BELLVILLE, Texas – In his first trip to the Austin County Fair and Rodeo, Jacob Talley found Bellville to his liking.
On Friday night during the second rodeo performance, he knocked his animal to the ground in 4.0 seconds to take the steer wrestling lead with one night remaining in this year’s championship. He took advantage of a little education and made it work to his benefit.
“That was the second run on that steer,” said Talley, a 2016 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Keatchie, La. “Gary Gilbert ran that steer (Thursday) night and said (the steer) stopped on him, but everybody said he was supposed to be good on the ground if you could catch him.”
Talley did everything he was supposed to. He’s trying to get off to a fast start on the 2018 regular season after finishing 18th when the 2017 campaign closed on Sept. 30.
“I’m focused on making the NFR again in 2018,” he said, referring to finishing among the top 15 bulldoggers in the game. “After finishing 18th, that’ll light a fire under you where you don’t ever want to do that again.
“We had a good year, but the reality is we fell short of our end goal. The main thing I’m going to do is practicing every day and be at the gym every day.”
His breakout season was in 2016 when he earned that coveted trip to the Nevada desert to compete at ProRodeo’s grand finale. While there, he pocketed $25,654 – that’s nothing to sneeze at, but it’s a far cry from where he wanted to be. Fellow Louisianan Tyler Waguespack earned nearly $200,000 over the same 10 nights in Las Vegas.
That’s why success in Bellville is important for Talley. Not only did he enjoy the hospitality the volunteer committee offered, he thought the atmosphere was simply electric.
“This is my first time but it’s a good rodeo,” he said. “It’s like those small-town football games where the whole town comes out and pack it out.”
They came to see a show, and Talley did his part to put it on. He knew the steer was solid, and he had a lot of trust in his mount, Viper, a 15-year-old sorrel gelding.
“My horse is working good,” Talley said. “’I think that was kind of a factor in not making the finals this year. There were six weeks in the northwest at the end of the year where I didn’t ride him; he was a little sore, so I bounded around from horse to horse.
“He’s starting to feel good again, so everything’s starting to come together.”
That’s good timing as he makes his plans for the 2018 NFR.
Austin County Fair and Rodeo
Oct. 12-14
Bellville, Texas
Bareback riding: 1. Anthony Thomas, 81 points on Rocky Mountain Rodeo’s Rainmaker; 2. Bill Tutor, 79.5; 3. Winn Ratliff, 79; 4. Paden Hurst, 77.5; 5. Blade Elliott, 75; 6. (tie) Clint Laye and Kenny Haworth, 71.
Steer wrestling: 1. Jacob Talley, 4.0 seconds; 2. Matt Reeves, 4.2; 3. Morgan Grant, 4.3; 4. Stan Branco, 4.6; 5. Tyler Waguespack, 5.0; 6. Jacob Edler, 5.3; 7. (tie) Rowdy Parrott, Josh Clark and Cade Staton, 5.5 each.
Team roping: 1. Jake Orman/Will Woodfin, 3.9 seconds; 2. Andrew Livingston/Twister Cain, 4.5; 3. Tanner Green/Shawn Turner, 4.7; 4. Joshua Torres/Jonathan Torres, 5.0; 5. Quisto Lopez/Trey Carter, 5.5; 6. Tee Luttrell/Corey Hendrick, 6.1; 7. Chuck Butler/Dale Martin Jr., 7.0; 8. Chuck Doebbler/Randal Eggemeyer, 7.7.
Saddle bronc riding: 1. Audy Reed, 84 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Tombstone; 2. Jacobs Crawley, 80; 3. Leon Fountain, 77; 4. Dawson Hay, 76; 5. (tie) Cort Scheer and Isaac Diaz, 75.5.
Tie-down roping leaders: 1. Cooper Mathews, 7.7 seconds; 2. Tanner Green, 8.1; 3. Justin Smith, 8.6; 4. Trenton Smith, 8.7; 5. Clint Nyegaard, 8.9; 6. Chantz Webster, 9.1; 7. Cooper Raley, 9.2; 8. B Braxton Laughlin, 9.3.
Barrel racing leaders: 1. Cassidy Kruse, 14.67 seconds; 2. Lisa Thornton, 14.75; 3. Kelly Bruner, 14.84; 4. (tie) Blythe Beshears and Kylan Shaw, 14.87; 6. Kelley Carrington, 14.89; 7. Shelley Morgan, 14.95; 8. (tie) Robyn Herring and Tammy Fischer, 14.97 each; 10. Fallon Taylor, 14.98; 11. Sydni Blanchard, 14.99; 12. Brittany Grant, 15.05; 8. Amanda Cupp, 15.10; 9. Katelyn Scott, 15.11; 10. (tie) Ari-Anna Flynn and Chaney Speight, 15.17 each; 12. Kimmi Byler, 15.18.
Steer roping: First round: 1. Garrett Hale, 8.9 seconds, $1,117; 2. (tie) Bryce Davis and Vin Fisher Jr., 10.2, $698 each; 4 (tie) Mike Chase and Ralph Williams, 10.4, $140 each. Second round: 1. Jim Locke, 9.5 seconds, $1,117; 2. Landon McClaugherty, $838; 3. Roger Branch, 9.7, $559; 4. Vin Fisher Jr., 10.0, $279. Average: 1. Vin Fisher Jr., 20.2 seconds on two runs, $1,676; 2. Rocky Patterson, 21.0; $1,257; 3. Trevor Brazile, 21.7, $838; 4. Bryce Davis, 21.8, $419.
Bull riding: 1. Boudreaux Campbell, 85.5 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s No. 414; 2. (tie) Travis Smith and Clayton Foltyn, 84.5; 4. Sage Kimzey, 84; 5. Dylan Vick, 82.5; 6. Denton Fugate, 78.