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Franks gets rank to finish sixth

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Cole Franks. Photo by Greg Westfall
By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo
LAS VEGAS – Bareback rider Cole Franks stretched his right hand, rolled his neck around and winced.
It looked like he’d just been in a fist fight. Whether he’d won is still up in the air. There was victory, as much as one can have when he tangles with 1,200 of wild, bucking flesh, but there was that look.
Franks had just packed a whale of a punch on Rosser Rodeo’s Right On Q for 83.75 points. It was good enough for sixth place in Thursday’s eighth round of the National Finals Rodeo and picked up $5,914. He might need that for an ice bath.
“I feel very glad that the next two horses I’m getting on are going to be fun,” said Franks, a four-time NFR qualifier from Clarendon, Texas. “It should be fun, so hopefully it is.”
ProRodeo’s premier championship is a slugfest for bareback riders. They are challenged by a variety of bucking horses, from the “hoppers,” the easiest to ride, to the “eliminators,” which is self-descriptive. Right On Q was part of the latter. The powerful, red explosive device was anything but fun.
“That horse was a little bit more than I expected,” Franks said. “I knew it was going to be hard, and I knew it was going to buck. I’m not really sure what happened, but I got set up right at the start, and he stepped ahead a little bit and hit me in the back of the head pretty hard, and it kind of rang my bell. I was just fighting the whole rest of the time, trying to stay caught up with him.
“I pretty much dropped the ball a little bit again tonight.”
The goal is to spur from in front of the horse’s shoulders and back to the rigging, then extend the feet back to the front before the bronc’s front feet hit the ground again. Judges are going to mark half the score based on how well the animal performs, and the other half on how well the cowboy spurs in rhythm with the horse’s bucking motion.
The tougher the bronc, the harder it is to do that. Still, Franks has ridden seven horses for a cumulative 676.75 points and is fourth in the average race. He has amassed $63,426 in eight rounds and sits sixth in the world standings with $256,787. Money for placing in the aggregate will be added Saturday night; as it stands, he has potential to add $44,356 to his pockets.
But this has been a rather slow NFR compared to his three previous. A year ago, he earned more than $156,000 over 10 nights.
“It’s not what I’m used to, but it’s adding up,” Franks said. “I mean once that average sinks in, it’ll be close and will even out a little bit. Hopefully the next two rounds will be $37,000 a night.”
Go-round winners earn $36,668, so he still has a chance at more than $73,000 in round money along with his average payout. It’s a big opportunity to cash out big in Vegas.

Franks, old friend tangle in Vegas

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Cole Franks rides Sippin’ Firewater at the NFR in Vegas. Photo by Greg Westfall

By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

LAS VEGAS – In February 2021, Cole Franks was a 19-year-old cowboy who was being trained by his dad, Bret, the rodeo coach at Clarendon (Texas) College.

Sippin Firewater was about 5 years old and was being used as a training tool for the Clarendon rodeo team. Bret Franks and the college had a partnership with Bill Hext, a livestock producer near Glazier, Texas, in which the student athletes would practice on the animal.

“We called him Mouthwash when we had him, because it felt like you needed some mouthwash when you got done dealing with him,” said Cole Franks, 24, a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Clarendon. “He was a little hard to handle.

“We bucked him in the bronc riding a bunch, and no one could ever get out on him or get a clean go or could ever really figure him out. Finally, one day, I just told Dad that I’m getting on him, and we came up with a game plan. He went out there and was and was an NFR-caliber horse from the first time I ever got on him.”

The college and Hext sold the bronc to Rorey Lemmel, who owns Harper & Morgan Rodeo Co. Ten months later, both Cole Franks and Sippin Firewater were at the NFR for the first time.

“That horse made everything start snowballing for me,” Franks said. “Right after I got on that horse, I finally started winning a little bit at the ProRodeos. For whatever reason, everything just clicked. That horse and both his brothers hold a pretty special spot for me.”

It came full circle during Tuesday’s sixth round of this year’s NFR. Franks and Sippin Firewater danced across the Thomas & Mack Center dirt for 85.5 points. Franks finished in a tie for fourth place, collecting $12,420 – it was Franks’ biggest payday so far in Las Vegas. While the bronc is at an elite level in the sport, one brother remains a practice horse in Clarendon, and the other is being used as a pickup horse,

“We didn’t really know anything about those three horses when we got them, and still really don’t know much about them,” he said, noting that a Hext bucking stallion has been breeding on the family’s ranch in the northeastern portion of the Texas Panhandle. “Since we knew who their dad is, we started breeding to that stud to see what we could get.”

Raising bucking horses is an important step in the progression of rodeo. Bucking studs are matched with bucking mares to provide strong genetics, and the proof is shown at the 205 horses performing in Las Vegas. Sippin Firewater is one of them.

“We’ve both grown up a lot since then,” Franks said. “He’s chilled out a lot, but he’s still very hair-triggered and he’s just a freakin’ bucking horse. When I first got on him, he didn’t really know what he was doing because I was the first person to ever stay on him after the second jump.”

The horse has figured it out now.

“When I got on him the first time, I was putting my rigging on him and talking to him, scratching under his chin,” he said. “That was one thing I figured out with him. If you just treat him kind of like a baby, love on him a little bit, he’d mellow out a little. He’s definitely a lot more bucking horse today than he was five years ago.”

It’s been a bit of a slow ride in Sin City for Franks. He has ridden six broncs for a cumulative score of 507.25 points and earned $32,000. He is seventh in the world standings with $232,442.

“We’re chipping away at it,” Franks said. “A little bit is better than nothing. I’m just going to keep doing my job. I’ve got the horse I wanted in (Wednesday’s) pen.”

Franks will test Bridwell Pro Rodeo’s Silver Beaver in Round 7. His traveling partner, Rocker Steiner, won Friday’s second round on the California bucking horse.

“I was talking to Tim Bridwell (Tuesday), and I told him I predicted I’d be getting on his horse,” Franks said. “I guess I manifested it a little bit.”

At this stage of the week with four rounds remaining in ProRodeo’s grand finale, the Texas cowboy is ready to do anything he can to collect some big Las Vegas cash.

Patterson rides high on night one at NFR

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By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

A few minutes after his opening-round ride at the National Finals Rodeo, saddle bronc rider Weston Patterson was looking for video.

“I literally blacked out and don’t remember my ride until the whistle blew,” said Patterson, a Clarendon College alumnus and first-time NFR qualifier from Waverly, Kansas. “I got off on the pickup man, got down and just heard the crowd. That was pretty cool.”

Yes, it was. It was just as exciting to watch the replay on Snapchat. He matched moves with Cervi Brothers’ Womanizer for 88.5 points to finish as the runner-up on Night 1 of ProRodeo’s grand championship. For that, Patterson pocketed $28,280 and moved from 11th to eighth in the world standings.

“That’s just a really good horse,” Patterson said of the 2020 PRCA Saddle Bronc of the Year. “That’s really the one you want. I knew it was going to be a good chance to do something if he had his day.”

The powerful paint did, and so did Patterson, a College National Finals Rodeo qualifier while competing at Clarendon College. It was a big move on the first night of his first NFR.

“I wasn’t really nervous tonight,” he said. “I was just excited to get this started.”

There’s a lot of new when it comes to competing on the sport’s biggest stage. This is where every young cowboy dreams of being, which offers a purse of $17.5 million. By the time the 10-day championship comes to a close Dec. 13, the world champions will be crowned.

Patterson has increased his season earnings to $212,715, with nearly $40,000 coming during the opening week in Las Vegas. In addition to the money earned Thursday, each qualifier earns $10,000 for advancing to the championship.

“Probably the coolest thing I’ve gotten to experience is just hearing that crowd when I got off that horse,” said Patterson, who finished the 2021 intercollegiate campaign as the reserve champion and was part of men’s team title at Clarendon.

The last time he was in competition was the Sept. 30, and he won the bronc-riding in Roggen, Colorado. He decided to knock the rust off his riding skills a couple weeks ago.

“It went OK, but I got bucked off two of the three horses I got on,” he said with a laugh. “It didn’t really affect my confidence, though. I just thought, ‘You rode well enough to get there, so just go out there and have fun.’ ”

It’s working so far.

Franks grabbing payouts at NFR

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By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo

Six years ago, Cole Franks was 18 years old with an eye for bucking horses.

Fringe Jacket was three and had already drawn praise as one of the rising stars of bucking horses. He comes great genetics.

Clarendon’s Cole Franks rides at the 2025 NFR. PRCA photo by Lara St Jacques

His sire is Lunatic Fringe, which has produced many top bucking offspring. One of the most legendary stallions is Night Jacket, which sired Big Valley, Fringe Jacket’s mom.

J-Bar-J’s Fringe Jacket is now 9 years old and is recognized as one of the top bucking horses in the business.

“Guy French raised him,” Franks said of the Texas man, whose son rides bareback horses in the PRCA. “I’ve seen that horse when it was a colt they bucked under a dummy. Keenan Hayes (the 2023 world champion) got on it twice one week at the Junior NFR in like 2019, and I saw it then. Every time I’ve seen that horse, I wanted to get on that horse.”

He got his chance and made it work. He rode the athletic bay for 87.25 points to finish in a tie for sixth place during Monday’s fifth round of bareback riding at the National Finals Rodeo. That was worth $7,688 and added a little more to Franks’ pocketbook. He has cleared $19,660 in five nights, but half that came with the $10,000 bonus all contestants receive when they qualify for ProRodeo’s premier event.

It was also the second straight night in which Franks has placed after being shut out of the pay window after the opening three rounds.

“That round money is not bad,” said Franks, 24, of Clarendon. “Compared to the first three days, it’s good. Something’s better than nothing. My confidence is where it needs to be. I’m doing my job.”

When the business is riding bucking horses, it’s good to be in Las Vegas. There are a lot of rodeos in which Franks competes that a $7,700 paycheck would mean winning the rodeo; at the NFR, it’s because he finished just above the pay line. This is the place he wants to be in December, and he’s missed the finale just once since he was the 2021 Rookie of the Year.

That came in 2023, when he finished 17th. He’s never seen a season where he wasn’t in the top 20, and he’s finished among the top 6 in each of his four appearances to the NFR.

“I’m a little worried, but that’s because at this point of the NFR, I’m used to having a lot more won, and I’m sitting a lot better,” said Franks, who is seventh in the world standings with $220,022. “At the same time, I came in a lot higher this year than I ever have. I’m sitting about the exact spot I always have about this time, but I just haven’t made much money yet this week.”

The 10-round marathon has reached its halfway point. In five days, world champions will be crowned, and over that stretch, go-round winners will collect nearly $37,000 a night. The opportunities are there for the taking.

“It’s a restart (Tuesday),” he said. “I’m looking at it as two five-round rodeos. This rodeo is over, and tomorrow is a new rodeo.”

Candidates line up to be treasurer

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Voters in the Republican Primary next spring will have to decide two contested races in Donley County following Monday’s filing deadline.

Three people are running for Donley County Treasurer, and two people are running for Commissioner in Precinct 4.

County Republican Chair Bill Word said County Treasurer Wanda Smith is retiring at the end of her term, and three people have signed up for her position – Zan Bullock, who currently employed by Smith’s office, Joaenea Horn, and Terri Luna.

Precinct 4 Commissioner Dan Sawyer has drawn a challenger for his job from Shaun O’Keefe, who has been serving as a regent for Clarendon College.

Five other county officials signed up unopposed for the Republican nomination for their offices: County Judge John Howard, County Clerk Vicky Tunnell, Precinct 1&2 Justice of the Peace Sarah Hatley, Precinct 3&4 Justice of the Peace Pat White, and Precinct 2 Commissioner Daniel Ford.

Also appearing on the Republican ballot will be Word, seeking another terms as county chair for the party, and Sandy Childress, who is running to be the party’s Precinct 1 chair.

Democratic Chair Lajean Taylor said no candidates signed up to run for that party’s nomination for county offices. The Democratic ballot will however have Eulaine McIntosh, running to take Taylor’s place as party chair, and Brenda Swinney, who will seek to be the party chair in Precinct 3.

Republican and Democratic primary elections will be held on March 3, 2026.

H’wick, Hedley to host Santa Saturday

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Santa Claus is coming to Howardwick and Hedley this Saturday to meet with kids and spread some Christmas cheer.

Howardwick families are invited to that city’s annual Christmas for Kids from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at City Hall. Santa Claus will be there to take pictures with kids, and a Letters to Santa Station will also be set up. There will be gifts for every child and snacks and drinks for everyone.

Santa will then be in Hedley from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the Hedley Senior Citizens Center hosted by the Hedley Volunteer Fire Department. A fire truck will be on scene, and there will be free hot chocolate and homemade cookies.

King touts wins for rural health care, firefighters

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State Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian) reviewed the accomplishments of recent legislative sessions when he visited Clarendon last Tuesday for a town hall meeting at the Bairfield Activity Center.

King, who chairs the State Affairs Committee, said the Legislature was faced with about 9,000 bills this year with 700 of them coming through his committee.

“There’s not 700 good ideas in Austin,” King said, “so that’s a really good committee to represent you.”

One of the bills King was particularly proud of was a rural health care bill that provides grant funding for ambulances in rural areas.

“Rural health covers 89 percent of the state,” King said.

Some of his urban colleagues were not strong supporters of the bill, King said, until he asked if they ever traveled to Colorado. He told them if they have an accident on the highway, without support for rural health care, “there’s no one coming to help you.” The bill passed and was signed into law.

Donley County Judge John Howard and Donley County Hospital District Administrator Anna Howard with State Rep. Ken King at last week’s town hall meeting.
Enterprise Photo

Donley County Judge John Howard and Donley County Hospital District Administrator Anna Howard were both at Tuesday’s meeting to personally thank King for his support of the bill that will allow counties with populations under 10,000 may receive up to $500,000 for new ambulances.

Rep. King also discussed his work to require electric utilities to have wildfire mitigation plans, which will help reduce the likelihood of bad power poles starting wildfires in high winds. In 2024, King said about 80 wildfires were started by electric powerlines. In 2025, King said that number dropped to eight, largely because utilities now deenergize powerlines during high winds.

King also worked to provided $197 million to fund a backlog of grants for equipment for volunteer fire departments. Money has also been allocated to allow the state to secure or contract aircraft for fighting wildfire on its own instead of relying on the federal government.

“During the Smokehouse Creek Fire, we didn’t get planes for four days,” King said.

King wants to continue to work to help first responders and disaster preparedness by addressing issues of interoperability to allow for better and faster communications between agencies.

King also addressed new funding for water projects to prepare the state for the future and discussed carve-outs in that program to make sure rural communities have access to funding. He briefly addressed concerns some citizens have about the water usage of AI datacenters now in development in West Texas and the Panhandle. King said everyone needs to be cautious about calls to restrict water usage.

“The worst thing that can happen is for Austin to start making restrictions on water usage,” he said.

King also said the power production installed by AI datacenters and new nuclear plants will eventually result in a power surplus in the state that will benefit electric rate payers.

King talked about the how the state has used budget surpluses for several things in the last session. He said a lot of that money was still COVID relief money and won’t be coming back, so future state budgets will have to deal with that reality.

He briefly talked about social issues and some of the actions taken by the legislature but also noted that “I’ve never seen us be able to legislate good behavior or morality.”

There were very few questions or comments from the audience on Tuesday. One person asked about school vouchers. King said he doesn’t think the new voucher program will help anyone in his district.

“It’s a billion dollar entitlement that will help less than five percent of the people,” he said.

287 bridge project Phase 2 nears end

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Phase Two work on the US 287 bridge between Kearney and Gorst streets is moving quickly with officials expecting Phase Three to start in early January.

TxDOT says the project contractor expects to pour the concrete paving next week, weather permitting. If that goes as planned, all traffic switch to the south side of the bridge sometime early January.

Phase One began in July and was originally anticipated to last through December, but that work wrapped up early and Phase Two started in early November.

Lady Broncos play strong in Naz Tourney

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By Sandy Anderberg

The Lady Broncos played three good teams in the Nazareth Tournament last week. Shallowater and Tulia from 3A and 2A Abernathy.

The Lady Broncos played solid against Shallowater in the opening round and only lost by two points at 58-60. Presley Smith was on fire finishing with 19 points and Kenidee Hayes added 12. Berkley Moore put in nine, and Kate Shaw had eight. Shaw has returned to her spot under the basket after a long year of recuperating from a knee injury a year ago. Cambree Smith put in five, Madi Benson added four, and Millie McAnear helped with one.

The ladies trailed by five at the break, but put together a great third quarter of play to close the gap to one. Time ran out and they finished two points behind. They finished the game with 12 three-pointers and converted eight of eleven free throws.

They went up against Tulia in the second game and ran away with a 61-17 win over the Lady Hornets.

They were unstoppable as they shot 100 percent from the bonus line and knocked down three three-pointers in the game. Moore played solid and turned in 15 points to lead the way, and McAnear and C. Smith had eight each. P. Smith and Hayes had seven each, and Shaw and Ellis put in six apiece, while Kinslee Hatley and Benson helped with two each.

The Lady Broncos took on Abernathy in the final game and were defeated 43-59. The Lady Broncos gave their all in the game going toe-to-toe with the strong team and the game was closer than the score revealed.

Hayes and Shaw scored 11 points each to lead the way, and P. Smith and Ellis helped with five points each. More and Benson finished with four apiece, and C. Smith had three.

The ladies will travel to Perryton on December 12 and begin their District schedule December 16.

Broncos slam the Cowboys

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By Sandy Anderberg

The Clarendon Broncos outlasted the Happy Cowboys at home last week in their 50-37 win.

Bronco Heston Seay goes up for a layup last week at home against Happy.
Courtesy Photo / Al Elam

Michael Randall, Heston Seay, and Braxton Gribble led the way with all three finishing with double digit points. Randall also grabbed 23 rebounds that allowed him a double-double on the night.

The Broncos worked their way to an eight-point lead after the first eight minutes and dominated from there on out. The Cowboys attempted a comeback in the final period but failed to convert the points they needed to catch up.

As a team, the Broncos posted 34 rebounds, 15 assists, 12 steals, ad. Five blocks against a determined Cowboy team. They finished at 44 percent from the free-throw line hitting seven of 16, and Happy finished at 25 percent. A little bit of foul trouble put them in a tough spot.

Randall put in 15, Gribble and Seay both finished with 10 from the field. Caleb Herbert put in eight, Tyler Cavanaugh had five, and Kreed Robinson helped with two.

The Broncos went up against Wildorado in the first round of the White Deer Tournament and defeated them 60-42 in their second meeting of the season.

The Broncos dominated the Mustangs on the board with 35 rebounds. They also had 15 assists, 12 steals, and five blocks in the game. Randall came home with another double-double with 21 points and 23 rebounds, while Gribble put up 12 points, and Herbert helped with 10. Brentley Gaines had eight, Seay put in five, Tyler Cavanaugh added three, and Robinson converted one free throw.

The Broncos fell short in the next game with Canyon JV and were defeated 31-55. They were only able to shoot 27 percent from the bonus line and were six of twenty-six from the arc.
Gribble and Tyler Cavanaugh led with eight, and Randall had six.

The Broncos will participate in the Childress Tournament December 11-13 and will travel to Fritch December 16 and play at Sunray December 19.

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