Thursday, October 01, 2015

PRCA: Eight cowboys make WNFR cut in last weekend

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. >> Pressure was a good friend to a handful of PRCA cowboys during the final week (Sept. 21-27) of the 2015 regular season. Tie-down roper Shane Hanchey, steer wrestler Blake Knowles, bull riders Reid Barker and Kody DeShon, team roping brothers Riley Minor and Brady Minor and saddle bronc rider Tyrel Larsen all came through in the clutch to jump into the top 15 in the standings and punch their tickets to the prestigious Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Dec. 3-12 in Las Vegas. Steer roper J. Tom Fisher joined his brother, Vin, in the field for the Nov. 6-7 Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping in Mulvane, Kan. “This is relieving to say the least,” said Hanchey, the 2013 world champion. “It was a stressful summer. I had only won like $1,000 until April, and it felt like the whole year I was trying to catch back up to everybody. I wasn’t in the top 15 all year until the last day of the season.” In the Sept. 21 Windham Weaponry High Performance PRCA World Standings, Hanchey was 19th, but he was able to move up to 15th thanks to winning $6,041 the final week. All of Hanchey’s winnings came at the Justin Boots Championships Sept. 25 in Omaha, Neb., when his 7.3-second run was good enough to split the first-round win with Trevor Brazile. He posted a 7.6 in the finals to finish second behind Cade Swor. “It was awesome,” Hanchey said. “I’ve been telling people all year that the great quarterbacks win in the fourth quarter and I believe that with the ropers, too. The great ropers win when it counts the most. I just kept telling myself I have to be there in (Vegas). My family didn’t believe I made the NFR until they saw the updated standings.” Hanchey is making his sixth trip to the WNFR, all in the last six years...more

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