An extreme night of champions

The best of the best came to Havre this past weekend as rodeo riders competed at the MSU-N PRCA Extreme Bares and Broncs Challenge at the Bigger Better Barn at the Great Northern Fairgrounds. Several former world champions competed on Friday and Saturday in bareback riding and saddle bronc riding. In the bareback riding competition, 2019 world champion Clayton Biglow and Cole Franks tied for first and in saddle bronc riding, Allen Boore took first place.

"We couldn't be more happy with the level of competition that was here and see those world champions and see the new up-and-comer stars of the PRCA right here in Havre," said MSU-N head coach Doug Kallenberger.

The MSU-N rodeo booster club put on the rodeo to raise funds for the MSU-N rodeo team. The funds from the rodeo will go toward paying for scholarships as well as travel and practice expenses for the rodeo program. Even though the final numbers have not been tallied, the funds raised at the rodeo exceeded Kallenberger's expectations.

"It exceeded what we thought it would be so we were super excited about that," Kallenberger said. "It's just really cool to see the Havre community and how much they come together and pull together to support our rodeo team."

Franks and Biglow tied for first in bareback riding with a score of 89 points which broke the event's record of 88 points set in 2019. With their first-place tie, both riders earned a payoff of $3,587 that went toward their professional standings. Kody Lamb almost made it a three-way tie at the top as he came in third with 88.5 points. With his finish, he earned $2,301.

Seth Hardwick, Ty Breur and Jess Pope tied for fourth place with 86 points to earn $1,308. Tanner Aus, Shane O'Connell, Caleb Bennett and Orin Larseon tied for seventh place with 85.5 points to earn $237 each.

Defending bareback world champion Kaycee Field, three-time bareback world champion Tim O'Connell and Kyle Bloomquist scored 85 points each and Tyler Berghuis and Trevar McAllister scored 84 points. George Gillespie scored 82.5 points and R.C. Landingham and Auston Foss scored 82. Mike Solberg scored 81 while Tristan Hansen and Cooper Bennett scored 80.5.

Kash Wilson and Wyatt Bloom scored 78.5 points while Anthony Thomas and Garrett Shadbolt scored 77. Ben Kramer scored 76 and Gauge McBride scored 75. Taylor Broussard and Cavan Wrzesinski scored 74 points each and Trenton Montero scored 73.

In the saddle bronc riding competition, Boore took first with 87 points to earn $4,343. Kole Ashbacher and Logan Cook tied for second place with 85 points to earn $2,895 each. Tegan Smith came in fourth place with 84.5 points to earn $1,592. 2018 world champion Wade Sundell, Mitch Pollock, Wyatt Casper and Lefty Holman tied for fifth with 84 points to earn $688 each.

While several riders did not place to earn money, they still scored points on the day. Joe Harper and Sterling Crawley scored 83 points. Chet Johnson, Jake Burwash and Ty Manke scored 80 points. Cash Wilson scored 79 points while Travis Nelson and Jake Watson both scored 78 points. Riggin Smith scored 77 points and Dusty Hausauer and Parker Kempfer scored 76 points each.

Rhett Fanning scored 75 points and Jake Foster scored 72 points. Colt Gordn scored 71.5 points and Ben Anderson scored 70. Jack Bent scored 69, Keenan Reinhardt scored 68, Parker Fleet scored 66 and Treyson Antonick scored 63.

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association sanctioned this rodeo so the earnings the cowboys made from their performance here went toward their overall world standings that will help them qualify for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December. Even though the national finals are at the end of the year, Kallenberger believes a high finish at the Extreme Bares and Broncs Challenge may make a difference in the long run for these cowboys.

"All of this money counts towards their world standings so that might make or break some of these guys and we're a part of that, so that was really neat," Kallenberger said.