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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Gray, Durfey finish second on second day of National Finals Rodeo

Ryan Gray scores 86 points aboard Grass Dancer to place in the second round of the bareback riding.

After a good start at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, local cowboys Ryan Gray and Tyson Durfey had a better second day on Friday – both placed second in the second round.

 Gray, a bareback rider from Cheney who now lives in Texas, scored an 86 on Grass Dancer to earn more than $14,000. However, leader Kaycee Feild won again with an 87.5 ride on Molly. Feilds, who is $67,000 ahead of Gray in the standings, leads the average with 176.5 with Gray third at 170. Feild has earned $176,429 to widen his lead over second-place Will Lowe of Canyon, Texas. Lowe failed to earn a check for his second straight round, leaving him at $137,634.

 Durfey, a tie-down roper living in Colbert, had a run of 7.6 seconds, also good for that $14,000 payday, but again the first-day winner came through. Cody Ohl had a time of 7.1 and leads the average at 14.6. Durfey is second at 15.5.  Durfey’s season earnings are up to almost $98,000, putting him about $50,000 behind season leader Tuf Cooper, who is sitting fourth in the average.

 Grand Coulee bull rider Shane Proctor was only fourth in the second round but he is the only rider to cover both his bulls. His second round 83 on Slim’s Ghost gives him a two-day total of 167.5 and he now has $190,508. Three-time reigning world champion J.W. Harris has yet to ride and has fallen more than $50,000 behind Proctor.

In team roping, Clay Tryan of Billings, Mont., and Travis Graves of Jay, Okla., stayed in first place in the world standings after finishing sixth at 11.6. Ellensburg brothers Brady and Riley Minor have yet to record a time.

Luke Branquinho moved into first place in the steer wrestling world standings with a second-place finish. Trevor Knowles of Mount Vernon, Ore., who tied Jason Miller of Lance Creek, Wyo., for first in the opening round, won in 3.3 seconds. Branquinho, from Los Alamos, Calif., followed in 3.4 to push his season earnings total to $110,261. Knowles is second with $107,139, and Miller third with $105,773.

In barrel racing, world standings leader Brittany Pozzi of Victoria, Texas, and second-place Lindsay Sears of Nanton, Alberta, didn’t place among the top six in the second round, but Pozzi stayed in first with $131,282, while Sears remained second with $121,316. Lisa Lockhart of Oelrichs, S.D., won the round with a 13.95 run.

In saddle bronc, standings leader Taos Muncy of Corona, N.M., stayed in first at $155,443, while Cody Wright of Milford, Utah, remained second with $152,556.

Chuck Schmidt of Keldron, S.D., won with an 87.5 on Son of Sadie.