SAN ANGELO, TX – John Rae Powell is a bit of a roping legend in Texas.
He’s a Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee, and nearly 11 years after his death, he may still have a little bit of influence in rodeo. His granddaughter, Megan Powell, needed some prayers answered during Friday’s sixth performance of the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo if she was going to have any chance at big money.
“I would say he probably had a hand in that,” she said after posting a 2.0-second run to take the second-round lead inside CRC Roofers Coliseum. “It was either him or the roping gods or God Himself, because somebody probably had a helping hand in that run. I’ll take all the luck I can get.
“I didn’t have the perfect run that I needed in the first round, and I knew pretty much the average was out of the question. It’s been a tough round so far, so I knew I needed to be aggressive and take the first shot possible.”
She did. Arizonan Danielle Lowman won the first round last week and pocketed $4,300. That kind of money is what draws contestants to San Angelo every spring. In rodeo, dollars equal points, so the more money earned in a given season is beneficial to championships. If she can parlay a big check in Tom Green County into more down the road, she hopes to earn her first qualification to the Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo.
“I feel like rodeo, unfortunately, has taken just a little of the back burner for me,” said Powell of Hawley, Texas, about 100 miles northeast of San Angelo. “I’m a registered nurse, so I’ve been working on my career a little bit and focusing on just going full force into adulthood.
“That comes with some hard choices. Big wins like this will help me be able to hopefully get down the road a little bit more and one day make the circuit finals.”
Powell was one of three contestants in Friday’s field who moved into a round lead. Barrel racer Morgan Addison punched her ticket to Championship Round with a 14.17-second run to take the second round lead; she is second in the two-run aggregate.
Steer wrestler J.D. Struxness, the 2024 world champion from Milan, Minnesota, stopped the clock in 4.3 seconds to move into the third-round lead. His three-run cumulative time of 17.0 seconds has him in sixth place overall with a solid chance to return for the short round.
“It’s a fast start, and them steers are really running in that building there in San Angelo this year, so you definitely need a horse,” said Struxness, who lives in Perrin, Texas, with his wife, Jayden, and their two daughters. “In these progressives and short rounds, it’s a big deal just to get back to the short round. The average is going to be on four head, so a lot can happen.”
Struxness has a horse he can trust in Ice, an 8-year-old gray gelding. He also trusts the hazing horse, Jenny, which was ridden Friday night by Struxness’ cousin, Tyler Scheevel.
“Ice is really coming in and settling in,” Struxness said. “The haze horse has been working well, too.”
He qualified for the first of seven trips to the National Finals Rodeo in 2016, the same year he won the intercollegiate bulldogging title. Like Struxness, Powell used college rodeo as a proving ground, attending New Mexico Junior College. She’s now continuing a passion for the game that has been part of her since birth.
“I come from a rodeo family,” she said, noting that her cousin, Tibba Smith, is second in the breakaway roping average. “My dad is a longtime calf roper, and then there’s my grandfather. I grew up roping with both of them pretty much my entire life.”
Mineral Wells' Noah Lee scored an 88.5 in bull riding to move into second place.
San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo
Bareback riding leaders: 1. Leighton Berry, 92 points on Korkow Rodeo’s Tator Tot; 2. Cole Reiner, 88.5; 3. Wyatt Warneke, 87; 4. (tie) Jayco Roper and Cooper Cooke, 86; 6. Kade Berry, 85.5; 7. (tie) Taylor Broussard and Cole Hollen, 84.5; 9. (tie) Colton Clemens, Lane McGehee, Cooper Filipek and Ben Kramer, 84.
Steer wrestling: Third round leaders: 1. J.D. Struxness, 4.3 seconds; 2. Tory Johnson, 4.4; 3. (tie) Logan Mullin, Laramie Allen and Jacob Daniell, 4.6; 6. (tie) Evan Spady, Cimarron Thompson and Tristan Martin, 4.7. Average leaders: 1. (tie) Cimarron Thompson and Chase Crane, 15.3 seconds on three runs; 3. (tie) Grant Peterson, 15.7; 4. (tie) Tony Aska and Coy Johnson, 16.4; 6. J.D. Struxness, 17.0; 7. Ty Allred, 17.5; 8. Logan Mullin, 18.4; 9. Traver Johnson, 20.7; 10. Tyke Kipp, 21.0; 11. Cody Harmon, 24.2; 12. Cody Harmon, 24.2.
Tie-down roping: Third round leaders: 1. Cory Solomon, 8.5 seconds; 2. (tie) Brodey Clemons and Cash Enderli, 8.7; 4. Richard Newton, 9.0; 5. (tie) Trevor Hale and Quade Hiatt, 9.1; 7. (tie) Beau Cooper and Sam Lewis, 9.2; 8. Britt Bedke, 9.3. Average leaders: 1. Beau Cooper, 26.2 seconds on three runs; 2. Joel Harris, 27.3; 3. Sam Lewis, 27.5; 4. Brodie Mattson, 27.7; 5. Cole Clemons, 28.2; 6. Cash Enderli and Colton Suther, 28.8; 8. Brodey Clemons, 28.9; 9. Cory Solomon, 29.3; 10. Shane Hanchey, 29.6; 11. Michael Otero, 29.8; 12. Britt Bedke, 27.3.
Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Zeke Thurston, 87.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Uptuck; 2. (tie) Mitchie Story and Damian Brfennan, 87 points; 4. Lefty Holman, 86; 5. (tie) Kolby Wanchuk and Joe Macqueen, 85.5; 7. Kade Bruno, 85; 8. Ryder Sanford, 84; 9. (tie) Darcy Radel, Wyatt Casper, Kole Ashbacher and Rusty Wright, 83.5.
Breakaway roping: Second round leaders: 1. Megan Powell, 2.0 seconds; 2. (tie) Sawyer Gilbert, Hailey Hall, Millie Greenwood, Tibba Smith and Bradi Good, 2.1; 7. Kinlie Brennise, 2.2; 8. Amy Ohrt, 2.3; 9. Zoie Bedke, 2.7; 10. Karrigan Graves, 2.9; 11. Saige Johnson, 3.1; 12. (tie) Josie Goodrich, Rylee George and Jackie Crawford, 3.2; 15. Haiden Thompson, 3.3. Average leaders: 1. Amy Ohrt, 5.0 seconds on two runs; 2. Tibba Smith, 5.1; 3. Haiden Thompson, 5.4; 4. (tie) Jackie Crawford and Rylee George, 5.7; 6. (tie) Sawyer Gilbert and Kinlie Brennise, 5.8; 8. Karrigan Graves, 6.0; 9. Bradi Good, 6.1; 10. Libby Winchell, 7.0; 11. Zoie Bedke, 7.3; 12. Josie Goodrich, 7.4.
Team roping: Third round leaders: 1. Andrew Ward/Jake Long, 3.5 seconds; 2. Tanner Tomlinson/Coleby Payne, 3.7; 3. Chad Masters/Jace Helton, 3.8; 4. Kavis Drake/Denim Ross, 4.1; 5. J.C. Yeahquo/Logan Moore, 4.2; 6. (tie) Cory Kidd/Carson Johnson and Mason Appleton/Sid Sporer, 4.4; 8. (tie) Jace Bland/Truman Magnus and Jake Smith/Douglas Rich, 4.5. Average leaders: 1. Ketch Kelton/Paden Bray, 14.9 seconds on three runs; 2. Jake Smith/Douglas Rich, 15.1; 3. Cory Kidd/Carson Johnson, 15.7; 4. Kavis Drake/Denim Ross, 18.9; 5. (tie) Riley Kittle/Cole Curry and Cash Duty/Jake Edwards, 20.8; 7. Seth Hall/Nicky Northcott; 8. Jaxson Tucker/Cesar de la Cruz, 26.7; 9. Andrew Ward/Jake Long, 8.4 seconds on two runs; 10. J.C. Yeahquo/Logan Moore, 8.5; 11. Nelson Wyatt/Jonathan Torres, 8.7; 12. Chad Masters/Jace Helton, 9.1.
Barrel racing: Second round leaders: 1. Morgan Addison, 14.17 seconds; 2. Sarah Roberts, 14.18; 2. (tie) Brooklyn Balch and London Gorham, 14.20; 4. Catherine Asmussen, 14.29; 4. Liz Pinkston, 14.40; 5. Charla Wooten, 14.44; 6. (tie) Julia Johnson, Cassidy Deen and Morgan Bagnell, 14.50; 9, Morgan Brown, 14.51; 10. Katelyn Scott, 14.53. Average leaders: 1. London Gorham, 30.05 seconds on two runs; 2. Morgan Addison, 30.22; 3. Brooklyn Balch, 30.39; 4. (tie) Lindsay Sears and Keyla Costa, 30.52; 6. Julie Plourde, 30.54; 7. (tie) Sarah Roberts and Julia Johnson, 30.55; 9. Liz Pinkston, 30.58; 10. Catherine Asmussen, 30.60; 11. Ashley Castleberry, 30.63; 12. Cassidy Dean, 30.69.
Bull riding leaders: 1. John Crimber, 90 points on New West Rodeo Productions’ Payday; 2. Noah Lee, 88.5; 3. Tristen Hutchings, 87; 4. Braxton Whitesell, 84.5; 5. Dakota Hill, 84; 6. (tie) Clayton Sellars and Hayden Ferguson, 83.5; 8. (tie) Kaiden Loud and Brock Paulin, 83; 10. Josh Frost, 81.5; 11. Mason Taylor, 79.5; 12. (tie) Brad Moreno and Grady Young, 78.5.
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