SAN ANTONIO -- Saturday night was crunch time for contestants in Bracket 4 of the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo. 

Contestants in team roping, saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping and bull riding all made the most of their opportunities and won the third round and enough money to advance them to the semifinals. In the team roping it was former college champion Cody Tew from Montana and Wyoming's Ryan Zurcher who made the victory lap around the AT&T Center. 

Tew and Zurcher hadn't won a dime in the two previous rounds. Then they stopped the clock in 4.9 seconds to win $2,281 and secure a spot in the semifinals. The same thing happened in saddle bronc riding, this time to New Zealand native Curtis Garton. 

Garton, who has nearly qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo could see his whole season change with success here. He was seventh in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) world standings when he started competing in San Antonio. He rode J Bar J Rodeo's horse, Special Time, to an 85.5 score to win the third round. Now he has added $2,281 to his earnings and has a shot to win a lot more in the semifinals. 

In the tie-down roping it was Cooper Martin, from Alma, Kansas, that had the fast time of the night. Martin is a student at Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas, that competed at last year's College National Finals Rodeo. He also competed and did well enough in the PRCA to qualify here. He was 33rd in last year's standings. Martin stopped the clock in 6.9 seconds, won $2,281 and will compete here again. 

Kurtis Turner from Washington, Utah, was one of three bull riders that were successful Saturday night. He rode a bull from Andrews Rodeo Company for $2,471 and even though that was his only successful ride here, he earned enough money to move onto the semis. 

The big money winner in Bracket 4 was Tyler Scales from Severance, Colorado. Scales placed in the first round, then got to make two victory laps around the arena on Saturday after he won the second and third rounds. He has earned $5,418 here so far. 

The fifth and final bracket before the semifinals will have two rounds of competition on Sunday at 1 and 7:30 PM. It will finish on Monday, then the first of two semifinals will start on Tuesday.

by: Susan Kanode