By JON FULBRIGHT
Staff Writer
PECOS, July 8, 1996 - Pecos is a good place for roper Arnold Felts to
pick up stuff.

In 1983, he picked up the grand prize at the 100th Anniversary West
of the Pecos Rodeo, and every couple of years since then, Felts has been
able to claim the rodeo's All-Around Cowboy title.

Title No. 4 came Saturday night, when he came away not only as the top
multiple-event money winner for 1996, but also ran away with top honors
in steer roping, as the 114th Anniversary West of the Pecos Rodeo came
to a close at the Buck Jackson Rodeo Arena.

A record total of $201,410 in prize money was given out to PRCA
cowboys this year, and the individual payouts were the highest sincc the
centennial rodeo 13 years ago.~

That one was also won by Felts, who also picked up the top prize in 1987
and 1992.

"This is the first time for the bag," he said, just prior to
receiving both it and his steer roping belt buckle. "The first one (in
1983) it was a horse trailer, the second was a diamond ring and the
third one was this buckle set I'm wearing."

Felts earned a total of $6,900.01 for his efforts, which included a
winning time of 37.7 seconds on three runs in steer roping. It was five
seconds faster than runner-up Marty Jones, and was worth $2,922.

Jones won the short-go on Saturday night with a 12.6 time, while Jim
Davis placed second at 13.2 seconds and Felts third wilh a 13.6 time.
Felts earlier had taken second in the first go-round, while the second
go-round winner, Dan Fisher, set a new arena record wilh a 10.4 second
time.

In calf roping, Felts picked up $388 for a seventh place finish in the
first go-round. Leddy Lewis won the first go-round with a 9.5 time, Clay
Cerney took the second go in 9 flat, and Clint Sorrell's 10.1 time won
Salurday's short go.

However, it was Saturday's runner-up, Raymond Hollabaugh, who took thc
overall calf roping title, with a 33.4 second time on three calves,
while the third place finisher Saturday, Herbert Theriot, wound up
second to Felts for All-Around honors.

The Poplarville, Miss., cowboy had a 10.8 time in the short go and
placed fourth overall with a 34.5 time. That carned him $2,135 in the
event, and he followed that up later in the evening by winning thc steer
wrestling competition.

Theriot brought his steer down in 4.8 seconds in thc short go to move
up from sixth place to first, with a combined 14.6 time, .3 seconds
better than Jim Bob Clayman, who also was second in Saturday's short go
with a 5.4 time.

Clayman earlier had placed third in the first go-round of steer
wrestling, with a 4.3 time. Brian Fields and Chuck Jankowski shared the
title there, with 4.1 times, while Rope Myers had the best time of the
rodeo, in winning the second go-round in four seconds flat.

Theriot took home a total of $5,841.34, while Davis also broke the
$5,000 barrier in combined winnings, taking $5,068.26 back to Abilene.
In addition to steer roping, Davis and partner Travis Kiehne placed
fifth in the average in team roping, with a 30.2 time on three tries.

Last year's world champion ropers, Bobby Hurley and Allen Bach, placed
among the top finishers -- but with dirfferent partners -- while the
team that took the Iead after the first go-round, Robert Gonzales and
Mickey Gomez, closed things out by winning Saturday's short-go as well.

The pair followed up their 6.9 second effort on Monday wilh a 7.7
time Saturday, and finished with a 23.3 time for three steers. Bach and
new partner Charles Poague were second, at 25.9 seconds, after a third
place finish (9.4 seconds) on Saturday and a sixth (8.1) in the second
go-round.

Hurley and his panner, Cody Cowden, won the second go, with 7.2 time.

In the riding events, Friday turned out to be the night the winners
made their appearances at the West of the Pecos Rodeo.

Marvin Garrett, the current PRCA bareback riding leader, solidified
that position by winning the event. Garrett, who is seeking his third
straight world's championship title and fifth overall, scored 82 points
on board `No Satisfaction.' The Belle Fourche, S.D. cowboy earned
$4,303.

Chris Harris of Arlington and Jeffrey Collins of Wister, Okla., tied
for second with 80-point rides, and each won $2,869.

In bull riding, Michael Gaffney of Lubbock tied the arena points
record at the close of Friday's show, scoring 88 points on `Crocodile
Rock.' That was three better than another Lubbock cowboy, Michael
Daniel, who also rode on Friday and scored 85 points aboard
`Abracadabra.'

Australian Troy Dunn, won third, riding `Locomotion' on what was the
final bull ride of the night Saturday -- outside of rodeo clown Smurf
Horton's backward bull ride which gave the crowd one final thrill.

Gaffney collected the biggest payout of the rodeo for a single event,
$6,l36, while Daniel took home $4,704 and Dunn $3,477.

In saddle bronc riding, Craig Latham won his second title in three
years in Pecos, with an 83 point ride aboard `Jumpin Jenny' on Friday.
It was five points better than runner-up Philip Haughen of Weatherford,
Okla., and six more than Mike Coon of Stepheville, both of whom rode on
Saturday.

Latham, of Texhoma, collected $4,739 for his ride, while Haughen
earned $3,634 and Coon $2,686.

In ladies' barrel racing, the 17.63 time turned in by Sherry Cervi of
Marana, Ariz., during the special pre-rodeo slack performance on Tuesday
held up through the four regular performances of the rodeo and was worth
$2,571.

Stacey Brent of LaPorte, who rode on Thursday, was next with a 17.91
time and earned $2,121, while Carissa Allred, who performed during the
opening night show on Wednesday, was .01 behind and won $1,607 for third
place.

The top fnishes among local riders came from T.J. Kenney, who
collected $1,066 for finishing in a four-way tie for fourth in saddle
bronc riding, and by barrel racer Lisa Fernandes of Mentone, whose 18.17
time earned her a tie for 14th place in that event, which paid off the
top 15 finishers.

Including the barrel racing money, this year's total payoff was
$214,265.25. It was the highest ever for the West of the Pecos Rodeo,
surpassing the 100th anniversary show 13 years ago, which was a
five-night performance. The combined payout was also more than $62,000
above last year's prize money.