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By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – Sometimes the penny slots cans still offer nice rewards.

After failing to find the pay window for three rounds at the National Finals Rodeo, bareback rider Cole Franks pulled the handle on an old campaigner and came up winner. It may not have been three 7s as he’d hoped, but his 84.5-point ride on Rafter G Rodeo’s Ankle Biter helped him to a $4,709 payday for finishing in a three-way tie for fifth place in Wednesday’s seventh round.

“I got on him in the second round the last time I was here in 2022,” said Franks of Clarendon, Texas. “I was one point higher than I was the first time I got on him, but I placed both times.”

He has ridden seven broncs for a cumulative score of 596 points and is second in the aggregate race, just a point and a half behind the leader, reigning world champion Keenan Hayes. Franks has earned just shy of $70,000 at this year’s NFR and is eighth in the world standings with $209,000.

“That horse leaves (the chute) a little funky,” Franks said. “He leaves hard and a little back and forth, which is kind of hard to keep up with. Then once he starts angling to the left, it’s a lot of fun. It’s hard, but it’s still a lot of fun. I really didn’t know what he was going to do, because every now and then, he’ll turn back and spin like a bull almost.”

Did having familiarity with Ankle Biter help?

“It depends on the horse, but it’s a lot better going in knowing what the horse is, knowing how it fit and how it feels,” he said. “I’d never been on my first five horses before, and it keeps you guessing. You don’t know what to expect. I’ve been on these last two horses before, so it’s a little better going into it.”

That hasn’t really seemed to matter to Franks. He’s been consistent through seven nights, and he has three more rounds in this 2024 ProRodeo season to see what will happen. It’s all part of the process. His goal is to continue to remain on task. Winning the average championship would add more than $86,000 to his pocketbook and provide him with the second-most prestigious title in ProRodeo.

“It’s just a matter of staying consistent and trying to take advantage of situations when I can,” said Franks, the bareback riding and all-around intercollegiate champion and the PRCA Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year in 2021. “You just take each round for what it is and see where it all falls.”

By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – It may not have been the biggest payday of Cole Franks’ National Finals Rodeo run this week, but it may have been the biggest ride.

He rode Bailey Pro Rodeo’s Little Bug for 85 points to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place in Sunday’s fourth round, pocketing $1,811. More importantly, he holds a 3.5-point advantage over the field in the all-important aggregate race with a cumulative score of 342 points.

“It ain’t much, but it’s something,” said Franks, a three-time NFR qualifier from Clarendon, Texas. “Everything we do is for the average, especially right now. You can’t really play it safe, but you can’t take no for an answer.

“I just need to keep points on the board.”

He has earned $64,696 at this NFR and is eighth in the world standings with $204,253. After posting a high-scoring ride Saturday night on one of the rankest horses in ProRodeo, Franks found life a little easier on Little Bug. The Round 4 horses are called “hoppers,” which are the easiest to ride over this 10-day stretch. It was a day off considering he’d matched moves with an “eliminator” the night before.

“It’s more of a day off, really,” he said.

Franks has placed in four straight nights, the best start in his three times of competing on ProRodeo’s biggest stage. He has six more nights on the season to capitalize on being in Las Vegas this time of year, where the money is bigger than any other event on the planet. He’ll take his next step Monday night along with the other bareback riders as they try to match their skills against 15 of the most electric bucking horses in the sport.

Franks will be matched with Macza Pro Rodeo’s Stevie Knicks, which has been known to be part of many high-marked rides. Clayton Biglow was 90 points on the mare in 2022, and Jess Pope was 88.5 last year.

“You’ve just got to keep the momentum rolling going into (Monday),” Franks said. “The best horses in the world are out, so it’s good to have a lot of momentum rolling into them.”

By Sandy Anderberg

The Bronco basketball team is fresh off of the football field but went head-on against Floydada at home last Friday in their season opener. Despite playing hard and formulating a comeback, the Broncos were defeated 57 to 63.

The Whirlwinds held a slight lead after one, but were able to put a little more distance between them and the Broncos before the break to lead 41-28.

A new and determined Bronco team emerged to take the floor going into the second half of play. The team showed promise as they were able to fine-tune the offense set up by head coach Isaac Semans and executed well to make stops on defense and put points in the hoop. With three warnings and one technical foul for ‘flopping,’ the Whirlwinds were frustrated and the Broncos were able to take advantage of that.

Working back into the game, the Broncos were able to gain some momentum against the Winds and begin to close the gap in the final quarter of play. But time was not on their side, and they took the six-point loss. Senior Mason Sims tied Floydada’s best scorer with 24 to lead the Broncos. Junior Kyler Bell was perfect from the free throw line and followed Sims with 11 points, and Caleb Herbert put in seven. Kaleb Bolin had six, John Weatherton finished with five, and Heston Seay had two.

The Broncos will travel to Abernathy on December 3 and compete in the Nazareth Tournament December 5-7. They will play in Littlefield against Seminole on December 10.

By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos added two more big wins to their overall record of 8-1 for the season. Their latest wins were over Vernon and Floydada last week.

Coming off of four wins in the Slaton Tourney, the Lady Broncos were hitting on all cylinders and defeated the Class 3A Vernon 42-39. Junior Kenidee Hayes pumped in 13 points, putting in seven points in the third quarter of play. The ladies stayed with their game plan and were able to overtake the Lady Lions in the final eight minutes.

On the downside, the Lady Broncos only converted five of fourteen free throws, but they were able to hit three big shots from the arc. Hayes connected with two, and Kashlyn Conkin made good on one three-pointer and a free shot for four.

Berkley Moore was solid with eight points, and Kate Shaw put in six from post position. Gracie Ellis, Presley Smith joined Conkin with four points each, and Kennadie Cummins put in two points while Tandie Cummins finished with one.

On Friday, the Lady Broncos were looking for a big win over the Floydada Lady Whirlwinds and played solid basketball to get the 80-34 win. Setting a great rhythm on the offensive end of the court, the ladies played great team ball to make things work on the scoreboard. They were unstoppable inside and outside and had eagle eyes for the open player. Floydada showed a little spunk against the Lady Broncos but could never break down that strong wall of defense.

Five players finished in double digits in the win with Conkin pumping in 13 points. Moore and Shaw were on Conkin’s heels to finish with 12 each and Hayes and K. Cummins had 11 and 10 respectively. Smith put in eight, T. Cummins had five, and Hayden Elam and Ellis turned in four each.

The Lady Broncos will travel to Abernathy December 3 playing at 6:00pm and participate in the Nazareth Tournament December 5-7. They will play in Littlefield against Seminole on December 10.