Othello rides again: 71st annual Othello PRCA Rodeo returns as a success

OTHELLO — The Othello Rodeo Association wrapped up the weekend’s festivities Saturday night with the second night of the 71st Othello Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Rodeo.

Despite the cooler temperatures rolling in, fans filled the Othello arena with cheers all night, as cowboys and cowgirls competed. The night began with the annual Wild Cow ride, proving true to its name, as cows caused chaos for all the rider groups doing their best to saddle up the wild cows in the allotted time.

Ky Hamilton capped off the evening as the lone bull rider competing. Hamilton’s score of 88 was enough to win him first place and the $1,355 purse. Brady Portenier finished second, with Roscoe Jarboe in third.

Ty Breuer took first place in bareback riding, with a score of 83, followed by Bodee Lammers in second place and Keenan Hayes in third. Ryder Wright claimed the top spot in Saddle Bronc riding by a half point, with a score of 84.5, followed by Tate Owens in second, with a score of 84 and Kade Bruno in third at 83 points.

Tony Martinez narrowly claimed first place in steer wrestling with a time of seven seconds, followed closely by Shane Bullock, with a time of 7.1. Ty Sherman finished third at 7.6 seconds. Dustin Egusquiza and Travis Graves took the top spot in team roping, with a final time of 5.3 seconds, followed in second place by Jeff Flenniken and Russell Cardova.

Chase Joyce took first place in tie-down roping, with a time of 11.3 seconds, followed closely by Tele Seeman finishing at 11.5 and Ryan Jarrett at 11.9.

J.J. Harrison provided comic relief for the crowd as the barrel man Friday and Saturday night in his eleventh year coming to the Adams County Fairgrounds. Harrison said this rodeo stands out for the small town feel every rodeo strives to have.

“I love the concrete grandstands; you can hear when the crowd makes a noise; it bounces right off that concrete right out into the arena,” Harrison said.

He said it was a fun, responsive crowd, which is a good sign of a strong community. He said the Othello Fair, which coincides with the rodeo, is “absolutely amazing” and a wonderful place to visit every time he comes to town.

“You want a little piece of Americana, there’s one place to go and that’s Othello,” Harrison said.

He said crowds were massive this summer, referring to them as “COVID crowds” as people looked to get back to what they missed out on last year. He said the past year allowed everyone to reflect on what’s important in their own lives and what they really cherish.

2020-21 Miss Rodeo Othello Brianna Kin Kade made her final ride around the Othello arena Saturday night as royalty before passing the torch to incoming Miss Rodeo Othello, Lexi Hagins.

After her coronation and making her first trip around the Othello Rodeo arena, Hagins talked about having to wait a year to try for the title of Miss Rodeo Othello, after losing to Kin Kade two years ago.

“It just made me really work hard, work more on my horsemanship, my speeches and my interviews,” she said.

She said she’s excited to hit the rodeo circuit next summer and hopes to add a lot more venues to the list.

“I want to get our name out there and put it out there so more people come to the rodeo here and support it,” Hagins said.

2020 PRCA Dress Act of the Year Rider Kiesner and Bethany Iles wowed the crowd on Saturday night. Kiesner is a former World Champion Trick Roper, two-time World Champion Gun Spinner and two-time World Champion All Around Western Performer. Iles is a professional trick rider, performing defying stunts on horseback, and has been working alongside her partner, Kiesner, the past two years.

Kiesner said he’s been working with the PRCA since 2003 and did more than 150 performances in 2019 alone. He joked Bethany is the one who won the pair Dress Act of the Year, after he failed to win being nominated years prior.

Iles said it’s been great getting back into the swing of things this summer and had a wonderful time entertaining crowds in Othello.

“It was cold tonight and they were super excited; they showed up and they were really into it, so it was fun to perform for them,” Iles said.