By Al Camp
Chronicle staff

     A lot goes on during an Omak Stampede rodeo, and this year’s 74th edition was no exception.
     You often seen the bullfighters sprinting around but it’s difficult to tell how close they actually come to the beefy brutes.
     This year Dwayne Hargo Jr. and Donny Griggs teamed up to protect cowboys and still give the crowd something to remember.
     They played tag with one bull so many times that when the bull finally decided to trot off, his legs crumpled from being so dizzy.
     Several members of the Army National Guard tooled around the arena in a Humvee with Miss Omak Stampede Hannah McDaniel and Miss Rodeo Washington Jesse Budd.
     Those with the guard included Master Sgt. Gary Fletcher, Kennewick; Staff Sgt. Steven Rowe, Wenatchee; Staff Sgt. David Jenkins, Moses Lake, and Cpt. Justin Morris, Moses Lake.
     Morris is a 1989 Okanogan graduate.
     In mutton bustin’, Sterling Ritch, a 4-year-old from Omak, stayed aboard 15.8 seconds on Sunday. That was the longest ride of the four-day rodeo.
     Other mutton bustin’ winners included Thursday, Braden Hennigs, Okanogan, 14.08 seconds; Friday, Shantana Pakootas, 6, Omak, 11.2 seconds, and Saturday, Taryn Hoskins, 4, Parma, Idaho, 4.84 seconds.
     Each received a buckle sponsored by Omak Stampede.