DODGE CITY, Kan. – Brody Cress didn’t allow himself time to stress out about the test he was to face during Sunday’s championship round at the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo.

Cress won the first go-round, riding Frontier Rodeo’s No. 777 for 87.5 points. That was the first stage of things to come for the saddle bronc rider. The next phase was learning of being matched with Frontier’s Miss Ellie, an established bucker that had gotten the better of Cress in their three previous match-ups.

“It was in my head a lot today,” he said of his thoughts leading up to the evening’s performance. “We had to go over to Castle Rock (Colorado) to get on a horse today, then hustle over here, so that did help a little bit. I was able to get warmed up on that other horse, then you’re in such a hurry to get here.

“We got here, and the horses were already loaded. You don’[t have time to just sit around and think about it. You just trust yourself and trust the process you’ve been doing.”

It worked; Cress rode Miss Ellie for 88 points to finish second in the final round and first in the two-ride aggregate, earning his first Roundup buckle.

“This rodeo is awesome,” said Cress, 27, a six-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Hillsdale, Wyoming. “It’s one I’ve been coming to since I got my card. I’ve never even been able to finish up near the top here. I’ve made the short round a few times.

“It started off with a good ride to win the first round, then coming back for a dogfight on Miss Ellie, so be able to pull that off after she bucked me off three times feels awesome.”

In all, he pocketed $7,646 in western Kansas, which will push his season earnings to more than $90,000. Heading into the weekend, he was 11^th in the world standings but hopes to climb up the money list through the final two months of the regular season.

“When you look at the depth of talent in bronc riding right now, it’s insane,” he said. “There are 40 guys that could end up in the top 15 at the end of the year. You can’t take your foot off the gas at all, and you’ve got to take every chance you can to get every win and get your money. I’m sitting further down the list in the world standings than I would like.

“I’d like to be in the top two or three guys, so I’ve got a lot of room to make up, and I’m going to put it all out there every time.”

Cress is traveling with fellow bronc rider Lefty Holman, a two-time NFR qualifier. The two combatants feed off each other, which, they hope, helps build them through each step of the campaign. Only the top 15 contestants in each event when the regular season closes Sept. 30 will advance to ProRodeo’s grand finale.

“There’s always room for improvement,” Cress said. “Last week I got bucked off three horses and had a terrible week, so I’ve already improved off that. I’m looking for constant improvements. I don’t ever want to get complacent and feel like I’m where I need to be, so I’m constantly working. Lefty and I do a great job of working out, rehabbing and preparing for the horses we have, so we’re just going to keep going and keep the momentum rolling.”

Momentum has been on Shelby Boisjoli’s side since June. She’s holding onto it, claiming the breakaway roping championship in Dodge City. She was consistently fast, placing in the first and final rounds and just finishing out of the money in the second-go. She won Sunday’s round by stopping the clock in 2.3 seconds to win the overall title with a three-run cumulative time of 8.2 seconds.

“This is my first time coming to Dodge City, so this is the first time getting to see what Dodge City is all about,” said Boisjoli, a three-time qualifier to the National Finals Breakaway Roping from Stephenville, Texas. “I think it’s a great rodeo, and the crowd’s awesome. I love it here.”

She collected just shy of $6,000 and moved herself into contention to take the lead in the breakaway roping world standings. She was second heading into the weekend, but she may have done just enough to catch Hali Williams, another Texas lady who has been atop the money list since March.

“It’s been a crazy summer, and I’ve just been trying to pluck away and make the best runs I can everywhere I go,” she said. “I didn’t come into the summer with super high expectations, and it’s been everything and more so far.”

Dodge City Roundup Rodeo
Dodge City, Kan.
Aug. 2-6, 2022
All-around cowboy: Paul Tierney, $11,119, tie-down roping and team roping.

Bareback riding: First round: 1. Cole Franks, 86.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Big League, $3,216; 2. Myles Carlson, 86, $2,465; 3. Tim O’Connell, 85.5, $1,822; 4. (tie) Andy Gingerich, Jayco Roper and Chad Rutherford, 85, $822 each; 7. (tie) Kyle Bloomquist and Ty Pope, 84, $375 each. Finals: 1. (tie) Cole Franks, on Frontier Rodeo’s Gun Fire, and Jayco Roper, on Championship Pro Rodeo’s Big Show, 88 points, $1,450 each; 3. Jess Pope, 87.5, $900; 4. Chad Rutherford, 87, $600; 5. Myles Carlson, 86, $350; 6. Andy Gingerich, 84.5, $250. Average: 1. Cole Franks, 174.5 points on two head, $3,216; 2. Jayco Roper, 173, $2,465; 3. (tie) Chad Rutherford and Myles Carlson, 172, $1,501 each; 5. Jess Pope, 171, $750; 6. Andy Gingerich, 169.5, $536; 7. Tim O’Connell, 168.5, $429; 8. Taylor Broussard, 164.5, $322.

Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Gage Hesse, 3.5 seconds, $3,932; 2. Jule Hazen, 3.8, $3,419; 3. Jace Melvin, 4.0, $2,906; 4. Cyler Dowling, 4.2, $2,393; 5. Cade Staton, 4.3, $1,881; 6. (tie) Cameron Morman, Don Payne, Dylan Schroeder and Justin Shaffer, 4.4, $641 each. Second round: 1. (tie) Jacob Talley and Jarek VanPetten, 3.7 seconds, $3,676 each; 3. Olin Hannum, 3.9, $2,906; 4. (tie) Travis Munro, Tyler Pearson, Tyler Scheevel and Tyler Waguespack, 4.0, $1,624 each; 8. (tie) Stan Branco, Blake Knowles and Stephen Mullins, 4.1, $114 each. Finals: 1. Olin Hannum, 4.2 seconds, $1,566; 2. Don Payne, 4.5, $1,296; 3. Justin Shaffer, 4.6, $1,026; 4. Gage Hesse, 4.7, $756; 5. (tie) Cameron Morman and Dirk Tavenner, 4.8, $378 each. Average: 1. Olin Hannum, 12.8 seconds on three head, $5,898; 2. Don Payne, 13.2, $5,129; 3. Cameron Morman, 13.4, $4,359; 4. Jarek VanPetten, 13.6, $3,590; 5. (tie) Dirk Tavenner, Justin Shaffer and Gage Hesse, 13.8, $2,052 each; 8. Kalane Anders, 15.0, $513.

Team roping: First round: 1. Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord, 5.0 seconds, $3,633 each; 2. (tie) Jake Clay/Kollin VonAhn and Wyatt Imus/Caleb Anderson, 5.3, $2,922 each; 4. Brye Crites/Rance Doyal, 5.4, $2,211; 5. (tie) Pedro Egurrola/JC Flake and Korbin Rice/Jake South, 5.6, $1,501 each; 7. Garrett Tonozzi/Jace Davis, 5.7, $790; 8. Zack Woods/Gavin Foster, 5.9, $316. Second round: 1. Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp, 4.2 seconds, $3,633 each; 2. Jeff Flenniken/Tyler Worley, 4.3, $3,159; 3. (tie) Jr. Dees/Ross Ashford and Paul David Tierney/Tanner Braden, 4.4, $2,448 each; 5. (tie) Clint Summers/Jake Long, Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith and Nelson Wyatt/Chase Tryan, 4.5, $1,264 each; 8. Cole Smith/Reed Boos, 4.8, $316. Finals: 1. Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp, 5.6 seconds, $1,291 each; 2. Curry Kirchner/Billie Jack Saebens, 5.8, $1,068; 3. Pedro Egurrola/JC Flake, 6.4, $846; 4. Garrett Tonozzi/Jace Davis, 7.5, $623; 5. Cory Kidd V/Lane Mitchell, 10.3, $401; 6. Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord, 10.6, $223. Average: 1. (tie) Pedro Egurrola/JC Flake and Curry Kirchner/Billie Jack Saebens, 18.6 seconds on three head, $5,094 each; 3. Garrett Tonozzi/Jace Davis, 19.1, $4,028; 4. Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp, 19.8, $3,317; 5. Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord, 21.6, $2,606; 6. Brye Crites/Rance Doyal, 22.9, $1,896; 7. Cory Kidd V/Lane Mitchell, 23.3, $1,185; 8. Kyon Kreutzer/Clancey Kreutzer, 25.5, $474.

Saddle bronc riding: First round: 1. Brody Cress, 87.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s No. 777, $3,198; 2. (tie) Jake Finlay, Wade Sundell and Ryder Wright, 85, $1,812 each; 5. Shea Fournier, 84.5, $746; 6. Isaac Richard, 84, $533; 7. (tie) Sterling Crawley and Gus Gaillard, 83, $373 each. Finals: 1. Shea Fournier, 89 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Yellowstone, $1,650; 2. Brody Cress, 88, $1,250; 3. Ryder Wright, 87.5, $900; 4. Lefty Marvel Holman, 87, $600; 5. Gus Gaillard, 86, $350; 6. (tie) Isaac Diaz and Isaac Richard, 83, $125 each. Average: 1. Brody Cress, 175.5 points on two head, $3,198; 2. Shea Fournier, 173.5, $2,452; 3. Ryder Wright, 172.5, $1,812; 4. Lefty Marvel Holman, 169.5, $1,173; 5. Gus Gaillard, 169, $746; 6. Isaac Richard, 167, $533; 7. Isaac Diaz, 165.5, $426; 8. Tegan Smith, 162.5, $320.

Breakaway roping: First round: 1. Kenzie Kelton, 2.3 seconds, $2,454; 2. Kelsie Domer, 2.5, $2,103; 3. Alex Loiselle, 2.7, $1,753; 4. (tie) Martha Angelone, Shelby Boisjoli, Christi Braudrick, Josey Murphy and Quincy Sullivan, 2.8, $958 each; 9. (tie) Kassidy Dennison and Brooke McLemore, 2.9, $292 each. Second round: 1. Danielle Lowman, 2.1 seconds, $2,454; 2. KeAnn Hayes, 2.3, $2,103; 3. Erin Johnson, 2.4, $1,753; 4. Alli Masters, 2.6, $1,519; 5. (tie) Beau Peterson and Quincy Sullivan, 2.7, $1,052 each; 7. (tie) Cheyanne Guillory, Alex Loiselle and Brooke McLemore, 2.8, $506 each; 10. Tacy Webb, 2.9, $234. Finals: 1. Shelby Boisjoli, 2.3 seconds, $1,318; 2. Nicole Hadley, 3.4, $1,091; 3. Bethany Stallons, 3.7, $863; 4. Beau Peterson, 3.9, $636; 5. Kashly Van Petten, 7.2, $409; 6. Josie Conner, 12.3, $227. Average: 1. Shelby Boisjoli, 8.2 seconds on three head, $3,681; 2. Bethany Stallons, 9.8, $3,155; 3. Beau Peterson, 10.2, $2,629; 4. Nicole Hadley, 10.3, $2,279; 5. Kashly Van Petten, 13.4, $1,753; 6. Josie Conner, 19.2, $1,402; 7. (tie) Alex Loiselle and Quincy Sullivan, 5.5 on two head, $876 each; 9. Brooke McLemore, 5.7, $526; 10. Tacy Webb, 5.9, $351.

Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Marty Yates, 7.9 seconds, $3,805; 2. Lucas Potter, 8.5, $3,308; 3. Haven Meged, 8.8, $2,812; 4. (tie) Lane Livingston, Booker McCutchen, Cory Solomon and Paul David Tierney, 9.0, $1,572 each; 8. Riley Pruitt, 9.2, $331. Second round: 1. Cole Clemons, 7.6 seconds, $3,805; 2. (tie) Randall Carlisle and Marcos Costa, 7.7, $3,060 each; 4. R.J. Straw, 8.5, $2,316; 5. (tie) John Douch and Dylan Hancock, 8.6, $1,572 each; 7. (tie) Quade Hiatt, Shad Mayfield and Lucas Potter, 8.8, $386 each. Finals: 1. Paul David Tierney, 8.4 seconds, $1,392; 2. Roy Lee, 8.6, $1,152; 3. Chet Weitz, 8.9, $912; 4. John Douch, 9.2, $672; 5. (tie) Cole Clemons and Tom Crouse, 9.4, $336 each. Average: 1. Paul David Tierney, 26.8 seconds on three head, $5,707; 2. Lucas Potter, 27.4, $4,963; 3. John Douch, 28.7, $4,218; 4. Roy Lee, 28.8, $3,474; 5. (tie) Chet Weitz and Cole Clemons, 29.1, $2,357 each; 7. (tie) Ty Harris and Tom Crouse, 29.6, $868 each.

Barrel racing: First round: 1. Jessica Routier, 17.25 seconds, $2,795; 2. Summer Kosel, 17.38, $2,396; 3. Jordon Briggs, 17.42, $1,996; 4. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 17.48, $1,730; 5. Kassie Mowry, 17.52, $1,331; 6. Hailey Kinsel, 17.54, $1,065; 7. Josey Groves, 17.60, $799; 8. (tie) Andrea Busby and Britta Strain, 17.65, $466 each; 10. Chelsie Shoop, 17.67, $266. Second round: 1. Summer Kosel, 16.85 seconds, $2,795; 2. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 17.03, $2,396; 3. Jessica Routier, 17.09, $1,996; 4. Sara Winkelman, 17.13, $1,730; 5. LaTricia Duke, 17.25, $1,331; 6. Jordon Briggs, 17.29, $1,065; 7. (tie) Hailey Kinsel and Tracy Nowlin, 17.34, $665 each; 9. Britta Strain, 17.36, $399; 10. Michelle Darling, 17.41, $266. Finals: 1. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 16.81 seconds, $2,070; 2. Jordon Briggs, 17.04, $1,553; 3. Hailey Kinsel, 17.19, $1,035; 4. Jessica Routier, 17.28, $518. Average: 1. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 51.32 seconds on three head, $4,193; 2. Jessica Routier, 51.62, $3,594; 3. Summer Kosel, 51.65, $2,995; 4. Jordon Briggs, 51.75, $2,595; 5. Hailey Kinsel, 52.07, $1,997; 6. Sara Winkelman, 52.15, $1,597; 7. Sydney Graham, 52.64, $1,198; 8. Michelle Darling, 52.79, $799; 9. Andrea Busby, 52.92, $599; 10. Britta Strain, 54.11, $399.

Steer roping: First round: 1. Coleman Proctor, 11.8 seconds, $1,802; 2. Cody Lee, 11.9, $1,567; 3. (tie) Rocky Patterson and Slade Wood, 12.0, $1,214 each; 5. Roger Branch, 12.8, $862; 6. (tie) Will Eddleman and Taylor Santos, 13.0, $509 each; 8. (tie) Bryce Davis and Tuff Hardman, 13.1, $78 each. Second round: 1. Cole Patterson, 9.2 seconds, $1,802; 2. Dalton Walker, 9.7, $1,567; 3. Vin Fisher Jr., 10.7, $1,332; 4. J. Tom Fisher, 10.8, $1,097; 5. Cody Lee, 11.0, $862; 6. Kelton McMillen, 11.2, $627; 7. Billy Good, 11.4, $392; 8. Chad Mathis, 11.9, $157. Third round: 1. John E. Bland, 9.7 seconds, $1,802; 2. Slade Wood, 9.9, $1,567; 3. Scott Snedecor, 10.3, $1,332; 4. Coleman Proctor, 10.6, $1,097; 5. (tie) J. Tom Fisher and Taylor Santos, 10.7, $744 each; 7. John Clark, 10.8, $392; 8. Will Eddleman, 10.9, $157. Average: 1. Cody Lee, 35.6 seconds on three head, $2,703; 2. Slade Wood, 36.1, $2,350; 3. Roger Branch, 38.8, $1,998; 4. Reo Lohse, 41.7, $1,645; 5. Billy Good, 42.0, $1,293; 6. Kelton McMillen, 42.5, $940; 7. Wade Shoemaker, 42.9, $588; 8. Trey Wallace, 43.7, $235.

Bull riding: First round: 1. JB Mauney, 88.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s He’s Legit, $3,551; 2. Losnake, 86, $2,722; 3. Trevor Reiste, 85.5, $2,012; 4. Deklan Garland, 85, $1,302; 5. Hunter Boydston, 84, $828; 6. Hunter Tate, 83.5, $592; 7. Cody Teel, 82.5, $473; 8. Riley Harris, 82, $355. * Finals: 1. Deklan Garland, 88.5 points on Frontier Rodeo’s Glory Days, $2,700; 2. Colton Byram, 87, $2,300; no other qualified rides. Average: 1. Deklan Garland, 173.5 points on two head, $3,551; 2. Colton Byram, 167, $2,722; 3. JB Mauney, 88.5 on one head, $2,012; 4. Losnake, 86, $1,302; 5. Trevor Reiste, 85.5, $828; 6. Hunter Boydston, 84, $592; 7. Hunter Tate, 83.5, $473; 8. Cody Teel, 82.5, $355. *(all totals include ground money).