Breakaway roper Hali Williams, of Camanche, Texas, ropes her calf in 2.1 seconds to win the round on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023, at the Farm-City Pro Rodeo at the Eastern Oregon Trade & Event Center in Hermiston.

HERMISTON — Over the first two nights of the Farm-City Pro Rodeo, the bulls had their way with the cowboys, posting an 11-0 record. Luke Mast turned that round Friday, Aug. 11, coming away with an 86-point ride on Coca-Cola Cowboy.

Mast was the first man out of the chutes Friday, and electrified the crowd when he became the first man all week to make an 8-second qualified ride.

“That bull was awesome,” said the rookie cowboy from Kansas. “I had no idea what he would do when I showed up. If you know, sometimes you second guess yourself. It goes better if you just try and ride the best you can.”

Mast, who is 12th in the rookie bull riding standings, said he was surprised that there were no qualified rides when he arrived for his first FCPR.

“There are some great bulls here,” he said. “I’m happy to be the first one to ride one. I don’t have a chance at the NFR, but I sure could use the money.”

Canadian cowboy Jared Parsonage also posted a legal ride with a score of 77 points on previously unridden Hell No Roscoe.

Jake Pratt of Ellensburg, who is working toward his first trip the NFR, had the top run of the run night in tie-down roping with a time of 7.8 seconds. He is second in the second go round, and is sitting second in the average with a time of 17.6 second on two head.

“All you can do is compete against the calf you have and hope to be victorious,” said Pratt, who is 16th in the world standings. “I love all these rodeos up here. I’m in Omak tomorrow and Caldwell (Idaho) on Monday.”

Tate Owens, the proclaimed “old man” of the saddle bronc event at 35 years old, showed the young ones how it’s done Friday night with a score of 83.5 points on Borderline Untimely. He is tied for fourth in the standings.

“It was a lot of fun,” the Washington cowboy said. “Us old guys can hold our own. It was a real treat. I have seen her buck before and she is always good. She was great tonight.”

Speed Williams, who made several trips to the FCPR during his career, now trains and watches his daughter Hali compete in the breakaway roping. Needless to say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Williams, who is No. 1 in the world standings, posted a time of 2.1 seconds for the hot run of the night, and her time of 4.3 seconds on two runs has her sitting third in the average.

“You just have to go out and make a run and hope your horse makes a good run,” she said. “Dad has helped me a lot. When things aren’t going well, he tells me to come home and throw for a week. I did, and have done well since then.”

Williams had a streak from July 19 to Aug. 3 where she did not win a paycheck.

“I had a fairy tale winter, but it’s been a challenge the past month or so,” she said. “Hopefully this put me back on the right track.”

Rookie bareback rider Bradlee Miller is out of the NFR talks, but the Texas cowboy is still on the rodeo trail making a name for himself. Friday night, he had the top performance of the night with an 83-point ride on Whiskey Lips.

“Every time I pull up to a rodeo and see Bridwell on a truck, I get excited,” Miller said of one of the stock contractors. “They (FCPR) bring the best stock and get all the top guys. I hadn’t been on that horse before, but I am a fan.”

The steer wrestling event has been one of the most competitive at the FCPR. Justin Shaffer turned in a run of 4 seconds Friday night, but that did not put him in the money for the second round.

“You have to be good at the barrier,” he said. “I didn’t do well on my first one, but you have let it all hang out and hope for the best. This is a good pen of steers.”

A couple of young guns moved to the top of the leaderboard in the second round of the team roping. Cole Thomas and Clay Green turned in a time of 4.6 seconds, and find themselves fifth in the average with a time of 15.3 on two head.

“This is what we do,” said Thomas, who is the top-ranked rookie header. “This is all I have ever done. This is where the fun is.”

Barrel racer Megan McLeod-Sprague of Marsing, Idaho, has been competing at the FCPR for nearly 25 years. She’s had her share of success, though most of it came at the old arena near Hermiston High School.

Friday night, wearing a shirt adorned with watermelons, McLeod-Sprague had the top run of the night at 17.26 seconds. The time puts her in the top eight.