Reeves in Position for San Angelo Title

SAN ANGELO, TX — As a child growing up in Texas, Matt Reeves recalls the days of traveling to the stock shows around his home state.

For the last 17 years, he’s returned to his old haunts to compete in ProRodeo, and he’s done pretty well at it. In fact, he’s still finding success in these historic events and proved as much this weekend at the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo.

“I’ve had a lot more success rodeoing at all these events than I did stock showing,” said Reeves, who posted two runs in a cumulative time of 8.7 seconds to take the overall steer wrestling lead. “I’ve never won Angelo; that’d be a cool thing to win.”

He was solid during his first round, posting a 4.8-second run to give himself a chance. On Sunday afternoon, he posted a 3.9-second run to share the second-round lead with Cameron Morman. Now, he will return to Foster Communications Coliseum to compete in the championship round, set for Friday, Feb. 14.

He credits a great deal of his success to his horses, Roy and Rattle; both have been instrumental in some of his seven National Finals Rodeo qualifications. Rattle, an 8-year-old bay mare, did much of the heavy lifting last year and was named the PRCA AQHA Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year. She then guided Reeves to the 2019 NFR average championship; he earned $103,641 in Las Vegas last December and finished the year with $183,181, good enough for sixth place in the world standings.

“Rattle’s actually been 3.9 twice in the second round in Angelo,” said Reeves, 41, of Cross Plains, Texas, just 100 miles northeast of San Angelo. “Cameron rode her last weekend, so the mare’s splitting first.”

There’s something special about that horse, and Reeves is reaping the benefits of it. In addition to doing well in west Texas, he also placed in Denver and Fort Worth, Texas.

“That mare’s just different,” he said. “It’s easier than it was. Roy is unreal. He’s just longer-strided, a little straighter. He’s a great horse, but she’s just better. At my age, I think this horse is just stretching out the career a little bit more.”

He’s had a pretty stellar career. He’s done well in San Angelo before, but he’s hoping this is the year he gets that breakthrough he wants.

“Angelo has a small arena, but it’s a packed house, and it doesn’t matter when you’re there,” Reeves said. “The crowd knows rodeo. It’s like Fort Worth was at the old arena. They’ve got a lot of people that watch slack. It’s a neat rodeo.

“Rodeo is still their sport here, and it’s a big deal to them. When you come to Angelo, you still feel that rodeo is the No 1 sport in America.”

Here are the standings at the 2020 San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo as of the end of the performance on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020:

Bareback riding leaders: 1. Kody Lamb, 88 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Hometown Girl; 2. Leighton Berry, 87.5; 3. Austin Foss, 87; 4. Tim O’Connell, 86; 5. (tie) Richmond Champion and Taylor Broussard, 85; 7. (tie) Tilden Hooper and Chad Rutherford, 84; 9. (tie) Bill Tutor and Cauy Pool, 83.5; 11. Spur Lacasse, 82s.

Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Ty Erickson, 3.8 seconds; 2. Taz Olson, 3.9; 3. Stockton Graves, 4.1; 4. (tie) Tait Kvistad and Dalton Massey, 4.3; 6. (tie) Ryan McKay Nettle and Jacob Talley, 4.4; 8. (tie) Gary Gilbert and Jason Thomas, 4.5. Second round leaders: 1. (tie) Cameron Morman and Matt Reeves, 3.9 seconds; 3. (tie) Chance Howard and Cade Staton, 4.0; 5. (tie) Dakota Eldridge and Tanner Brunner, 4.1; 7. Jesse Brown, 4.2; 8. (tie) Sterling Lambert, Luke Branquinho and Cade Goodman, 4.3. Average leaders: 1. Matt Reeves, 8.7 seconds on two runs; 2. (tie) Tait Kvistad, Dalton Massey and Jacob Talley, 8.9; 5. Tanner Brunner, 9.2; 6. Cade Staton, 9.3; 7. (tie) Josh Clark and Cody Harmon, 9.4; 9. Ty Erickson, 9.6; 10. (tie) Taz Olson, Bridger Anderson and Jule Hazen, 9.7.

Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Spencer Mitchell/Cesar de la Cruz, 3.7 seconds; 2. (tie) Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira and Clay Smith/Jade Corkill, 3.8; 4. (tie) Laramie Allen/Whit Kitchens and Colton Campbell/Jordan Ketscher, 3.9; 6. Reno Cash Stoebner/Colton Brittain, 4.1; 7. Tanner Tomlinson/Coleby Payne, 4.2; 8. (tie) Aaron Tsinigine/Kyle Lockett and Manny Equsquiza Jr./York Gill, 4.3. Second round leaders: 1. Jaxon Tucker/Jake Clay, 3.5 seconds; 2. Dustin Eguesquiza/Travis Graves, 3.7; 3. Erich Rogers/Paden Bray, 3.8; 4. (tie) Dawson Graham/Dillon Graham and Clint Summers/Douglas Rich, 3.9; 6. Trey Blackmore/Kory Bramwell, 4.0; 7. Jake Orman/Daniel Braman, 4.3; 8. (tie) Gavin Foster/Daniel Reed, Kellan Johnson/Carson Johnson, Steven Duby/Jason Duby and Laramie Allen/Whit Kitchens, 4.4. Average leaders: 1. (tie) Clay Smith/Jade Corkill and Laramie Allen/Whit Kitchens, 8.3; 3. Aaron Tsinigine/Kyle Lockett, 8.9; 4. Manny Equsquiza Jr./York Gill, 9.1; 5. Colton Campbell/Jordan Ketscher, 9.3; 6. Spencer Mitchell/Cesar de la Cruz, 9.9; 7. Cory Smothers/Brandon Gonzales, 10.0; 8. (tie) Brenten Hall/Chase Tryan and Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 10.4; 10. Jaguar Terrill/Travis Woodard, 11.8; 11. J.B. James Jr./Brock Hanson, 12.5; 12. Billy Bob Brown/Chad Williams, 12.9. 

Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Zeke Thurston, 90 points on Hampton Pro Rodeo’s Rising Tide; 2. Jacobs Crawley, 88; 3. Carter Elshere, 85.5; 4. Cody DeMoss, 85; 5. Jesse Wright, 84.5; 6. (tie) Kolby Wanchuk, Rusty Wright and Allen Boore, 84; 9. (tie) Tegan Smith and Spencer Wright, 83.5; 11. Leon Fountain, 83.

Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Lane Livingston, 7.2 seconds; 2. Shad Mayfield, 7.4; 3. (tie) Caleb Smidt and Bryson Sechrist, 7.5; 5. L.D. Meier, 7.7; 6. (tie) Blane Cox and Marcos Costa, 7.8; 8. Bo Pickett, 7.9. Second round leaders: 1. Justin Smith, 7.0 seconds; 2. Marty Yates, 7.1.; 3. (tie) Ike Fontenot and Riley Pruitt, 7.4; 5. Cooper Martin, 7.5; 6. (tie) Cory Solomon and Kincade Cullen Henry, 7.6; 8. (tie) Blane Cox and Luke Potter, 7.8. Average leaders: 1. Blane Cox, 15.6 seconds on two runs; 2. Caleb Smidt, 16.0; 3. (tie) Dakota Felton and Kincade Cullen Henry, 15.4; 5. (tie) Cooper Martin and Sterling Smith, 16.6; 7. Reid H. Zapalac, 16.7; 8. Jake Pratt, 16.8; 9. (tie) Bryson Sechrist and Stetson Vest,16,9; 11. Ty Harris, 17.0; 12. (tie) Reese Riemer and Monty Lewis, 17.1.

Barrel racing: Second round leaders: 1. Tiany Schuster, 14.05 seconds; 2.Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 14.10; 3. Shannon McReynolds, 14.20; 4. (tie) Haley Wolfe and Ivy Conrado-Saebens, 14.26; 6. (tie) Kathy Grimes and Lindsay Sears, 14.27; 8. Lexie Goss, 14.30; 9. Carlee Otero, 14.32; 10. Kortney Kizer, 14.34. Average leaders: 1. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 30.22 seconds; 2. Shannon McReynolds, 30.32; 3. Tiany Schuster, 30.35; 4. Emily Efurd, 30.42; 5. Lexie Goss, 30.48; 6. Ivy Conrado-Saebens, 30.49; 7. Lindsay Sears, 30.56; 8. Kathy Grimes, 30.57; 9. (tie) Ari-Anna Flynn and Lexi Burgess, 30.61; 11. Haley Wolfe, 30.62; 12. Kortney Kizer, 30.64.

Bull riding leaders: 1. Stetson Wright, 89 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Candy Man; 2. Bayle Worden, 88.5; 3. Elliot Jacoby, 86.5; 4. (tie) Ty Wallace, Boudreaux Campbell and Parker Cole McCown, 84; 7. Jeston Mead, 83.5; 8. Trey Benton, 82.5; 9. (tie) Brody Yeary and Jeff Askey, 82; 11. (tie) Shane Proctor and Tyler Bingham, 81.

The next performance is Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m.