Rodeo Superstars Earn Wins at Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo in Mercedes

Held March 13-15, 2025, in Mercedes, Texas, the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo paid out $177,703 in the single round rodeo. Amidst the plethora of lengthy tournament-style winter rodeos happening currently, it was a nice change for the contestants who earned great paydays on a single run.

All-Around Cowboy

Continuing his hot streak from 2024, where he qualified for his first National Finals Rodeo in the bull riding in his rookie year of competition, Wacey Schalla had a great weekend in Mercedes. Winning the bareback riding, coupled with an eighth-place finish in the bull riding, Schalla claimed the coveted All-Around Cowboy title.

Wacey Schalla, $4,637, bareback riding and bull riding

Bareback Riding

Schalla, who qualified for the NFR in the bull riding in 2024, also finishing no. 27 in the World Standings in the bareback riding. The talented multi-event cowboy is continuing his winning ways in 2025, taking the win in Mercedes with an outstanding 87.5-point ride aboard Penthouse Pro Rodeo's Brazos.

1. Wacey Schalla, 87.5 points on Penthouse Pro Rodeo's Brazos, $4,406
2. Kade Sonnier, 86, $3,378
3. (tie) Tucker Carricato, Clay Jorgenson and Dean Thompson, 83, $1,714 each
6. (tie) Andy Gingerich and Lane McGehee, 82, $661 each
8. Colton Clemens, 81, $441

Steer Wrestling

Cody Devers is chasing his third NFR qualification, currently ranked No. 4 in the World Standings for 2025. A 3.5-second run for the win in Mercedes gave him a nice boost in the standings, just $6,000 short of the top spot.

1. Cody Devers, 3.5 seconds, $3,715
2. Tucker Allen, 3.7, $3,278
3. (tie) Riley Duvall and Dirk Tavenner, 3.8, $2,623 each
5. Garrett Oates, 3.9, $2,186; 6. (tie) Clay Hurt, J.D. Struxness and Heath Thomas, 4.0, $1,748 each
9. (tie) Newt Bush, Chance Howard, Marc Joiner and Jace Melvin, 4.1, $546 each

Team Roping

There is nothing surprising about seeing Clay Tryan's name at the top of the team roping results. The Montana cowboy is a legend, with 20 NFR qualifications, three World Championships, and two NFR Average titles. He and Nicky Northcott paired up to best young guns J.C. Yeahquo and Ross Ashford, who have been on a tear this winter, by just one-tenth of a second to take the win.

1. Clay Tryan/Nicky Northcott, 3.9 seconds, $4,035 each
2. J.C. Yeahquo/Ross Ashford, 4.0, $3,560
3. Cyle Denison/Lane Mitchell, 4.2, $3,086
4. Cody Snow/Hunter Koch, 4.4, $2,611
5. Clay Smith/Coleby Payne, 4.5, $2,136
6. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.6, $1,899
7. Devon Johnson/Boogie Ray, 4.8, $1,661
8. Gabe Williams/Trigger Hargrove, 5.0, $1,424
9. Zane Thompson/Chad Mathes, 5.2, $1,187
10. Jeff Flenniken/Buddy Hawkins II, 5.4, $949
11. Roan Oldfield/Creed West, 6.4, $712
12. Cory Kidd V/Dustin Davis, 6.6, $475

Saddle Bronc Riding

With eight consecutive NFR qualifications and three NFR Average titles, Brody Cress is once again sitting in the top ten of the World Standings for 2025. In Mercedes, he took home a big check for an 87.5-point ride on Macza Pro Rodeo's Molly Brown.

1. Brody Cress, 87.5 points on Macza Pro Rodeo's Molly Brown, $4,301
2. Gus Gaillard, 87, $3,297
3. (tie) Skinny Parsons and Ryder Wright, 85.5, $2,007 each
5. Darcy Radel, 85, $1,003
6. (tie) Lefty Holman, Tegan Smith and Tom Webster, 84.5, $573 each.

Tie Down Roping

2023 Turquoise Circuit Finals champion and May, Texas, cowboy, Richard Newton, bested the field in the tie down roping by two-tenths of a second to earn the win.

1. Richard Newton, 7.6 seconds, $4,829
2. Blane Cox, 7.8, $4,185
3. Trevor Hale, 8.0, $3,863
4. (tie) Andrew Burks and Tanner Green, 8.3, $3,059 each
6. Zack Jongbloed, 8.7, $2,576
7. (tie) Tyler Calhoun and Rodney Jackson, 9.1, $2,093 each
9. (tie) Cash Enderli and Lane Webb, 9.4, $1,449 each
11. (tie) Zaine Mikita and Marty Yates, 9.5, $1,046 each
13. Tate Thomas, 9.7, $644
14. Kincade Henry, 9.8, $483
15. Tom Crouse, 9.9, $322.

Bull Riding

After some serious time off due to an injury sustained during the 2023 NFR, Ky Hamilton is back in action. With a huge 88-point ride on TNT Pro Rodeo's Whistle Pig, he took the win in Mercedes. The 2023 World Champion and NFR Average winner is chasing his fifth qualification and this win gave him an important boost in the standings.

1. Ky Hamilton, 88 points on TNT Pro Rodeo's Whistle Pig, $4,611
2. T Parker, 85.5, $3,535
3. Tristen Hutchings, 84.5, $2,613
4. Jesse Petri, 84, $1,691
5. Dakota Hill, 83, $1,076
6. (tie) Jacob Carige and Jace Trosclair, 81, $692 each
8. (tie) Qynn Andersen and Wacey Schalla, 80.5, $231 each.

Barrel Racing

Social media phenomenon, businesswoman, mom, and 2014 World Champion, Fallon Taylor is chasing another trip to the NFR. When she purchased a young mare from futurity trainer Tricia Aldridge in the fall of 2023, Taylor had big plans for Furytyme, "Puma." The mare is living up to those expectations, notching her second major pro rodeo win in the past few weeks and launching them into the top 10 of the World Standings. Aldridge placed second behind Taylor on her standout stallion, Adios Pantalones. Stay tuned to Rodeo on SI for more on this storyline, coming soon.

1. Fallon Taylor, 15.48 seconds, $5,338
2. Tricia Aldridge, 15.56, $4,271
3. Keyla Costa, 15.57, $3,470
4. Julie Plourde, 15.60, $2,669
5. Andrea Busby, 15.61, $2,135
6. Halyn Lide, 15.66, $1,601
7. Jodee Miller, 15.68, $1,335
8. Tayla Moeykens, 15.71, $1,201
9. (tie) LaTricia Duke and Tiany Schuster, 15.73, $1,001 each
11. Hayle Gibson, 15.74, $801
12. Ashley Harvey, 15.77, $667
13. (tie) Abby Fields and Lisa Lockhart, 15.78, $467 each
15. (tie) Emily Beisel, Hailey Kinsel and Ilyssa Riley, 15.79, $89 each.

Breakaway Roping

It was an incredibly fast roping for the ladies in Mercedes, with a two-way tie at the top. Tori Brower and Ali Norcutt both made 1.8 second runs to tie for the big win.

1. (tie) Tori Brower and Ali Norcutt, 1.8 seconds, $5,220 each
3. (tie) Madison Outhier, Megan Powell and Britta Strain, 2.0, $2,997 each
6. (tie) Martha Angelone, Cassidy Boggs, Taylor Engesser and Summer Williams, 2.1, $1,414 each
10. (tie) Catherine Clayton, Sawyer Gilbert, Callie Hewett, Amanda Terrell and Hope Thompson, 2.2, $725 each
15. (tie) Emilee Charlesworth, Amber Crawford, Rylee A George, Jordan Jo Hollabaugh and Payton Scalzo, 2.3, $58 each