Listen to Riley Webb talk, and it can raise eyebrows. He sounds young, but he competes like a veteran. He qualified for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo as a rookie last season. Still a teenager, Webb continued his meteoric rise in the sport, winning the tie-down roping championship at RodeoHouston on Sunday.
Webb, 19, walked away with one of the biggest purses in ProRodeo, pocketing $50,000 with an 8.9 second-run in the Championship Shootout and nearly $10,000 for his steady round runs to reach the finals.
As he enjoyed dinner with his mom and grandma in Houston, Webb revealed why he’s enjoying success. Nothing seems to bother him – not a packed arena of screaming fans or a reporter asking questions as knives and forks click off plates around him.
“It’s pretty cool,” Webb said. “I had my aunt and uncle there (for one round), then my mom and grandma there tonight. It was special.”
That it ended up this way is a testament to Webb’s approach. The stage is never too big. He won’t let it be with his narrow focus and even-keel demeanor.
“You just have to do your job (even in the championship shootout round). When you have a good calf, it’s about making no mistakes and winning what you can win. It’s about not trying to do too much, just doing what you can,” Webb said.
Webb entered the finals with confidence. He placed in every round, including a 9.0- second time in his first RodeoHouston run, posting a win.
“To make that first run like that really helped,” said Webb, who placed 10th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings last season, earning $188,597.
Webb, who hails from Denton, Texas, kept piling up strong performances, finishing third and fourth in subsequent runs before notching a second-place finish in the semifinal qualifier. It set the stage for the biggest regular-season win of his career as he bested Hunter Herrin (9.6, $20,000) and Reese Riemer (15.4, $10,000).
“I had a good feeling going into it,” Webb said. “It was cool.”
Riley was featured in the Rodeo News in July of 2021. Here is a link to that story:
https://reader.mediawiremobile.com/RodeoNews/issues/207284/viewer
Other winners at the $1,950,030 rodeo were bareback rider Leighton Berry (90 points on Calgary Stampede’s Yippee Kibitz); steer wrestler Dalton Massey (4.5 seconds); team ropers Rhen Richard/Jeremy Buhler (5.5 seconds); saddle bronc rider Sage Newman (90 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Womanizer); breakaway roper Hali Williams (3.6 seconds); barrel racer Jordon Briggs (14.73 seconds); and bull rider Ky Hamilton (90.5 points on The Cervi Brothers’ Dim Tricks).
Results from Houston Championship
Bareback Riding: 1. Cole Reiner, 90 points on Calgary Stampede’s Disco Party; 2. Kaycee Feild, 89; 3. Leighton Berry, 88; 4. Keenan Hayes, 87; 5. Tim O’Connell, 86.5, $2,500; 6. Chad Rutherford, 85, $2,500; 7. Jayco Roper, 84.5, $2,500; 8. Jess Pope, 83.5, $2,500; 9. Richmond Champion, 82.5, $2,500; 10. Sam Petersen, 81, $2,500.
Steer Wrestling: 1. (tie) Dalton Massey and Rowdy Parrott, 4.8 seconds; 3. Tyler Waguespack, 5.3; 4. Cody Devers, 6.1; 5. J.D. Struxness, 6.1, $2,500; 6. Clayton Hass, 6.3, $2,500; 7. Jesse Brown, 6.6, $2,500; 8. Stephen Culling, 6.6, $2,500; 9. Stetson Jorgensen, 14.6, $2,500; 10. Jacob Talley, 15.9, $2,500.
Team Roping: 1. Marcus Theriot/Cole Curry, 5.5 seconds; 2. Brenten Hall/Paden Bray, 5.7; 3. Rhen Richard/Jeremy Buhler, 5.8; 4. Nelson Wyatt/Justin Davis, 5.9; 5. Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith, 5.9, $2,500 each; 6. Cory Kidd V/Lane Mitchell, 6.4, $2,500; 7. (tie) Cody Snow/Wesley Thorp, Levi Simpson/Caleb Hendrix, Coy Rahlmann/Jonathan Torres and Chad Masters/Trey Yates, NT, $2,500 each.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1. Sage Newman, 90 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Hitman; 2. (tie) Ben Andersen and Zeke Thurston, 88; 4. Chase Brooks, 87.5; 5. Kade Bruno, 86.5, $2,500; 6. Ryder Wright, 86, $2,500; 7. Ross Griffin, 85, $2,500; 8. Brody Cress, 83, $2,500; 9. Isaac Diaz, 81, $2,500; 10. Riggin Smith, 75.5, $2,500.
Tie-Down Roping: 1. Beau Cooper, 8.5 seconds; 2. Reese Riemer, 8.9; 3. Riley Mason Webb, 9.9; 4. Hunter Herrin, 9.9; 5. Caleb Smidt, 10.8, $2,500; 6. Shad Mayfield, 11.8, $2,500; 7. Adam Gray, 11.8, $2,500; 8. Matt Shiozawa, 12.6, $2,500; 9. (tie) Tuf Cooper and Cory Solomon, NT, $2,500 each.
Barrel Racing: 1. Jessica Routier, 14.63 seconds; 2. Molly Otto, 14.66; 3. Jordon Briggs, 14.73, $2,500; 4. Sissy Winn, 14.75; 5. Hailey Kinsel, 14.84, $2,500; 6. Shelley Morgan, 14.88, $2,500; 7. Summer Kosel, 14.90, $2,500; 8. Sarah Rose Waguespack, 15.07, $2,500; 9. Wenda Johnson, 15.28, $2,500; 10. Kassie Mowry, 20.79, $2,500.
Bull Riding: 1. Ky Hamilton, 86.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Vitalix Flight Risk; 2. Creek Young, NS; 3. J.B. Mauney, NS; 4. Josh Frost, NS; 5. (tie) Trey Benton III, Jeff Askey, Ernie Courson Jr., T. Parker, Chance Schott and Brady Porternier, NS, $2,500 each.
Championship Shootout
Bareback Riding: 1. Leighton Berry, 90 points on Calgary Stampede’s Yippee Kibitz, $50,000; 2. Kaycee Feild, 89, $20,000; 3. Keenan Hayes, 88, $10,000; 4. Cole Reiner, 87, $5,500.
Steer Wrestling: 1. Dalton Massey, 4.5 seconds, $50,000; 2. (tie) Cody Devers and Tyler Waguespack, 4.7, $15,000 each; 4. Rowdy Parrot, 5.1, $5,500.
Team Roping: 1. Rhen Richard/Jeremy Buhler, 5.5 seconds, $50,000 each; 2. Nelson Wyatt/Justin Davis, 9.9, $20,000; 3. (tie) Marcus Theriot/Cole Curry and Brenton Hall/Paden Bray, NT, $7,750 each.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1. Sage Newman, 90 points, $50,000; 2. Chase Brooks, 87, $20,000; 3. Ben Andersen, 83, $10,000; 4. Zeke Thurston, 81, $5,500.
Tie-Down Roping: 1. Riley Mason Webb, 8.9 seconds, $50,000; 2. Hunter Herrin, 9.6, $20,000; 3. Reese Riemer, 15.4, $10,000; 4. Beau Cooper, 18.5, $5,500.
Barrel Racing: 1. Jordon Briggs, 14.73 seconds, $50,000; 2. Molly Otto, 14.75, $20,000; 3. Jessica Routier, 14.79, $10,000; 4. Sissy Winn, 19.94, $5,500.
Bull Riding: 1. Ky Hamilton, 90.5 points on The Cervi Brothers’ Dim Tricks, $50,000; 2. Josh Frost, 86, $20,000; 3. Creek Young, NS, $10,000; 4. J.B. Mauney, Injured, $5,500.
*(all totals include ground money)
Total payoff: $1,950,030. Stock contractor: Cervi Championship Rodeo. Sub-contractors: Bailey Pro Rodeo, Calgary Stampede, J Bar J, Big Rafter Rodeo, Silver Spurs Club, Generations Pro Rodeo, The Cervi Brothers, Rocky Mountain Rodeo, Pete Carr Pro Rodeo, Stace Smith Pro Rodeos and Pickett Pro Rodeo Co. Rodeo secretary: Sunni Deb Backstrom. Officials: Butch Kirby, Will Lynd, Mike Todd and Harry Rose Jr. Timers: Molly Jane Twitchell and Vicki Pack. Announcers: Boyd Polhamus, Andy Seiler and Bob Tallman. Specialty act: Shelby Pierson. Bullfighters: Nathan Jestes, Beau Schueth and Dusty Tuckness. Clown/barrelman: Leon Coffee. Flankmen: Chuck Kite, Shad Smith, Ken Rehill and Cullen Pickett. Chute boss: Binion Cervi. Pickup men: Matt Twitchell, Chase Cervi, Gary Rempel and Randy Britton. Photographer: Mallory Beinborn. Music director: Benje Bendele.
