Bulls do some showing off on final night of PBR Classic

When it comes to cowboys, a bucking bull is a great leveler.

Once again Saturday night, the bulls leveled more than a few.

Saturday’s finale of the General Store/Wrangler PBR Classic at the Spokane Arena featured some of the very best riders in the sport of Professional Bull Riding.

One of the very best, Adam Carillo, from Dublin Tex., an 11-time PBR world finalist, did not last the required 8 seconds on a bull named Sports Jacket. Cord McCoy, a veteran of both the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas and the PBR world finals from Tupelo, Okla., did likewise on Fire Water.

Myron Duarte, 37, an eight-time world finalist from Hawaii who now lives in Auburn, Wash., scored an 84 1/2 on Joe Hopper, a NFR finalist bull, to reach the short go-round, but failed to score on a bull named Yellow Jacket.

Even the leader going into the final round was thrown.

Francisco Morales, from Stephenville, Tex., posted an 86 to earn the top spot in the short go-around, but the Grand Coulee-bred bull named Dr. Proctor got the better of the meeting.

Instead, the night belonged to a pair of youngsters in the sport.

Colby Reilly, a 19-year-old from Stratford, Wash., scored an 81 1/2 and qualified 10th into the 10-rider short go-around. For his final ride, he drew Scream, a bull he’d seen several times last summer.

“I knew Scream and I knew Spotted Jacket and I was hoping to draw one of them,” he said. “I got a good ride.”

Reilly scored an 88 1/2 to open the final round, the highest score in the two-night Classic.

But it didn’t last long.

Dusty Higgins, 23, from Midland, Tex., stepped aboard Fire Bird in the finals and added a 90 1/2 to win top prize money of more than $4,000.

“I’d never seen that bull before,” Higgins said. “I talked to a couple guys about what he did (Friday) night, but you can’t really rely on something like that. The bull might not come out and do the same thing two nights in a row. I just tried real hard and got a good ride.

“The adrenalin rush doesn’t go away for a while after a ride like that.”

Higgins said he wants to spend more time on the PBR circuit.

“Between school and everything I haven’t been able to ride full time,” Higgins said. “I’m hoping to ride a lot more this year.”

Thirteen of the 33 cowboys entered Saturday night posted a score.

Bull riders pay an entry fee, which is divided up evenly between everyone with a successful ride. Saturday, that came to just under $127. Prize money kicks in for the top scores.