Silcox bulldozes the competition

RENO - Wesley Silcox is in a zone bullriders just dream about.

Silcox, who was the co-leader entering the championship round after a 90 on the first go, posted a 90 aboard Rapid Reloader to win the bullriding championship at the 88th annual Reno Rodeo Saturday night at the Reno Livestock Events Center.

The all-around title went to roper Jake Hannum, who participated in tie-down roping and team roping. He won $10,381 for his efforts.

Chet Johnson (saddle bronc, $9,473), Jimmy Edens and Ryan Motes (team roping, $14,079 each), Heath Ford (bareback, $10,335), Todd Suhn (steer wrestling, $11,620), Maegan Reichert (barrel racing, $9,993) and Tyson Durfey (tie-down roping, $11,312) were the other winners.

Silcox, who won $14,884, finished with 180, a scant five points ahead of Joe Meling, who posted a second-round 87 aboard Little Marvin to finish in second place. Only two of the last 12 riders posted successful rides.

"I'm riding really good right now," Silcox said after receiving his silver spurs. "I knew I just had to go out and ride my bull. You just have to worry about what you do."

Silcox was referring to Meling's ride, which gave the Oregon rider a temporary lead.

"I think I'd seen that bull once," Meling said. "I don't really remember, though. I knew it was still up in the air after my ride. I knew the bull that Wesley had, and I figured he would ride it."

According to Silcox, he'd scored back-to-back 90s one other time.

It was a disappointing finish for J.W. Harris, who was thrown off High Waters after 3.9 seconds. Zeb Lanham, who went into the finals with an 89, was tossed off Mr. Bond after 6.3 seconds.

The Ford family now has three silver spurs from the Reno Rodeo. It was the first for Heath Ford, who scored an 84 above Rio's Edge to win the title. He followed in the footsteps of his cousin, Royce, and his uncle, Bruce. The latter won titles in 1972 and 1976.

Kelly Timberman was second in bareback at 248 after an 82-point ride aboard Miss Amerititle. Jason Havens, the co-leader heading into the finals, dropped into a tie for third at 244 with Steven Dent following his 77-point ride on Kattle Kall.

"I had a bunch of friends pumping me up," Ford said. "It was fun. I had that horse in Kennewick, Wash., and I think I had an 83."

Ford said the silver spurs are a welcome addition to his trophy case. He said he is as proud of the spurs as anything he has.

Johnson, the next-to-last rider, scored a 88 aboard Spring Blues in saddle bronc.

"I had that horse in the short round at Red Bluff, and he made short work of me," Johnson said. "I was excited, but a little nervous. I was blessed to get by.

"They (the spurs) mean a lot to me. My travel partner (Chad Ferley) won here last year. I've been coming here a long time."

Johnson's 88 meant first-round leader Jesse Bail needed an 86 for the win. Bail had a solid 81-point ride on Kool Toddy, but it wasn't enough.

Bail said he made some mistakes in the middle of the ride that cost him dearly.

"I tried falling off after a couple of jumps," Bail said. "I finished really good. I thought I screwed this ride up, though."

Levi Berry finished third at 247. Megan Forbes, Anthony Bello and Matt Hebbert tied for fourth at 242.

Suhn won his second Reno title. He won steer wrestling in 2005. He got a little help from Stockton Graves.

Graves put together a 4.1 effort, but picked up a 10-second penalty for breaking the starting gate too soon. The 4.1 would have given him a 13.6. Instead, he ended up with a 23.6.

Suhn, who entered with an 8.7, recorded a 5.7 for a 14.4 total. Blake Knowles had a 4.6 on his final go to finish with an aggregate time of 14.7. Curtis Cassidy, Jake Rinehart and Dean Finnerty tied for third at 16.1.

"Oh yeah, it helps to be last (and knowing what you need)," Suhn said. "Stockton had some tough luck. It made my job a lot easier. I ended up having to chase it (the steer) down."

Edens and Motes needed a 6.6 or lower to win the team roping title, and they easily accomplished that with an impressive 5.5 for a total of 16.1. Rance Gantt and Nick Rowland were second at 16.9 after a final-round 5.7. Brandon and Mike Beers were third at 17.0.

"We don't do as well when we back off," Edens said. "We just go out hard every time and take a chance."

Hannum's win was somewhat controversial. He subbed for an injured cowboy in the team roping, and reportedly argued with rodeo officials over the rules. It's his first-ever all-around title.

Durfey recorded a final-round 9.2 for a total of 29.1 to win tie-down roping. Nate Baldwin was second at 30.2 and Hannum took third at 32.0.

Reichert had the second-fastest barrel racing time in the final round with a 17.04 for a total of 51.35. Brittany Pozzi-Pharr, who had the night's fastest time at 16.95, was second at 51.69. Jill Moody was third at 51.70.