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Corky Ullman (l) and Daren Peterson (r) of Ullman-Peterson Events, owners and producers of the BFI, congratulate the 2014 champions Buddy Hawkins and Drew Horner.

By Julie Mankin
Special To Ropers Sports News

RENO, NEV., JUNE 23, 2014 – Youngsters Drew Horner and Buddy Hawkins II out-roped the superstars on their way to winning a whopping $162,500 at the 37th Bob Feist Invitational.

“I set a goal to be considered one of the best in the world,” said Horner, a 25-year-old header from Plano, Texas. “To come out and win against the best in the world; to win a “major” is amazing. This is a dream come true.”

On June 23, Horner and Hawkins – a 26-year-old heeler from Columbus, Kansas – roped six steers in 45.2 seconds to split $158,500 in the average plus $4,000 in the second round. They also claimed the enormous BFI first-place prize package of Coats saddles, Gist buckles, Myler bits, Best Ever pads, Resistol black felt hats, Justin full-quill ostrich boots, Lubrisyn joint supplements, B&W trailer hitches, BEX sunglasses, Classic Equine headstalls, D-M saddle racks, Horsecraft overreach boots, Cactus Gear stable blankets, official BFI artwork and gift cards for ropes and apparel.

“The day before the roping, we were driving through Reno and I said, ‘Out of 110 teams roping tomorrow, only one is going to walk away the champion,’” Hawkins recalled. “I told Drew, ‘I don’t have 110 years to wait my turn. I’m prioritizing this.’”

But when Horner and Hawkins went 8.6 on their first steer, Hawkins figured it destroyed their shot at a BFI championship. Meanwhile, the roping became the Clay-and-Jade show as reigning world champions Clay Tryan and Jade Corkill kept a stranglehold on the overall lead most of the day.

When past BFI champs Trevor Brazile and Travis Graves caught up to Tryan and Corkill in Round Four, fans got ready to watch the two powerhouse pairs square off in a match roping for the big money. They were shocked when not one but both teams went down in flames on the fifth steer (Brazile caught a front leg for a no-time and Corkill roped two feet but lost them both).

Horner and Hawkins had been gunning for their traveling partners – Tryan and Corkill – with every steer, and suddenly found themselves high call by almost two seconds. Horner’s strategy had been to stay aggressive; Hawkins was determined not to take any tough shots.

“It’s the heeler’s job to rope two feet,” said Hawkins. “The header wins the roping. Drew got a great start on a couple of steers where he kind of rolled the dice and took a 50-50 chance of breaking the barrier or moving us up in the roping.”

Horner, riding a horse named Rango that he bought from Bobby Mote, doesn’t talk with his partner before any of their runs. Hawkins, who rode his gelding, Rue, instead was out back before the short round sharing a little pep talk with 23-year-old Clay Smith, who was third call-back with his brother Jake.

“Clay and I have won as many trucks as anybody and have both been in a lot of high-pressure situations,” Hawkins said. “It’s not easy to win the BFI and I’d never play it off like that. But we rope dozens of steers clean at home for free. I told him, ‘If anything, this is easy. So far today, we’ve only had to ride one horse. We didn’t have to wrap any steers. It’s worth some money just to get to rope in an arena like this with cattle like that and somebody to run the chute. This is just like what we do every day for free.’”

Horner and Hawkins, who made their first NFR last December, needed a short 9 to win it all at the BFI. They nailed a runner in 8.2 seconds and Horner tossed his hat high and plastered a grin on his face that never disappeared. Just a few years ago, the college junior had been entering #15 ropings. 

“I don’t have the talent a lot of guys have,” said Horner, a communications major at the University of North Texas. “I didn’t start roping until I was 15. I wanted to make the NFR and I wanted to win the Bob Feist, and I’ve done that now.”

Reserve champs Aaron Tsinigine and Ryan Motes (who won the BFI in 2009 with Caleb Mitchell) had never roped a practice steer together prior to the BFI. Still, they were second-high call and ended up just one second behind the champs to earn $42,000 apiece and a lot of summer rodeo momentum.

“My partner heads great,” said Motes, whose horse, Starbucks, won Heel Horse of the BFI for the second time. “Aaron is a bad man and a lot of people are going to hear about him pretty soon.”

Meanwhile, Tsinigine was watching footage of their final run, lamenting his handle. His strategy had been to hang off the line and just go get the steer. He did that, giving his horse an old-school over-and-under on the approach.

“I made a good ole brush run like when we’re out chasing wild cattle,” he said, adding play-by-play while he watched. “Make sure you catch. Don’t miss before he gets to the brush!”

The 18-foot score makes the BFI nearly as challenging as roping wild cattle. Just 24 teams caught four steers and when the dust cleared, four teams had roped six head with no mistakes. For the first time, making the top-15 short round meant a guaranteed paycheck, so the four teams that failed to connect on their last steer still went home with $5,000 per team.

The award for Head Horse of the BFI went to Adam Rose of Willard, Mo., who placed 11th in the roping with Billie Jack Saebens. Rose purchased “Alice,” now 11, as a baby from a friend in Aliceville, Ala., and broke and trained the speedy gelding himself.

Third place went to Clay and Jake Smith for $25,500 a man, while Daniel Green broke the top 10 for the third year in a row, placing fourth with Nate Preuit to earn $16,500 a man. Incidentally, Green couldn’t thank Clay Tryan enough for lending him the newest horse in the Tryan arsenal just two days before the roping. And the father-son team of J.D. and Trey Yates took fifth and earned $10,500 a man, much to the crowd’s delight.

It would be a bittersweet evening celebration, however, that night at the Corkill ranch near Reno. The stunned world champs would welcome their two buddies for the night and promise to beat them at the next rodeo. But there’s nothing like handing out a beating at the BFI.

“This is the most prestigious roping in the world, but that’s not quite the right word,” said Hawkins. “This is the most important roping in the world. If you look back in history, some of the best guys in the world came really close here but never got the opportunity to win this.” 

Complete results from the 2014 Bob Feist Invitational:

First Round: 1. Riley Minor and Brady Minor, 6.26 seconds, $4,000; 2. Clay Tryan and Jade Corkill, 6.60, $3,000; 3. Nick Sartain and Rich Skelton, 6.69, $2,000; 4. Derrick Begay and Will Woodfin, 6.78, $1,000.

Second Round: 1. Tom Richards and Monty Joe Petska, 5.01 seconds, $8,000; 2. Chad Masters and Clay O’Brien Cooper, 5.16, $6,000; 3. Drew Horner and Buddy Hawkins, 6.53, $4,000; 4. Luke Brown and Kollin VonAhn; and Derrek Hee and Dalton Pearce, 6.54 each, $1,000 each team.

Third Round: 1. Erich Rogers and Cory Petska, 5.64, $8,000; 2. Nathan McWhorter and Cole Davison, 6.01, $6,000; 3. Nick Sartain and Rich Skelton, 6.04, $4,000; 4. Jake Cooper and Tyler McKnight, 6.67, $2,000.

Fourth Round:  1. Derrick Begay and Will Woodfin, 4.61, $8,000; 2. Manny Egusquiza Jr. and Brad Culpepper, 5.11, $6,000; 3. Chase Wiley and Arles Pearce, 5.61, $4,000; 4. Derrek Hee and Dalton Pearce, 5.95, $2,000.

Fifth Round: 1. Cale Markham and Chase Tryan, 5.5 seconds, $8,000; 2. Brandon Beers and Jim Ross Cooper, 5.51, $6,000; 3. Chad Masters and Clay O’Brien Cooper, 5.66, $4,000; 4. Landon McClaugherty and Caleb Twisselman, 5.71, $2,000.

Short Round: 1. Tyler Waters and Cody Doescher, 6.31 seconds, $4,000; 2. Jake Cooper and Tyler McKnight, 6.54, $3,000; 3. Luke Brown and Kollin VonAhn, 6.58, $2,000; 4. Aaron Tsinigine and Ryan Motes, 7.61, $1,000.

Average: 1. Drew Horner and Buddy Hawkins, 45.2 seconds on six steers, $158,500; 2. Aaron Tsinigine and Ryan Motes, 46.22, $84,000; 3. Clay Smith and Jake Smith, 46.79, $51,000; 4. Daniel Green and Nate Preuit, 48.43, $33,000; 5. J.D. Yates and Trey Yates, 50.63, $21,000; 6. Luke Brown and Kollin VonAhn, 52.42, $16,000; 7. Tyler Waters and Cody Doescher, 54.24, $14,000; 8. Jake Cooper and Tyler McKnight, 56.18, $11,000; 9. Tyler Schnaufer and Cole Cooper, 58.64, $9,000; 10. Travis Bounds and Wade Kreutzer, 59.96, $7,000; 11. Adam Rose and Billie Jack Saebens, 71.81, $7,000; 12. Matthew Pineda and Brett Broadhead, 42.38 seconds on five steers, $5,000; 13. Jake Barnes and Junior Nogueira, 43.77, $5,000; 14. Chance Savage and Wesley Johnson, 51.40, $5,000. 15. Casey Gattis and Jaytin McRight, 53.82, $5,000.

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About the BFI: The Bob Feist Invitational, founded by Bob Feist in 1977 to showcase and reward the premier ropers of the sport, is owned today by Ullman-Peterson Events. Annually it invites the top 100 teams in the industry to the Livestock Events Center in Reno, Nev., where they compete in six rounds for a cash-and-awards package worth $810,000 in 2014. 


Youngsters Drew Horner (above) and Buddy Hawkins (below) roped a smooth, flawless roping, averaging 7.5 seconds per head to take the average title of the BFI. The win was worth $163K plus a multitude of awards. Lone Wolf Photos
 
 

Reserve champions Aaron Tsinigine and Ryan Motes had never ran a steer together before the BFI, but that didn't stop them from winning second in the average, worth $42,000 apiece plus many great awards. Lone Wolf Photo
 
Head Horse of the BFI went to Adam Rose’s Alice, a gelding that he broke and trained by himself. Lone Wolf Photo
 

Starbucks, owned and ridden by Ryan Motes, won the Heel Horse of the BFI for the second time. Lone Wolf Photo