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THE WRIGHT STUFF
A10
Brown looking
for another title
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Stetson Wright, of Milford, Utah, rides Baby Kibitz for an arena record 90 points Aug. 12, 2021, in the saddle bronc
competition at the Farm-City Pro Rodeo in Hermiston. Wright will compete Thursday at the Pendleton Round-Up.
Stetson Wright is going after records and world titles
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Stetson Wright
is just 22 years old, but he has accom-
plished more in those short years than
more cowboys do their entire career.
The Milford, Utah, cowboy has
won three world titles — two in the
all-around (2019-20) and one in bull
riding (2020).
Wright also is closing in on the
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Asso-
ciation record for the most money
earned in the all-around standings
before the National Finals Rodeo.
That record is held by rodeo icon
Trevor Brazile, who earned $282,242
before the NFR in 2015.
Wright, who has won the
all-around title at 22 rodeos this year,
has earned $275,412. He trails Brazile
by $5,978. The regular season ends
Sept. 30.
“That would be pretty sweet to
start breaking some of his records,”
Wright said. “He set the bar pretty
high. To have my name mentioned in
the same sentence as him is badass to
me. For me, it has never been about
the money, I just want to be a world
champion.”
A good week in Pendleton could
push Wright past Brazile. He will
compete in the Xtreme Bulls on
Monday and Tuesday, and will
compete in Thursday’s main perfor-
mance Thursday in the bulls and
saddle bronc.
Wright would also like to get his
hands on what he calls the triple
crown — world titles in the bulls,
saddle bronc and all-around. All are
writhing his grasp.
He has nearly a $150,000 lead over
the next man in the all-around stand-
ings, he ranks second to older brother
Ryder Wright in the saddle bronc, and
he trails six-time world champion
Sage Kimzey in bull riding.
The bull riding title may be a tall
task. He trails Kimzey by $60,899.
“I do like to look at the stand-
ings.,” Wright said. “I think it’s fun.
A lot of guys say not to because it
messes with concentrating on what
you should be doing, but I don’t think
it has hurt me.”
It’s a family thing
Wright and his older brothers,
Rusty and Ryder, all went to the
NFR last year in the saddle bronc, and
Wright also was in the bull riding.
Stetson and Ryder are headed back
to the NFR, but Rusty, who has qual-
ifi ed for fi ve NFRs, is sitting 35th and
there aren’t enough rodeos left to try
and move up 20 spots.
“We don’t really show anyone that
we have a rivalry,” Wright said. “We
have our rivalries, but we keep that
in the truck. As long as the title goes
to a Wright, we’re happy, but I won’t
complain if it’s me. We all want to
win, but we all want each other to
win. Even when you win, you want
them to win. I think maybe we hurt
ourselves sometimes because we
want each other to do so well.”
While his brothers dominate in the
saddle bronc like their dad, Cody, a
two-time world champion, and uncles
Jesse, Jake, Spencer (2014 world title),
Alex, Calvin and CoBurn Bradshaw,
Wright’s fi rst love is bull riding.
“All of 2019 and half of 2020, all I
cared about was bulls,” Wright said.
“I wasn’t where Rusty and Ryder
were. They dominated day in and
day out. I dominated the bulls. I was
mediocre in the broncs. In 2020, I
didn’t know if I should have been
there (NFR saddle bronc). Now, I
like them both. Last year was that
much harder to make the fi nals. The
top 15 guys in every event were the
ones who showed up at the limited
amount of rodeos that were out there.”
Wright has made two trips to the
NFR, and a Wright has made a trip
to the NFR each year for the past 18
years.
In 2014, Cody, Jesse, Jake and
Spencer all qualifi ed in the saddle
bronc. In 2016, Cody qualifi ed for
the NFR with sons Rusty and Ryder.
“Rusty and Ryder have told me
stories,” Wright said. “The few times
I went with my dad were special. I
always try to get him to come back
out.”
The Wrights also have done well
at Pendleton.
Jake (2013), Jesse (2016), Spencer
(2015) and Cody (2010) all have won
there.
No one will likely admit it, but
there have to be nights where guys
look at the day sheet and think, ‘crap,
the Wrights are here.’
“That’s what I’d like to think,”
Wright said.
PENDLETON — Jesse Brown’s name has been on the cham-
pions’ wall on the back of the Pendleton Round-Up Stadium for
two years. He wouldn’t mind if it stayed there a little bit longer.
“That would be cool with me,” said Brown, who won the
Pendleton steer wrestling title in 2019. “That would be a pretty
awesome deal. And the fact we haven’t been back in two years,
it will be exciting and the energy will be pretty good, I think.”
In 2019, Brown won his fi rst Pendleton title, and set an arena
record in the process.
Brown, 29, turfed his steer in a record 3.7 seconds in the
fi nals, and fi nished with a time of 14.8 seconds on three head to
pick up a hefty paycheck of $9,982.
“As far as trinkets go, it is
pretty unmatched,” Brown said of
Steer wrestler
the prizes handed out at Pendle-
holds arena
ton. “You walk out of there with a
truck full, and a pretty cool saddle.
record at
The way they build the saddle, it’s
3.7 seconds
usable for steer wrestling, but I
think I will leave it where it is to
look at. It’s prettier than a treadmill.”
Coming into Pendleton, Brown ranks second in the world
standings with $84,715. Jacob Talley leads the standings with
$116,072.
With the top 15 in each event earning a trip to the National
Finals Rodeo, Brown is headed to Las Vegas for his second one.
He placed 15th at the NFR last year, which was held in
Arlington, Texas, because of COVID-19.
“My goal was to get back, and to be as high as I am right
now,” said the Baker City cowboy. “Going back to Vegas is
exciting. I will kind of be a rookie again. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Brown will be up Tuesday in slack and the Friday perfor-
mance in Pendleton. The top 12 advance to Saturday’s fi nals.
Pendleton is my favorite,” Brown said of the rodeo schedule.
“Calgary and the money compare, as does Houston. I am biased.
I think Pendleton is hard to match.”
A man and his horse
Brown travels with Curtis Cassidy, Tanner Milan and Scott
Guenthner, and rides Cassidy’s horse, Tyson. Though at Pend-
leton, he will be riding his own horse, Gunner.
“I have done really well,” Brown said. “The horses I have
been riding have been a big part of that. I have had better starts
and my head catches have been better. I am with a great group
of guys and things are positive. Things have been rolling the
right way.”
As a group, Brown and Guenthner (sixth, $73,778) have
earned a trip to the NFR, while Cassidy is sitting 20th and is
less than $5,000 out of 15th place. Milan, who had made two
trips to the NFR (2015, 2017) is sitting 42nd.
Getting a late start
Brown, who was a standout quarterback at Baker High
School, was the 4A Player of the Year as a senior. He went on
to play football at Washington State University as a preferred
walk-on.
“I do miss football, but I think this is what I was meant to
do,” said Brown, who started rodeoing seriously in 2015. “I was
never going to go past college ball. In rodeo, I have a chance to
be the best in the world.”
And, taking down a steer is easier than reading Pac-12
defenses.
“Steer wrestling is less complex,” he said. “I was on the prac-
tice squad at WSU, so that was diff erent. A lot less goes into steer
wrestling than reading those defenses.”
Going to his second NFR at 29 also is not the norm for most
high-end rodeo athletes.
“I got started late,” he said. “I don’t have the experience that
most have who started out of high school.”
ON THE SLATE
Tuesday, Sept. 14
Prep volleyball
Chiawana at Hermiston, 7 p.m.
Pilot Rock at Stanfi eld, 4 p.m.
Pilot Rock vs. Umatilla at Stanfi eld, 5 p.m.
Umatilla at Stanfi eld, 7 p.m.
McLoughlin at La Grande, 6:30 p.m.
Sherman at Ione/Arlington, 5 p.m.
Prep girls soccer
Southridge at Hermiston, 7 p.m.
Riverside at Portland Christian, 3 p.m.
Irrigon at McLoughlin, 4 p.m.
Prep boys soccer
Pendleton at La Grande, 5 p.m.
McLoughlin at Catlin Gabel, 4:30 p.m.
Irrigon at Prescott, 4 p.m.
Riverside at Portland Christian, 5 p.m.
Prep slowpitch softball
Wenatchee at Hermiston (2), 4 p.m.
College volleyball
EOU at College of Idaho, 6 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 15
Prep volleyball
McLoughlin at College Place, 6:30 p.m.
Prep girls soccer
McLoughlin at College Place, 6 p.m.
Prep boys soccer
Putnam at Pendleton, 4:30 p.m.
College volleyball
Columbia Basin at Blue Mountain,
6 p.m.
College men’s soccer
WWCC at Blue Mountain, 4:15 p.m.
College women’s soccer
WWCC at Blue Mountain, 2 p.m.
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian/Baker City Herald
Jesse Brown leaps from his horse onto a steer during steer
wrestling at the 2019 Pendleton Round-Up. Brown won the
event and set a new arena record of 3.7 seconds. Brown will be
back to defend his title for the 2021 Pendleton Round-Up.
SPORTS SHORT
All-female crew works Hillsboro-Glencoe football game
By JERRY ULMER
OSAAtoday
HILLSBORO — History was made
Friday, Sept. 10, at Hare Field, where an
all-female offi ciating crew worked the
Hillsboro-Glencoe rivalry game.
The six women in the crew included
three from the Portland Football Offi cials
Association and three from college associ-
ations. The idea was hatched when one of
Portland Football Offi cials Association/Contributed Photo the PFOA members — part of an internet
An all-female crew worked the Hillsboro-Glenco group chat for female football offi cials —
game Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. From left, Kim Bly, connected with three women who were
Amy Pistone, Jeana “Fish” Fisher, Catherine “Cat” coming to Oregon that weekend to work
Conti, Rebecca Brisson and Mary Harvill.
college games.
Carl Haessler, the PFOA commissioner,
coordinated the eff ort. The college offi cials
arrived in Oregon earlier than previously
planned to be part of the historic crew.
“I said, ‘You know what, let’s let people
see that women can offi ciate football, and
they know what they’re doing,’” Haessler
said. “It’s a good thing that women and
girls can see that they can be football offi -
cials.”
The PFOA members were umpire
Geana Fisher, head linesman Mary Harvill
and back judge Rebecca Brisson. The
college offi cials were referee Cat Conti
(Mountain West Conference), line judge
Amy Pistone (Missouri Valley Confer-
ence) and center judge Kim Bly (Southern
California Conference).
Haessler said he hopes to put together
an all-Oregon female crew. The three
PFOA offi cials are the only women in the
association cleared to do varsity games,
although others are in training.
“I think we could get three or four
women together and run them down to
some other part of the state with one or
two offi cials,” Haessler said. “I don’t
want this to just be a Portland thing. I
think it would be appropriate if the fi rst
all-Oregon female crew was somewhere
other than Portland. That’s what I’m
gunning for.”