Wade Sundell takes season saddle bronc lead at NFR

LAS VEGAS – Wade Sundell took the lead in the saddle bronc season standings with a second-place ride Friday night in the second round of the National Finals Rodeo.

Sundell, from Coleman, Oklahoma, scored 82.5 points on Tip Off after winning the opening round. He leads the standings with $151,641 and tops all NFR competitors with $56,962.

Cody DeMoss of Heflin, Louisiana, was second with $141,666. He was fifth with a 75 on Nod Big with Four Aces. NFR rookie CoBurn Bradshaw of Beaver, Utah, won the round with an 83 on Curly Bill.

In steer wrestling, Hunter Cure of Holliday, Texas, took the season lead, tying for first with five-time champion Luke Branquinho of Los Alamos, California, in 3.5 seconds. Branquinho has won a record 23 NFR steer wrestling rounds.

Cure has earned $125,874. Ty Erickson of Helena, Montana, was second with $122,203, and Branquinho jumped from eighth to third with $109,672.

“Both Luke and I needed to make some adjustments on our start to get our horses to get us to a steer a little bit faster tonight,” Cure said. “And I feel like he and I were able to do that.”

In bull riding, Clayton Foltyn of Winnie, Texas, was the lone rider to cover his bull, scoring a 76.5 on Thunderstruck and winning all of the money for the event, $84,615.

Defending champion Sage Kimzey of Strong City, Oklahoma leads with $184,601. Parker Breding of Edgar, Montana, was second with $158,477.

In team roping, header Derrick Begay of Seba Dalkai, Arizona, and heeler Clay O’Brien Cooper of Gardnerville, Nevada, won the round with a 3.9. They are each second in the standings with $131,099 for Begay and $132,219 for Cooper.

Ellensburg’s Riley and Brady Minor just missed placing.

This is the 29th NFR for Cooper, who is competing without longtime heeler Jake Barnes, who suffered a severe head injury and broken leg when his horse fell on him while preparing for the NFR.

“This one’s for Jake.” Cooper said. “It’s a bummer that he had an accident. Jake’s in all of our hearts anyway, because of the kind of person he is and the career that he’s had. Jake’s going to be OK. It could have been worse, and he’ll bounce back.”

The defending champion team of header Clay Tryan of Billings, Montana, and heeler Jade Corkill, of Fallon, Nevada, didn’t record a time the round, but hold the lead with $151,497 each.

In bareback, Steven Peebles of Redmond, Oregon, won the round with an 84.5 on Beaver Fever. He entered the NFR in 14th place and has jumped to third with $125,729. Four-time world champion Kaycee Feild of Spanish Fork, Utah, was second with an 83 on Rylee Raisin Cain and leads the standings with $158,290.

In tie-down roping, Marty Yates of Stephenville, Texas, and Hunter Herrin of Apache, Oklahoma, moved closer to first in the world standings by tying for first at 7.5. Yates is third in the standings with $132,762, and Herrin fifth with $127,293. Defending three-time champion Tuf Cooper of Decatur, Texas, leads with $140,803.

Former Colbert resident Tyson Durfey did not place.

In barrel racing, Lisa Lockhart of Oelrichs, South Dakota, took over the lead from Callie DuPerier of Boerne, Texas, by finishing fourth in 13.99. Lockhart has earned $193,251. Michele McLeod of Whitesboro, Texas, won the round in 13.89.

In all-around, Trevor Brazile of Decatur, Texas, leads with $328,473 in earnings in steer roping, tie-down roping and team roping. Tuf Cooper is second with $150,687 in steer and tie-down roping.