Hometown Hero Brody Cress Delivers a Ride For the Ages at Cheyenne Frontier Days
Brody Cress has been coming to Cheyenne Frontier Days for as long as he can remember. Yesterday, he put on a show that local rodeo fans will never forget.
The Hillsdale, Wyoming, native came into Sunday's final round less than one point behind leader Jake Wright in the Saddle Bronc standings.
After his horse Charlie's Angel limped out of the chutes, it looked like Cress's score of 79.5 wouldn't be enough to win. Luckily, the judges gave him the option for a re-ride, which set the stage for the most dramatic moment of the day.
As the Cheyenne East High School alum prepped for the final ride, the crowd rose to their feet. This time, his horse Black Box came out bucking and Cress delivered the best performance of his young career, scoring an 88.5 to bring the buckle back home to the Cowboy State.
Cress is the first Wyoming native to win the CFD Saddle Bronc competition since Casper's Craig Latham in 1995. For the former three-time state wrestling champion, it was the title he's been chasing his entire life.
"Aside from the World Championship, this is the one I wanted the most," Cress told the hometown fans. "I’ve been coming to this rodeo since I was a little kid, and I’ve always dreamed of winning it."
The $14,000 payout brings Cress' yearly earnings over $57,000 and catapulted the up-and-coming Saddle Bronc rider to #13 in the PRCA World Standings.