Local ropers come out on top

Pawhuska steer ropers lassoed the top two spots in the 25th-annual Shoat Webster Classic held Sunday at Bar K Arena.

Chet Herren won the A division average and also recorded the fastest tie of the day — in 11.1 seconds. Fellow Pawhuskan Dee Kyler finished second in the average. Both the local ropers placed in two of the three rounds.

Rocky Patterson of Pratt, Kan., was leading the A division before he failed to record a time on his final steer of the day. The late miss by Patterson reversed the result of Saturday’s Ben Johnson Memorial Steer Roping — when it was Herren who was holding the figurative hammer, but failed to deliver on his last attempt.

In the Webster Classic’s B division, Sunday’s winner was Tyler Hargrave of Canyon, Texas. Hargrave took two of the three rounds to edge the OSRC’s defending B-level champion, Bobby Brock of Cushing.

Rookie roper Tuff Hardemann of Atoka took two of three rounds to claim the C division title over Daniel Fudge of Skiatook.

This year’s Shoat Webster event drew 57 total entries, according to Bar K’s Melanie Kyler. The Classic draw included 17 A-class ropers, as well as 21 for the B division and 19 at the C level, the OSRC secretary-treasurer said.

The next Osage Steer Roping Club competition will be the Jack Lucas Memorial on July 9-10.

In the Preofessional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s 101 Wild West Rodeo held June 9-11 at Ponca City, Herren picked up more than $2,500 by winning the first round with a time of 10.2 seconds and finishing first in the average (21.7 seconds on two head). J.R. Magdeburg of Roland won the second go-round with a 10.5-second time. (Herren was fourth in the second go.) Marty Jones of Hobbs, N.M., placed second in the average (23.4 seconds), followed by Roger Branch of Perkins (24.5) in third and World Standings leader J. Tom Fisher of Andrews, Texas, (25.9) in fourth.

Earlier in the month at the PRCA rodeo in Hugo, Thomas Smith of Barnsdall won the average by roping two head in 21.9 seconds. Lawson Plemons of Axtell, Texas, took the first go in a rapid 8.9 seconds, with Skiatook’s Ralph Williams getting second (9.8 seconds), Sallisaw’s J.P. Wickett third and Smith fourth. The second round went to Brodie Poppino of Big Cabin (10.8 seconds), while Smith and Pawhuska’s Shorty Garten tied for second (both with 11.4-second times). Wickett (22.8) finished second for the average, while Jess Tierney of Hermosa, S.D., took third (22.9) and Williams got fourth.