All-star rodeo cast does not disappoint at Moses Lake Roundup
Rodney Hardwood | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 years, 2 months AGO
MOSES LAKE — The 73rd annual Moses Lake Roundup was a virtual who’s who of rodeo talent competing over the course of three days and the world-class cowboys and cowgirls did not disappoint.
The No. 1 ranked saddle bronc rider in the world and defending world champion Jacobs Crawley of Boerne, Texas put up a score of 80.5 Saturday night to take a run at the top score. Layton Green’s 82 on Thursday held up to win, but the defending world champion was in the house and riding hard. Crawley was supposed to be up on an NFR horse called Big Easy, but stock contractor Mike Corey ended up pulling the horse and Crawley made due on an unnamed horse. A little more horse and Crawley might have added another Moses Lake Roundup title to the list, but that’s the way it goes sometimes he said. “This is what I get to do for fun,” said Crawley, won a world title in 2015. “I was expecting Big Easy, but just have to ride the horse they give you. This was a newer horse and he’s still trying to figure everything out. He wanted to buck and I was just trying to spur and keep up. I did my part.” Crawley came into the Roundup with $137,128 in earnings with six weeks left in the schedule. He’s won 14 times, including Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days, the Ponoka (Alberta) Stampede, the Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo (Odessa, Texas) to name a few. There’s big money days in places like Calgary, Cheyenne and Houston. But the heart and soul of PRCA rodeo, he said, is rodeo’s like the Moses Lake Roundup. He won Moses Lake in 2013 and he and his brother Sterling Crawley have been coming up ever since. “This what the backbone of rodeo really is,” said Crawley, who placed in seven rounds at the 2015 Wrangler NFR en route to his second WNFR average title and first world championship. “The fans come out and the people are hospitable that you’re in town and we get to do our job. This is what rodeo’s all about. We put our hearts in it every year. I got a Moses Lake buckle and it’s rodeo’s like this that keep me doin’ what I’m doin’.” Shane Proctor is a Columbia Basin cowboy from Grand Coulee. He placed in five rounds of the Wrangler NFR on his way to his first bull riding world championship in 2011. He’s currently ranked eighth in the world and headed back to his fifth NFR. On Thursday, he put up the best score on a Flying Diamond Rodeo bull called Blue Bells. He also won $2,402 in all-around money. “I’ve been spending my time between the PBR and the PRCA this year,” said Proctor, who came into Moses Lake with $67,027 in earnings. “I haven’t been able to come to Moses Lake since 2005 when I was 18 years old. I used to come here and watch slack and watch the guys growing up. That was something I thought was awesome. “My bull riding has been going pretty good this year. There’s bumps and bruises, but you just have to go with it. Tonight was a good bull. I’ve known Mike (Corey) since I was a little kid. He helps me out in a lot of different ways whether it’s with my bull riding school or something else. It’s always fun to come to these rodeos and ride.” Clements, Calif. Cowboy Clayton Biglow put up an 81.5 on Flying Diamond Rodeo's Lucky on Saturday night to win the $2,059 and the bareback title. Mike McGinn’s 3.9 seconds held up to earn the steer wrestling buckle and $2,832. Riley Minor and Brady Minor from Ellensburg put together a 5.3-seconds run to earn a share of first -place money in the team roping, tying Levi Simpson and Jeremy Buhler. All four cowboys earned a $2,122 paycheck. Meeting Creek, Alberta cowboy Layton Green’s 82 on Kung Fu held up from Thursday to win the saddle broncs, which was good for $2,555. There was a three-way tie in the tie-down roping with Cade Swor, Cory Solomon and Jake Pratt posting 7.5 seconds to earn $2,350 each. Callahan Crossley had the fast time in the barrel racing with 17.07, earning $2,546.
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