STORYLINES BEGIN TO TAKE SHAPE AFTER PERFORMANCE 7

SHAWNEE, Okla. –As the dust settles on Performance 7, Round 2 of the International Finals Youth Rodeo (IFYR), storylines and average races begin to take shape.

DJ Birdsong (Claremore, Okla.) does it again! The First Go Barrel Racing winner takes the lead again with an impressive 16.113-second run. Narrowly topping her first go-round time, the Sooner State cowgirl takes the early lead in the average with a time of 32.238 seconds on two runs.

Multi-event cowgirl Merrick Moyer (Woodward, Okla.) made money moves in Performance 7, with a speedy 20.109-second run, taking over the lead in the performance and round in the pole bending.

Kasey Bass (Brenham, Texas) shook up the breakaway roping leaderboard with a snappy 2.1-second catch, taking over the performance and round lead.

In goat tying, all eyes were on Kenna Thomas (Early, Texas), as she was the quickest of the performance with a 7.3-second run, tying Kaydence Smith (Comanche, Okla.) for the round lead. With an average time of 14.7 seconds on two runs, Thomas currently sits in second place in the average race.

In Performance 7, Texan Rendon Powledge (Grandview, Texas) was the quickest to stop the clock in the tie-down roping, with a 9.6-second run.

In steer wrestling, Oklahoma native Dally Trussell (McLeod, Okla.) took the lead in Performance 7 and in Round 2 with a smooth 5.3-second performance.

Making it to the 8-second whistle for the second time this week was saddle bronc rider Wyatt Lavergne (Sulphur, La.), who took the lead in the performance, round, and average with a score of 77.0 points and an average score of 156.0 points on two rides.

Also covering his second horse was bareback rider Collin Roland (Childersburg, Ala.), with an impressive 77.0-point ride, narrowly placing him in second in the average race, with an average mark of 149.0 points.

Team ropers Walker Guy (Stephenville, Texas) and Parker Guy (Stephenville, Texas) laid down the quickest run of the performance and round thus far with a smooth 5.6-second run.

In bull riding, Australian cowboy Cade Ferguson (Cloncurry, Q.L., Aus.) showcased his international talents with a 79.5-point ride.

The rodeo action will continue with Round 2, Performance 8 taking place at 9 a.m. at the Heart of Oklahoma Expo Center and will continue through the evening of July 12.
A full list of results can be found HERE.