Trappers surprise head coach Del Nose

Northwest College rodeo head coach Del Nose was confident the second half of the season would be his team’s time to step up.

The Trapper Cowboys and Cowgirls took several important steps last week in Montana.

Over the course of two rodeos Thursday through Sunday at Montana State University in Bozeman, Mont., the NWC men and women found expected and unexpected success and backed up their coach’s confidence.

“Well, the deal is, it was a great weekend,” Nose said Tuesday. “Our practice has paid off; I think our kids are really improving, and it showed at both rodeos.”

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, NWC’s cowboys battled with six other schools, while the cowgirls tangled with seven. The Trapper men came away with 390 points to take third, while the University of Montana-Western (500) placed first ahead of Montana State (450).

The women fared slightly better, bouncing back from a challenging first half with a hard-fought, first-place tie. The Trapper cowgirls collected 260 points to tie with Montana State and the University of Great Falls.

“They all stepped up to the plate, the guys all stepped up to the plate — I was real thrilled,” Nose added.

During the three-day rodeo, the NWC men enjoyed a pleasant surprise when sophomore Cree Minkoff tied for first in saddle bronc riding with 65 points. He was unable to replicate that performance during Sunday’s rodeo, but coach Nose said Minkoff’s victory was a long time coming.

“I’ll tell you what, he’s worked his ass off. He’s worked hard for it,” Nose said. “He started right out of high school — hell, he was a wrestler — but he’s worked, and worked and worked. Everyone on this team knows how hard he’s worked.”

Minkoff’s win helped propel him to 10th place in the Big Sky Standings. Sophomore Ricky Warren finished just shy off Minkoff, scoring 64 points before posting another 62 Sunday to finish second. Warren is fourth in the Big Sky.

“Ricky Warren has really stepped up to the plate,” Nose said. “The more he rides, the more confidence he gets and the better he rides.”

Big Sky team roping leaders and sophomores Shawn Bird and Zach Schweigert had a tough three-day stretch, placing fifth overall after missing their steer in the second round of action. They bounced back to score 175 points on Sunday for a victory, and have a 225-point cushion between them and second place.

At Sunday’s rodeo, UM-Western secured first place with 723 points, while Northwest’s 637 were good enough for second.

Warren was second in the men’s all-around with 208 points. In the bareback riding, freshman Jesse Nelson placed second with 68 points, a close second behind Montana State’s Wyatt Bloom (74).

After the four-day stretch of action, the NWC men remain in third place in the Big Sky with 3,060 points. Montana State holds steady in second with 3,746 and UM-Western leads all nine region teams with 4,077.5 points.

The NWC cowgirls had a tougher day Sunday, placing fourth with 145 points. The Montana State women won the rodeo with 332.25 points.

A bright spot for the Trapper women was freshman Kelsy Robinson, who won the barrel racing competition at both rodeos.

Her two times of 29.93 Thursday through Saturday and time of 14.85 Sunday left Nose both shocked and excited.

“Well it really surprised me ... I did not expect Kelsy Robinson to win both barrel races, and she smoked ’em,” Nose said. “We needed big performances out of our women last week and we got them.”

Robinson’s big weekend pushed her all the way to second in the Big Sky standings with 507 points, but she still has work to do if she plans to catch current leader Kaela Murphy of Montana State.

NWC will return to the arena April 24-26 in Glendive, Mont., and Nose said strong practices could help the Trappers build on what they accomplished in Bozeman.

“I’m thrilled about [our next rodeo], and I’m looking for the same performances there,” Nose said. “We’re just not hitting on all cylinders yet, but look out — we’re coming.”