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Franks caps NFR with big ride

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Clarendon’s Cole Franks riding New Scarlett in Vegas at the NFR. PRCA photo by Click Thompson

By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – Cole Franks has spent the last two ProRodeo seasons traveling with three-time world champion bareback rider Tim O’Connell and Jess Pope, who clinched his first gold buckle this season.

“I’ve just got to complete the trifecta and have all of us in the rig wearing gold buckles,” said Franks, 21, of Clarendon, Texas.

He concluded a fantastic sophomore season with a solid run through the 2022 National Finals Rodeo. He placed in eight of 10 rounds and finished second to Pope in the average race; that, alone, is worth $60,159. He earned just shy of $147,000 in 10 December nights in the Nevada desert.

“It was slow compared to what it was last year, but it was a lot more fun this year,” Franks said. “I drew a lot nicer horses. They were just on the weaker ends of the pens every time. I feel like I did what I could with what I had. Today I made a little bobble at the end that cost me a little bit, but I’m pretty happy with how it ended.

He rode Pickett Pro Rodeo’s New Scarlet for 88 points, which would have won half the rounds this year. During Sunday’s 10th round, Franks finished in a tie for fifth place and added $6,063. He finished the year with $263,378

“I’ve dreamed of getting on that horse for a long time,” he said. “I watched Tim get on him at San Angelo (Texas) this year. That horse is so much fun, so much fun. He just floats right underneath himself. That’s probably one of the funnest horses I’ve been on.

“That’s a lot of those Pickett horses. They are all really good to get on. That’s the first Pickett horse I’ve been on (at the NFR). I was pretty excited about it when I saw the draw last night.”

Finishing so high in the aggregate race is also a blessing that came with riding well for 10 nights. He finished the NFR with 852 cumulative points, just eight behind Pope, who has won the average title for three straight years. That is a standard that proves the consistency of the top guys during the championship event.

“It is awesome to be able to do that,” Franks said. “Last year I was third in the average, so moving up one spot in the average is awesome. I’m going to be plugging for next year. I’m going to have to bump Jess out of that, but that’s going to be work.”

Franks isn’t afraid to work, and it’s why he’s been among the top five in the world standings each of his first two years in the PRCA.

Franks earns his 7th NFR check

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Cole Franks rides Girl Crush at the NFR Thursday. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Phil Doyle

By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – Through 18 rounds of the National Finals Rodeo, Cole Franks has been chomping at the bit in hopes of earning his first go-round victory.

He was within a whisker of it Thursday night, riding Bridwell Rodeo’s Girl Crush for 87 points to finish in a three-way tie for second place. Instead, Texan Leighton Berry took the round with an 88-point ride, but Franks came away with $17,410 for doing his part.

“I was getting pretty antsy toward the end,” Franks said as he watched the action; Berry was the third-to-last bareback rider to compete. “He rode good and had a really good horse. That’s part of the game. You can’t win everything. There are always better horses, better rides somewhere.”

Winning NFR go-rounds is tough business. Only the top 15 contestants in each event at the conclusion of the regular season advance to Las Vegas, and it’s difficult to beat all of them on a given night. For his part, Franks has ridden all of his horses and placed seven out of eight nights. He has pushed his NFR earnings to more than $80,000 and stands sixth in the world standings with just shy of $200,000.

“You just have to take them one at a time,” he said. “You keep nodding your head, keep getting on what you’re getting on that day and don’t worry about anything else.”

It’s working. He has scored 679 cumulative points on his eight rides and is in a tie with Californian R.C. Landingham for second in the aggregate race. They are 14 points behind the leader, Jess Pope, who travels the rodeo trail with Franks and Tim O’Connell. In fact, Pope and Landingham also scored 87 points to join Franks in the No. 2 position in the go-round.

“That horse is kind of a sleeper in that pen,” said Franks of Clarendon, Texas. “I was a little nervous going into this. Leighton Berry was helping me and said, ‘You know, this thing feels a lot better than people think.

“That horse feels really good. He is strong. He is all there, but he feels really good and is a lot of fun to get on.”

With two nights of the NFR left, his place in the aggregate race is valuable. If he were to finish alone in second place, it would be worth a bonus of $60,159 when Saturday’s 10th round comes to an end. Third place pays nearly $48,000.

“I’m still going for the round wins,” Franks said. “If that takes me out of the average, if I make a bobble, if I do get bucked off something, at least I know I was going for it.”

Franks finds the fun at NFR

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Cole Franks riding Powder River at the NFR in Vegas. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Phil Doyle

By Ted Harbin,  TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – He’s a bit soft-spoken, but Cole Franks has no problem hiding the joy he is experiencing during his second trip to the National Finals Rodeo.

He’s a bareback rider, and he makes a living riding bucking horses. This is the best chance he has to really cash in on his season, so he’s making the most of every opportunity. On Wednesday night, he rode Powder River Rodeo’s All Eyes on A & K for 84.5 points to finish fifth in the seventh round.

It marked the sixth time in seven nights that he’s earned a paycheck in the Nevada desert.

“It’s always fun,” said Franks, 21, of Clarendon, Texas. “If it wasn’t fun, I don’t think I’d be able to do it. I like having fun. I like challenges. It has been challenging, for sure, but it has been a blast being here. I love it.”

The NFR is 10 rounds of the best rodeo has to offer. Only the top 15 contestants in each event qualify, and the bareback riders select the top 100 horses to be part of the sport’s richest rodeo. All Eyes on A & K fits into that category.

“That’s just a really nice horse and has been nice all year,” Franks said. “I was pretty excited to have her.”

He should have been. By finishing fifth, he added $7,462 to his bankroll and pushed his NFR earnings to $63,319. He is eighth in the world with nearly $180,000 collected this season. He’s also in line to add more to his pocketbook. Franks is tied for third in the average race with 592 points on seven rides. If he stays in that position when Saturday’s final round ends, he will add more than $41,000.

All this happened after he got off to a rocky start. Bareback riders use a rigging that is supposed to be strapped tightly to the bronc’s chest. They wear specially made gloves that have binds in them, then put their hands into the handhold of the rigging to lock themselves onto the horse. If the equipment is set up right, then the rest is muscle memory.

“I didn’t really pull my rigging very good,” Franks said, indicating that it was a bit looser on his horse than it should have been. “We started pulling (the cinches) a little early. (Arena director) Tom (Neuens) started us a little early, and I didn’t think about finishing it off.

“I chased my rigging most of the time.”

It served as a lesson learned for the young bronc buster. He’s gained a lot of those over his first two years in ProRodeo. He’s earned a lot of money in a short time, but much of that came toward the bottom end of the round payouts. He’d love to win a round and earn almost $29,000, but he’ll wait it out and see what the future holds over the next three nights.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint,” he said. “Everything is moving up, and that’s the only way it’s going to hopefully go.”

Franks keeps adding NFR cash

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Cole Franks riding Yum Bugs Tuesday at the NFR. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Phil Doyle

By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – When nickels are mixed with dimes, they eventually add up to dollars.

That seems to be how Cole Franks is playing his game in Sin City this week during his second appearance at the National Finals Rodeo. He’s placed five out of six nights, so that’s good. He even finished in a tie for second in Round 4. That was his biggest paycheck of the week at $20,000.

Beyond that, he’s added just he’s earned just shy of $26,000, which is a significant payday for four days’ work. Alas, go-round winners earn more than that every night, so it’s sub-par in the eyes of the men who are competing at the biggest rodeo all year.

Besides Round 4, his biggest payday came in Tuesday’s sixth go-round, when he rode J Bar J Rodeo’s Yum Bugs for 87 points to finish fourth, worth $12,125.

“I’m happy with it,” said Franks, 21, of Clarendon, Texas. “I got on that horse in this round last year. That horse is awesome and so much fun to get on. I feel like I made a couple bobbles there at the end. It could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse. It was still fun either way.”

He sits ninth in the world standings with $172,284. He is also tied for fourth in the average race with 507.5 cumulative points on six rides. By placing in the aggregate at the end of the NFR, he would be able to add a significant bonus to his earnings.

Of course, having the right horses makes a big difference in how things go.

“The horses we had tonight were the kind that everybody wants to get on,” he said. “Anywhere you’d go, you’d want these by your name. There were a lot of thee horses that were out tonight that could be in the TV pen; they are just a step down from the TV pen.”

The animals are separated into five pens, and the bareback riders are the ones making the selections (in order of Round 1-5, the Rounds 6-10): souped-up hoppers, semi-eliminators, eliminators, hoppers and TV pen. That means the toughest-to-ride horses are featured in Rounds 3 and 8, and the flashiest horses are in Round 5 and 10, designated TV pen in a look back to when the NFR was only broadcast during the final round of the 10-round championship.

“These horses that were out tonight were versatile,” Franks said. “If you put them in anybody’s pen, you’d be able to win most of the time.

“Things started out slow for what I was hoping for, but it is still good. I’m ready for it to pick up more. I’m trying to set the bar higher and keeping going for the round every time. If it don’t happen, then it don’t happen, but I’m going to be swinging for it.”

Lady Broncos win fourth Miami Tournament

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Lady Broncos named Miami Tournament Champions last weekend. Courtesy Photo /Al Elam

The Lady Broncos converted 21 three-point shots in four games to win the Miami Basketball Tournament for the fourth year in a row.

Senior outside player Finley Cunningham hit 13 of those 21 shots to lead the way to the win. The Lady Broncos defeated West Texas High by 40 points to bring home the trophy.

The McLean Lady Tigers stayed with 10 points of the Lady Broncos, which was the closest of all four teams. Clarendon played them on Thursday and won 43-33. The first half of play ended with the Lady Broncos holding only a one-point advantage. However; the ladies picked up the pace in the second half of the game. Cunningham hit five three-pointers and one two-point shot to finish with 27. Fellow senior Baylee Gabel finished with seven.

“We played excellent defense and Fin (Cunningham) was on fire was on fire several games giving us an edge over all the competition,” head coach Korey Conkin said.

The Sanford-Fritch and Wildorado games were lopsided in the Lady Broncos’ favor as they won big at 50-22 and 60-19. Freshman Kenidee Hayes led the way with 10 and Courtlyn Conkin added nine in the SF game. They went only six of thirteen from the bonus line and was the only game that no three-pointers were posted. Cunningham was the lead scorer in the Wildorado game with five more three-pointers and 19 total points and Conkin added 11 to the point total.

The championship game with WT was just another day in the gym for the Lady Broncos as they earned the 53-15 win. The ladies were able to execute their offense while staying solid on defense to go up 23-2 at the half time break. WT could do little to stop the Lady Broncos as they 10 different players put points on the board. Cunningham led the way with 11, Gracie Smith had nine, Hayes put in seven, and Berkley Moore had six. Conkin had five, Hayden Elam and Kennedie Cummins put in four each, Gabel finished with three, and Tandie Cummins and Madi Benson had two each.

Earlier in the week the ladies traveled to Groom and won 49-31. The Lady Broncos jumped out to the early advantage and was able to contain the Lady Tigers with solid defense.

Cunningham ended with 12 and Gabel had 10. Elam put in nine and Makenna Shadle had eight. Smith the game with six and Hayes had two.

The Lady Broncos will play in the Childress Tournament December 8-10 and play Nazareth at home on December 13.

Six Hedley Owls named first team All-District

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Six Hedley Owls have been named to the first team District 1-A All-District for football.

Senior Cody Bond made the offensive and defensive teams at tight end and cornerback, and junior Saul Carreon also made both teams at spread center and nose guard. Senior Iziak Weatherread was also on both teams at running back and defensive lineman.

Also on the offensive team were junior Braden Bond at wide receiver, junior full back Nick Clark, and senior Kyler Booth at kicker.

Owls, Lady Owls beat Chillicothe

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The Hedley Owls and Lady Owls defeated Chillicothe at home last week.

Isaiah Torres tries to dribble past an Eagle defender at home last week. HHS YEARBOOK

The boys opened a 20-3 lead in the first quarter of their game and never looked back. The Owls were up 31-11 at the half, and a strong third quarter sealed the deal.

Chillicothe did manage to outscore the owls by three points in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Hedley’s lead. The Owls won, 55-24.

Iziak Weatherread led Hedley with 16 points. Other Owls scoring were Braden Bond 11, Josh Booth 10, Nick Clark 8, Javier Valles and Dakota Bond with three each, and Isaiah Torres and Kyler Booth with two each.

The Lady Owls secured a 33-25 victory over the Chillicothe girls after a hard-fought game.

Chillicothe led Hedley, 16-21, at the half, but the Lady Owls came back with eight unanswered points in the third quarter and had a good fourth quarter to win the game.

Savannah Trent goes up for two against the Eagles at home. HHS YEARBOOK

Madison Moore led the Hedley ladies with 11 points. Also scoring were Ashlee Holmes 9, Megan Weatherread 5, and Madison Torres and Taylee Ehlert with 4 each.

Casper snags small NFR check Sunday

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CC alumnus Wyatt Casper rides Miss Ellie during NFR in Vegas Sunday. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Phil Doyle

By Ted Harbin, TwistedRodeo

LAS VEGAS – Saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper is riding well, but his pocketbook isn’t showing it just yet. In four nights at the National Finals Rodeo, he has placed twice and collected just $3,886.
That’s less than stellar at ProRodeo’s grand finale, which pays go-round winners nearly $29,000 per night. In both instances, he finished in a tie for sixth place – it was a three-way tie during Round 2 and a two-way tie in Sunday’s fourth go-round.
The latter came after an 82-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s Miss Ellie, and Sunday’s round featured the eliminator pen of saddle broncs. Miss Ellie was the perfect fit in that category as one of the hardest-to-ride horses in ProRodeo.
“It seemed like the ride was pretty decent,” said Casper of Miami, Texas. “It seemed like maybe I was a little behind, and she was kind of beating me up. The hardest thing about her is keeping your shoulders square. She really wants to work you into your right stirrup. It’s a little tougher on a right-handed guy than it is a left-handed guy, but it worked out and we’re happy.”
In comparing his earnings, the money he’s made in Las Vegas doesn’t quite add up. If he were to finish sixth by himself, it’s worth $4,664, but every dollar counts, especially at the NFR.
“It’s nice to sneak out of that round with a qualified score,” he said about getting on the rank bucking horses, which tossed four cowboys to the ground; those that did ride weren’t posting high-marked rides. “It keeps you in the average for that big bonus check in the end, and it’s nice to get a little round money out of it, too.”
Out of the 15 bronc riders in the mix, Casper is one of just 10 that have ridden all four broncs so far. He sits eighth in the average, with a four-ride aggregate score of 326.5 points. If he were to hold that position through Saturday night’s final round, he would earn a $7,000 bonus.
The objective, though, is to win a world championship, if possible, but he’d need some big things to happen. He trails the world standings leader, Montanan Sage Newman, by more than $170,000. That’s where the bonus comes in handy. The average champion will pocket more than $74,000. With high-paying go-rounds, Casper still has a big chance in the final six nights of the 2022 season.
“The goal when you come here is to ride 10 horses the best you can,” Casper said. “I feel like I’ve done that. Hopefully I’ll start drawing the top of the pen and we’ll start winning some go-round checks.”
The random draw that matches a cowboy with his animal is an important factor. Half the score on a 100-point scale is on how well the animal bucks. The rest is up to the contestant.
“At the end of the day, horses are horses,” he said. “To every pen, it is the National Finals, but you still are going to have a top end of that pen, which is a horse that is really going to show and you can really show out. It all has to come together and work for you.”

Franks rolls back into NFR money

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Cole Franks rides Free Shipping at the NFR last weekend. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Phil Doyle

By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – The bareback riders at the National Finals Rodeo went from one extreme to another in 24 hours.

It’s just part of the Las Vegas experience, for most visitors, but these men are in town on a business venture. They tried their hands at the hardest-to-ride broncs in the sport Saturday night, then turned around and had the easiest buckers Sunday. That makes everything even and allows the winners to be the cowboys that show off their spur rides the best.

“You’ve really got to try to flash everything up and expose yourself in this pen,” said Cole Franks, who rode Outlawbuckers Rodeo’s Free Shipping for 87 points to finish in a tie for second place in the fourth round. “You’ve got to let go and let it all hang out more than you would on (Saturday) night’s pen or (Monday’s) pen.

“I’d seen that horse maybe once or twice, but I went and watched videos on him last night and was pretty excited about it. That horse is awesome.”

Franks also made Free Shipping look good and added $20,053 too his earnings. He has collected $37,670 in four nights in Las Vegas and pushed his season earnings to more than $154,000.

Of course, it was a much different feeling around the bareback riders locker room from Round 3 to Round 4.

“It is a lot more energetic,” said Franks, 21, of Clarendon, Texas. “It’s a lot more fun. Everyone’s chit-chatting, everyone is laughing and everyone is cracking jokes. (Saturday) night was very tense. Everyone was kind of quiet.

“For the ones we got on (Saturday), you have to almost crave that kind of horse. The ones we had tonight are the ones you want at your house to get on every day.”

Casper gains momentum Friday at NFR

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By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – Wyatt Casper’s first saddle bronc ride of the 2022 National Finals Rodeo wasn’t significant to most.
He scored 83.5 points on Rosser Rodeo’s California Dreamin and finished 10th in the opening round of this year’s championship. There was no money, and his place in the world standings didn’t really change.
Still, it was an ignition switch for Casper, now competing at the NFR for the third straight season.
“After being off for three months and not being able to rodeo, to be able to come out here and stick my first one was a lot of weight lifted off my shoulders,” said Casper, 26, of Miami, Texas. “I was pretty confident after (Thursday’s) ride.”
It showed on a rank horse during Friday’s second round. He posted an 82-point ride on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Foul Motion to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place, worth $1,555. It’s not the biggest payday, but it offered a boost of confidence for him to carry through the final eight nights of the ProRodeo season.
“Today didn’t feel really well,” he said of his ride on Foul Motion, one of the harder-to-ride broncs in the second round. “It felt like my (saddle’s) cantle kept hitting me in the butt, and I wasn’t able to set my feet. It was a little fouling through there or something. The Beutlers are known to have some bucking suckers that don’t feel real well. If you stick it to them, you’re going to be some points.”
Casper suffered a pulled hamstring in July and tried to battle through it. The muscle finally gave way the first of August, and he spent the final two months of the regular season on injured reserve. He went more than 60 days without getting on any bucking horses, but in the weeks leading up to the NFR, he got on some broncs to dust the rust off and test out his leg.
“I got on nine horses, but I knew after the first two that it was good and we’re ready to roll,” said Casper, who won the intercollegiate national title in 2016 while competing for Clarendon (Texas) College. “I wish I’d have been able to come back a little sooner and maybe went to some rodeos and got on some more horses.
“It is what it is, and those are the cards we were dealt.”
While his financial return wasn’t what he had hoped for on Night 2, the dollars are vital. Most importantly, he has something on which to build through ProRodeo’s grand finale.
“Money’s money, and that’s a good thing,” Casper said. “Any time you can get another one down, get a little money and stay in that average race, you’re good.”

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