NFR looks like old hat to newcomer Davis

LAS VEGAS – Jess Davis won the bareback in only his second National Finals Rodeo round Friday night, scoring 86 points on Painted Smile.

The 25-year-old Davis, from Payson, Utah, moved into second place in the NFR aggregate standings behind first-round winner Wes Stevenson of Kaufman, Texas.

“It feels pretty darn good. I couldn’t ask for anything more,” Davis said. “I don’t know when it’s going to hit me, but I think I’m still in awe.”

Stevenson was second Friday night with an 80, and Ryan Gray of Cheney and Royce Ford of Briggsdale, Colo., tied for third with 78s.

Dan Mortensen of Billings, Mont., won the saddle bronc with an 87.5 on Knight Rocket. Bradley Harter of Weatherford, Texas, was second with an 84, and defending world champ Jeff Willert of Belvidere, S.D., followed with an 83.

In bull riding, Zeb Lanham of Sweet, Idaho, won with a 94.5 on Smokeless War Dance. B.J. Schumacher of Hillsboro, Wis., followed with a 93.5, and Fred Boettcher of Rice Lake, Wis., had a 92.5.

In steer wrestling, Shawn Greenfield of Lakeview, Ore., won in 3.7 seconds. Lee Graves of Canada and Wade Sumpter of Fowler, Colo., followed with 4.1s

In team roping, Chad Masters of Clarksville, Tenn., and Allen Bach of Weatherford, Texas, won with a 4.5-second run. Garrett Tonozzi of Fruita, Colo., and Brady Minor of Ellensburg followed in 4.9, and Trevor Brazile of Decatur, Texas, and Rich Skelton of Llano, Texas, were third in 5.8.

In tie-down roping, Cody Ohl of Hico, Texas, won with a 7.2-second run. Hunter Herrin of Apache, Okla., was second in 7.6, Joe Beaver of Huntsville, Texas, finished third in 8.1.

Kelly Maben of Spur, Texas, won the barrel racing with a time of 13.72 seconds.

Shelly Anzick of Livingston, Mont., was second in 13.95, and Tammy Key of Ledbetter, Texas, was third in 13.99.

In all-around, Trevor Brazile of Decatur, Texas, continues to lead by over $100,000 in total winnings. Brazile has earned $266,095.