UWs Chadron Coffield Second in Steer Wrestling Halfway Through Third Round

The University of Wyoming’s Chadron Coffield didn’t have the words to describe what he was thinking when his steer quickly got away from him during Wednesday’s bulldogging competition at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper.

But, somehow, things quickly changed when his hazer, Cauy Pokorny, of Laramie County Community College, saved the day. As a result, Coffield had his best time of the week in 7.3 seconds to move into second in the average halfway through the third and final round.

To begin with, Coffield’s horse acted up in the box and wouldn’t calm down, which caused a long delay. And, once the steer left the chute, things quickly went south, as Coffield was late getting out of the box. The steer sprinted away from the Yuma, Colo., senior, breaking to the right.

That’s when Pokorny did his job as Coffield’s hazer. Pokorny’s horse slid alongside the steer and nudged it toward the UW Cowboy, who quickly caught up. Coffield wanted to give all of the credit to Pokorny.

“That was all my hazer right there, because that steer was wanting to go into him. I wasn’t really going over there, because I was just trying to catch up,” Coffield said. “My hazer brought him right back to me so I could catch him and work with him. I was just so grateful for Cauy for getting me back in the game.”

Coffield has a chance to qualify for two short go events Saturday. He was still in the average in tie down roping.

Only two UW Cowboys competed during Wednesday’s performance.

Jase Staudt, of Nathrop, Colo., completed his third tie down roping run with his best effort of the week at 9.9 seconds, but it wasn’t the week for which he hoped. He missed on his first calf and was saddled with a 10-second penalty on his second run that turned into 23 seconds.

“It wasn’t the great week that I had hoped for, but that’s how it goes sometimes,” the senior says. He was the regional champion in the event this past season. “Coming here, it’s the best kids in the nation. You’ve got to draw good and do your job for it all to come together. But, I had a good calf in the third round, and I made a pretty good run on him.”

The UW senior, who also won the regional all-around title, finishes off his week with his third-round team roping opportunity with former Cowboy JC Flake, of Gillette College. Staudt and Flake still have an outside chance of qualifying for Saturday’s short go despite missing on their first steer. They posted a time of 10.5 seconds during Tuesday’s slack.

The UW women are currently tied for fourth in the interim team standings with 165 points. Montana State University leads with 355. The Cowboys are tied for 19th with 160 points, compared to leader Western Oklahoma State College’s 455.