On a hot July night, when the ornery Rodeo Rose Productions bulls had the upper hand, only two competitors in the 19th Annual Gateway to the Sandhills Bullride were able to cover their bulls for the required eight seconds and earn scores.
And, in the end, Ethan Lesiak of Clarks edged Sutherland’s Trey Kerner to win the 2013 Gateway to the Sandhills champion’s belt buckle and the $2,500 prize purse the Albion FFA Alumni provided in addition to the regular Rodeo Rose event payout.
Nearly 20 bullriders provided plenty of entertainment for another large Albion crowd at the fairgrounds arena, but Lesiak and Kerner gave the highlight performances of the evening.
Lesiak had the first scored ride of the night, receiving an 81 from judges Jim McMillan and Paul Rasmussen. Kerner, a former Nebraska high school champion, was awarded a score of 72 on the only other completed ride of the first round.
The pair duplicated their covers in the final round, Lesiak scoring 85 on a performance the judges deemed best of the night and Kerner scoring an 82.
Lesiak’s 166 total topped the 154 by Kerner and gave him the 2013 Gateway to the Sandhills championship.
Further details in Print & Online editions of Albion News.
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