Bell County PRCA Wraps Up With Record-Breaking Times and Tough Competition

The annual Bell County PRCA Pro Rodeo was held Feb. 8-10 in Belton, Texas. After a new arena record in the steer wrestling and tough competition in the barrel racing, the three-day event paid off just under $60,000 to its competitors.

The Bell County PRCA is an annual stop for cowboys and cowgirls on the way to and from rodeos like Fort Worth and San Antonio. Entry numbers are always plentiful, and the committee has a very unique way of putting the rodeo on.

On Thursday, Feb. 8, they kicked off the event by hosting a "mini" rodeo for the local schools to bring their students out to watch. The rodeo consisted of 33 PRCA Bull Riders and additional youth roping and barrel racing events.

All-around Cowboy Toby Deudney split the win in the bareback riding with Chad Rutherford and Brayze Schill with a 76-point ride. Three Andrews Rodeo bucking horses carried these cowboys to the winner's circle this weekend in Belton. 

The event saw a record-breaking run in the steer wrestling when Sul Ross State University student Colten Leech laid down a 3.2-second run to not only take the win but also set a new arena record. The 22-year-old cowboy by way of Chico, Texas, put eight-tenths of a second on the rest of his fellow competitors and takes home a nice $1,629 check. 

Two-time NFR qualifier Kolton Schmidt and young-gun Landen Glenn took the top honors in the team roping. It took 4.2 seconds for the two to secure their win above legendary names like Rich Skelton, Manny Eguisquiza, and Buddy Hawkins. This team will be one to watch out for this year in the race towards the NFR.

Permit Cowboy and Tarleton State student Gus Gaillard stole the show in the saddle bronc riding aboard Andrews Rodeo's Remington. An 83-point ride was awarded $1,101 for his efforts. 

Yet another young gun came out on top in the tie-down roping. Blaze Byler, of Bellville, Texas, had only entered one other ProRodeo before Belton and was 8.2 seconds for his first of many PRCA ProRodeo wins. 

The barrel racing brought lightning-fast times and tough competition, as usual. Tiany Schuster jockeyed her infamous gelding, Showmance, to the win with a 14.76-second run. Less than two-tenths of a second separated the competition from first place to eleventh place. 

To round out the field of champions, the bull riders did not disappoint. From the Thursday morning "mini" rodeo to Saturday night, the rodeo was not lacking in entries or bullpower. 

Cooper James and Maverick Potter tied for the win with an 86-point ride, putting a 4.5-point lead on their fellow competitors. Andrews Rodeo's bulls Shockazooloo and Panhandler shared the leaderboard with their respective cowboys.

Bell County PRCA Pro Rodeo Full Results:

All-Around Cowboy

Toby Deudney, $818, bareback riding and bull riding.

Bareback Riding

1. (tie) Toby Deudney, on Andrews Rodeo's Double Cross, Chad Rutherford, on Andrews Rodeo's Sweet Fame, and Brayze Schill, on Andrews Rodeo's Sugar Smack, 76 points, $818 each; 4. Kash Martin, 75, $273.

Steer Wrestling

1. Colten Leech, 3.2 seconds, $1,629; 2. (tie) Brady Boyce and Shane Frey, 4.0, $1,208 each; 4. Dylan Schroeder, 4.2, $786; 5. (tie) Cole Fulton and Skyler Woolls, 4.5, $393 each.

Team Roping

1. Kolton Schmidt/Landen Glenn, 4.2 seconds, $1,932 each; 2. (tie) Cash Duty/Ross Ashford and Tanner Green/Rich Skelton, 4.5, $1,554 each; 4. (tie) Brady Tryan/Calgary Smith and J.C. Yeahquo/Buddy Hawkins II, 4.6, $1,050 each; 6. Manny Egusquiza Jr./Evan Arnold, 4.7, $672; 7. Cole Eiguren/Tyler Eiguren, 4.8, $420; 8. Coy Brittain/Colton Brittain, 5.0, $168.

Saddle Bronc Riding

1. Gus Gaillard, 83 points on Andrews Rodeo's Remington, $1,101; 2. Slade Keith, 82, $834; 3. Rusty Wright, 80.5, $601; 4. Sterling Crawley, 80, $400; 5. (tie) Bailey Small and Tom Webster, 78.5, $200 each.

Tie-Down Roping

1. Blaze Byler, 8.2 seconds, $1,997; 2. Shane Hanchey, 8.6, $1,653; 3. Semaj Collins Jr., 9.3, $1,308; 4. Chantz Webster, 9.4, $964; 5. Tyler Calhoun, 9.5, $620; 6. Kason Dyer, 11.0, $344.

Barrel Racing

1. Tiany Schuster, 14.76 seconds, $2,087; 2. Abby Phillips, 14.84, $1,774; 3. (tie) LaTricia Duke and Allie Murphy, 14.86, $1,356 each; 5. Carlee Otero, 14.89, $1,043; 6. (tie) Jymmy Cox, Shelley Morgan, and Shannon Pearson, 14.90, $556 each; 9. Liz Pinkston, 14.93, $365; 10. Oceane Veilleux, 14.96, $313; 11. (tie) Lydia Bierschwale-Luce and Fonda Melby, 14.98, $235 each.

Bull Riding

1. (tie) Cooper James, on Andrews Rodeo's Shockazooloo, and Maverick Potter, on Andrews Rodeo's Panhandler, 86 points, $2,008 each; 3. Dawson "Sticky" Gleaves, 81.5, $1,288; 4. Marshall Adkins, 81, $833; 5. Wacey Schalla, 79.5, $530; 6. Tyce Willis, 78.5, $379; 7. (tie) Riley Harris and Brock Poulin, 77, $265 each.