2020 Wrangler NFR in Review By Terry Blake
In a year such as 2020, there were so many things that were not as they should be when the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo rolled into town. For starters, it was in Arlington, Texas and not its usual home – the Thomas & Mack Center - on the UNLV campus in Las Vegas. There were only a limited number of fans who were allowed to purchase tickets to watch the Super Bowl of rodeo in person and they would be appropriately spaced throughout the arena. The cowboys and cowgirls who earned their spot in the top 15 of the World Standings and the opportunity to compete did so in a season which had been severely limited due to the effects of the Covid-19 virus. However, there were some things, especially in the bull riding, that were as they should be; or at least as they have been for the past six years. Sage Kimzey was still the top ranked bull rider in the PRCA and had his sights set on a seventh consecutive title as the World Champion Bull Rider. As the action began with Round 1 on Thursday night, December 3, Stetson Wright made a statement and made sure everyone knew that he was not about to concede another gold buckle to the reigning World Champ, not without a fight, at least. Wright jumped out and won the first two rounds in very convincing fashion. In the first round, Wright was coupled with the bull Silver Lining (Stockyards Pro Rodeo) and the duo put up a score of 90.5 points. In Round 2, the Milford, Utah cowboy again came out on top with 88.5 ride on Axel (Powder River Rodeo).
The other bull riders were not going to sit back and watch Kimzey and Wright battle it out for the gold buckle. Colten Fritzlan, an NFR Rookie, won the third round with 89 points on Angel’s Landing (Bar T Rodeo). Fritzlan placed in six rounds and won the NFR Average with the highest aggregate score, 605 points on seven bulls. Rounds 4 and 5 saw another bull rider climb his way to the top. Ty Wallace won the fourth round with 89.5 points on Lipps (Hi Lo ProRodeo) and then the fifth round with a 91.5 ride on Freddy Fender (Rafter G Rodeo). Although Wallace began his professional career in 2012 and has had some success in the past. He qualified for the NFR in 2014, 2015 and again in 2017, but the last NFR round win for him came back in 2015. It had to be a relief to get that monkey off his back and pick up another buckle for the go-round win. Dustin Boquet, a promising young bull rider who was competing in his second NFR, had a rough ten days. He was only able to make the whistle on two out of the ten bulls. The first ride was marked for 89.5 points and enough to win first place and a check for over $26,000. Boquet also got a check for sixth place in Round 9 but came down just shy of the 8 second mark in the tenth round at 7.29 seconds. Stetson Wright was back on top in Round 7, and not just in the bull riding. Wright won the bull riding and the saddle bronc riding, as well. There was a debate, which may not have been settled for
Humps-Horns.com · 19 · January 2021
