocky Patterson, 11.8; 5. Chet Herren, 11.9; 6. J. Tom Fisher, 12.2; no other qualified times. Average leaders: 1. Slade Wood, 35.8 seconds on three runs; 2. Chet Herren, 38.5; 3. Logan Currie, 43.7; 4. Clay Long, 46.4; 5. J. Tom Fisher, 47.1; 6. Brian Garr, 48.2.
Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Lightning Aguilera/Coleby Payne, 4.2 seconds; 2. Tyler Wade/Trey Yates, 4.3; 3. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.4; 4. Tanner James/Max Kutter, 4.7; 5. Quinn Kesler/Caleb Hendrix, 4.9; 6. Paul David Tierney/Tanner Braden, 5.0; 7. Kellen Johnson/Carson Johnson, 5.1; 8. Curry Kirchner/Reagan Ward, 5.2 Second round leaders: 1. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.4 seconds; 2. Josh Siggins/Lane Siggins, 4.4; 3. Zach Kilgus/Jake Edwards, 4.5; 4. Tyler Wade/Trey Yates, 4.6; 5. Jr. Dees/Levi Lord, 4.7; 6. Chris Francis/Cade Passig, 5.0; 7. (tie) Nick Sartain/Austin Rogers and Paul David Tierney/Tanner Braden, 5.4. Average leaders: 1. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 8.8 seconds on two runs; 2. Tyler Wade/Trey Yates, 8.9; 3. Paul David Tierney/Tanner Braden, 10.4; 4. Chris Francis/Cade Passig, 12.2; 5. Nick Sartain/Austin Rogers, 13.1; 6. Josh Siggins/Lane Siggins, 15.1; 7 Lightning Aguilera/Coleby Payne, 18.3; 8. Quinn Kesler/Caleb Hendrix 19.0.
Barrel racing leaders: 1. Nicole Driggers, 17.42 seconds; 2. Cheyenne Wimberley, 17.43; 3. Cindy Smith, 17.46; 4. (tie) Halyn Lide and Shannon McReynolds, 17.52; 6. Heidi Gibson, 17,59; 7. Katie Pascoe, 17.60; 8. Michelle Darling, 17.78; 9. Leia Pluemer, 17.80; 10. Kassidy Dennison, 17.85; 11. Taylor Johnson, 17.93; 12. Carrie Jankee, 17.94; 13. Angela Ganter, 18.08; 14. (tie) Paisley Pierce and Emma Charlesto, 18.13; 8. Kelly Allen 18.65; 9. Jackie Ganter, 32.17; no other qualified times.
Bull riding leaders: 1. Josh Frost, 89 points on Stockyards ProRodeo’s Deplorable; 2. Brody Yeary, 87.5; 3. JaCauy Hale, 86; 4. Jesse Flores, 85.5; 5. Jace Trosclair, 82.5; 6. Justin Lane Rowell, 79; no other qualified rides.