Zane Rampey triumphed in the Hooey Jr. Patriot 19-and-Under Tie-Down Semifinals with a time of 17.52 on two head, gathering $5,000 along the way.
The Weatherford College student has some ProRodeos on the calendar this weekend, but prioritized success at the Patriot because of the healthy payouts up for grab.
With times of 8.96 and 10.73 seconds in Round 1, Rampey advanced both of his entries out of nearly 200 ropers to Round 2.
“On my [8.96] I got out a little late, so I didn’t get the best go on him,” Rampey, 19, said. “I had to reach a little bit, and I fumbled my tie.”
Round 2 was composed of 50 entries with the top 15 on two coming back to the short go on Sunday. Rampey roped for the pair to his 10.73-second run, and things didn’t pan out.
“I was pretty upset with myself after that, so I just figured score and tie,” Rampey said. “Those seem to by my two weakest points.”
Riding 14-year-old mare “Jewel,” Rampey posted a time of 8.56 seconds from the fifth callback position.
“I knew the calf was really good, so I knew if I scored, roped and did my thing that I’d be alright,” Rampey said. “I didn’t know [the time] was going to win it, but I knew I’d be alright.”
In Rampey’s eyes, as long as he made the top 15 cutoff, it was all gravy. It paid $20,000 to win the Hooey Jr. Patriot 19-and-Under Tie-Down in 2024, and in 2025 the ropers have a chance at the $100,000 bonus round.
