ROSENBERG, Texas – At just 21 years of age, Cody Teel already is one of the most accomplished bull riders in rodeo.
He’s the reigning world champion, returning to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for the second straight season to compete for another coveted gold buckle. On Sunday, Oct. 6, he added another star on a very impressive resume by riding the unridden, Hokie Pokie of Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo.
“That’s a bull that’s in contention for bull of the year,” said Teel, who posted a 90-point ride on Hokie Pokie to win bull riding title at the Fort Bend County Fair and Rodeo in Rosenberg. “I saw him at the Lovington (N.M.) Xtreme Bulls, and he really bucked there. When I got the call-backs telling me I’d drawn him at Rosenberg, I was really excited about him.
“I knew he’d never been ridden until then. When you draw a bull like that, you don’t have to worry about what’s winning or placing, because if you stay on, you’re going to win the rodeo.”
Teel stays on a lot, and that’s one of the reasons he won the 2012 world title and why he will return to Las Vegas as the No. 5 cowboy in the 2013 world standings. Riding the unridden bull might just be the biggest thrill he’s received since being crowned last December.
“I was either going to be a hero or zero,” he said. “When you buck off a bull like that, it’s just one of those deals. But when you ride a bull like that, then you can build on it.
“He’s a real consistent bull, too. I was pumped up when I got off. I rode toward the end of it, and so all that anticipation was built up. I knew I he was going to be good, because his name’s been tossed around for bull of the year, and he’s definitely going to go to the finals. Now I’m going to the finals, so there’s a chance I could draw him out there.”
That would be perfect for Teel.
“I hadn’t had a big ride like that in a while,” he said, noting that the 2013 regular season concluded Sept. 30, so the rodeo in Rosenberg was actually one of the first stops on the 2014 campaign. “I was happy to start this new season off good.”
The first step was drawing an elite animal out of Pete Carr’s herd. Hokie Pokie is one of many great bulls that are part of the bull pen for Carr Pro Rodeo and Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo.
“He’s got the best bull pen going,” Teel said of Carr, who has been nominated for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Stock Contractor of the Year. “He’s got my vote for stock contractor of the year. He really tries to put together a good set of bulls, and it shows. There wasn’t one bull you didn’t want to get on. He gives a guy every opportunity to win.
“I was more anxious for his rodeos this year because of his bulls. You know you’re going to draw pretty good. It showed this year. All his rodeos had a lot of big scores, which shows how good the bulls really are. He definitely has the deepest set of bulls in rodeo.
In fact, the Carr firms produced two rodeos the opening weekend of October; Cooper Davis of Jasper, Texas, won the title in Hempstead, Texas, with a 90-point ride on Carr Pro Rodeo’s One Bad Cat.
“He’s got so many great bulls that he can put on two different rodeos at the same time, and it didn’t matter because there were great bulls at both,” Teel said. “That’s something that’s tough to beat by any stock contractor.”
Fort Bend County Fair and Rodeo
Oct. 4-6
Rosenberg, Texas
All-around cowboy: Caleb Smidt, $2,443, team roping and tie-down roping.
Bareback riding: 1. (tie) Luke Creasy, on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Wilma, and Austin Foss, on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Bi Polar, 83 points, $1,249 each; 3. Buck Lunak, 82, $775; 4. Clint Cannon, 81, $517; 5. (tie) Scotty NeSmith and Winn Ratliff, 77, $258 each.
Steer wrestling: 1. Clayton Hass, 3.8 seconds, $1,895; 2. Ben Shofner, 4.0, $1,568; 3. (tie) Cole Edge and Brandon Chase Harrison, 4.1, $1,078 each; 5. Jacob Shofner, 4.3, $588; 6. Blaine Jones, 4.4, $327.
Team roping: 1. Caleb Smidt/B.J. Dugger, 4.0 seconds, $2,443 each; 2. Bradley Massey/Shane Hester, 4.5, $2,124; 3. (tie) Justin Lovell/Tyler McKnight, Jesse Harville/Dustin Davis and Quisto Lopez/Keagan Duncan, 4.6, $1,487 each; 6. Chase Wiley/Ace Pearce, 4.7, $850; 7. Justin Copp/Tommy Zuniga, 4.9, $531; 8. Chace Thompson/Twister Cain, 5.0, $212.
Saddle bronc riding: 1. Jacobs Crawley, 83 points on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Miss Rodeo, $1,495; 2. Sterling Crawley, 82, $1,133; 3. Kobyn Williams, 78, $816; 4. (tie) Nick Laduke and Doug Aldridge, 77, $430 each; 6. Sam Spreadborough, 74, $227.
Tie-down roping: 1. Houston Hutto, 7.7 seconds, $1,713; 2. Cory Solomon, 7.8, $1,490; 3. Cade Swor, 8.0, $1,266; 4. Morgan Grant 8.2, $1,043; 5. (tie) Josh Eirikson, Justin Maass and Ike Fontenot, 8.6, $596 each; 8. John Wall, 8.8, $149.
Barrel racing: 1. Michele McLeod, 17.40 seconds, $2,038; 2.Jill Tanner, 17.52, $1,747; 3. Mallory Wheeler, 17.53, $1,456; 4. Andrea Cline, 17.55, $1,262; 5. Samantha Lyne, 17.59, $970; 6. Amanda Davenport, 17.60, $776; 7. Shelby Frasier, 17.62, $582; 8. (tie) Natalie Foutch and Victoria Williams, 17.66, $339 each; 10. Jenna Beaver, 17.71, $194.
Steer roping: First round: 1. Scott Snedecor, 12.0 seconds, $1,230; 2. Joe Wells, 12.5, $1,018; 3. (tie) Leo Campbell and Jason Evans, 13.1, $700 each; 5. Brady Garten, 13.6, $382; 6. Walter Priestly, 13.8, $212. Second round: 1. Brady Garten, 13.1 seconds, $1,230; 2. Tony Reina, 13.5, $1,018; 3. Trevor Brazile, 13.7, $806; 4. Shay Good, 14.7, $594; 5. Mike Chase, 14.8, $382; 6. Brian Garr, 15.1, $212. Third round: 1. Ty Herd, 11.3 seconds, $1,230; 2. Neal Wood, 12.2, $1,018; 3. Chet Herren, 12.3, $806; 4. (tie) Bryce Davis and Shane Suggs, 12.9, $488 each; 6. Dan Fisher, 13.4, $212. Average: 1. Shane Suggs, 45.9 seconds on three head, $1,845; 2. Cody Lee, 48.3, $1,527; 3. J.P. Wickett, 48.7, $1,209; 4. Ryan Willberg, 50.8, $890; 5. Trevor Brazile, 51.1, $572; 6. Vin Fisher Jr., 53.0, $318.
Bull riding: 1. Cody Teel, 90 points on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Hokie Pokie, $2,989; 2. Elliot Jacoby, 88, $2,292; 3. (tie) Caleb Sanderson, Dalton Votaw and Rorey Maier, 85, $1,162 each; 6. Kash Kotter, 83, $498; 7. Markus Mairiluch, 80, $398; 8. Friday Wright II, 79, $298.