Courtesy of the PRCA
Trey Benton III was in a sophomore slump in 2013 – until this weekend.
The 2012 PRCA Resistol Bull Riding Rookie of the Year, Benton took ProRodeo by storm last season, qualifying for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and finishing ninth in the world standings.
However, 2013 hadn’t been nearly as fruitful for the 21-year-old. That all changed with a huge weekend, including winning the California Rodeo Salinas, a Gold Tour stop on the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour, presented by Justin Boots.
Benton was flawless in his two trips. First, he rode for 88 points on Rafter G Rodeo Company’s Johnny Ramone for the first-round win. He followed that with an 89 in the July 21 final round aboard Corey & Lange Rodeo Company’s Wild Eyes to finish with 177 points on two head and win the first Gold Tour event of his career.
“That bull came out of the chute really wild and crazy and it ended up being a great ride,” Benton said of his final-round 89. “I’ve won a few big rodeos, but this is the biggest. I really couldn’t ask for a better weekend than I just had.”
Adding to his $9,070 windfall in Salinas was the $8,116 Benton earned for winning a round and finishing second in the average in Nampa, Idaho, just a night before.
He entered the week 37th in the bull riding standings with $20,643, but his haul of $17,186 in two days took him to the No. 18 spot in the world.
“I had barely won any money before Cowboy Christmas, and if I hadn’t picked up any good checks over the Fourth of July run I was probably going to stop rodeoing for the season and head home,” Benton said. “But I was able to win a bunch in Prescott and, now with this weekend, I think I’ll be able to stay out on the road for quite awhile.”
At the beginning of the season, Benton had to recover from a badly injured knee, which required surgery. He then had his head smashed by a bull in Fort Worth, which required facial reconstruction surgery due to some fractures.
To say his perseverance has paid off is a huge understatement.
“The beginning of the year was miserable; I couldn’t stay on anything and I kept getting hurt,” Benton said. “But I knew I could come back and win again, and I never stopped believing in myself.”
Other winners at the rodeo were all-around cowboy Bobby Mote ($7,606 in bareback riding and team roping), bareback rider Ryan Gray (169 points on two head), steer wrestler Blake Knowles (21.4 seconds on three head), team ropers Cesar de la Cruz and Derrick Begay (42.8 seconds on five head), saddle bronc rider Jesse Wright (163 points on two head), tie-down roper Jake Hannum (31.5 seconds on three head) and barrel racer Brittany Pozzi (64.5 seconds on four runs).
For Gray it was his fourth win in Salinas, one shy of the record held by John Hawkins (1954, 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1968) and tied with J.C. Trujillo (1973-74, 1976 and 1978). Gray’s previous wins were in 2004-05 and 2009.
“My dad has one (of the champions’ buckles), my wife wears one and the other is on display (at home),” Gray told the The Californian. “I wear it every once in awhile. It’s a pretty special buckle. As you grow up as kids, it’s one you always want to win.”
Winners of this year’s Gold Card Roping were Hank Brown and Gary Ford.
Team Roping winners from Salinas as follows (see complete results at prorodeo.com)
Team roping: First round: 1. Spencer Mitchell/Dakota Kirchenschlager, 6.7 seconds, $2,128 each; 2. (tie) Clay Tryan/Jade Corkill and Doyle Hoskins/Mark Scobie, 7.0, $1,712 each; 4. (tie) Brandon Beers/Jim Ross Cooper and Eric Cozzitorto/Jordan Wright, 7.6, $1,157 each; 6. J.B. James Jr./Josh Fillmore, 7.7, $740; 7. (tie) Brady Tryan/Cody Doescher, Coleman Proctor/Matt Kasner, Matt Sherwood/Tommy Zuniga and Turtle Powell/Dugan Kelly, 7.8, $162 each. Second round: 1. Wes Goodrich/Tristen Luther, 7.5 seconds, $2,128 each; 2. Clint White/Brent Lockett, 7.7, $1,851; 3. Garrett Tonozzi/York Gill, 7.9, $1,573; 4. Derrick Begay/Cesar de la Cruz, 8.0, $1,296; 5. (tie) Riley Minor/Brady Minor and Wade Wheatley/Todd Hampton, 8.2, $879 each; 7. (tie) Blaine Vick/Chad Williams and Coleman Proctor/Matt Kasner, 8.4, $324 each. Third round: 1. Tate Kirchenschlager/Will Woodfin, 6.7 seconds, $2,128 each; 2. Levi Grantham/Dennis Watkins, 7.2, $1,851; 3. (tie) Danny Leslie/Jared Hixon and Erich Rogers/Cory Petska, 7.3, $1,434 each; 5. Charly Crawford/Ryan Motes, 7.4, $1,018; 6. (tie) Doyle Hoskins/Mark Scobie and Blake Hirdes/Cord Forzano, 7.7, $601 each; 8. Travis Tryan/Jake Long, 8.0, $185. Fourth round: 1. Brock Hanson/Kory Koontz, 7.8 seconds, $2,128 each; 2. (tie) Erich Rogers/Cory Petska and Coleman Proctor/Matt Kasner, 7.9, $1,712 each; 4. (tie) Riley Minor/Brady Minor and Matt Sherwood/Tommy Zuniga, 8.0, $1,157 each; 6. Aaron Tsinigine/Victor Begay, 8.1, $740; 7. Brooks Dahozy/Brandon Bates, 8.2, $463; 8. (tie) Marcus Battaglia/Jordan Ketscher and Bobby Boyd/Shain Sproul, 8.3, $93 each. Finals: 1. Derrick Begay/Cesar de la Cruz, 7.7 seconds, $1,465 each; 2. Keven Daniel/Chase Tryan, 7.8, $1,212; 3. Clayton Hass/Justin Copp, 8.3, $960; 4. Spencer Mitchell/Dakota Kirchenschlager, 8.4, $707; 5. Paul Mullins/Clayton Grant, 8.6, $455; 6. Marcus Battaglia/Jordan Ketscher, 8.8, $253. Average: 1. Derrick Begay/Cesar de la Cruz, 42.8 seconds on five head, $6,385 each; 2. Spencer Mitchell/Dakota Kirchenschlager, 43.3, $5,552; 3. David Key/Bucky Campbell, 46.2, $4,719; 4. Coleman Proctor/Matt Kasner, 46.5, $3,887; 5. Luke Brown/Kollin VonAhn, 47.1, $3,054; 6. Marcus Battaglia/Jordan Ketscher, 48.3, $2,221; 7. (tie) Clayton Hass/Justin Copp and Keven Daniel/Chase Tryan, 48.6, $972 each.
