2018 NFR Round 3 Team Roping Cheat Sheet
NFR header Coleman Proctor breaks down what to look for in Round 3 of the 2018 Wrangler NFR.

The third round will give team roping fans the first opportunity to see the best set of steers in the herd of Bobby Joe Hill’s M-branded cattle at the 2018 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. After the number one and two teams in the PRCA world standings, Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira, won the first two rounds, plenty of teams will be chucking line and going at these Round 3 steers for an opportunity to be fast. A guy who knows something about being fast in the Thomas & Mack is Coleman Proctor, so he helps us break down the prospects for Round 3. 

Clay Smith and Paul Eaves

Round 2: 4.0, 1

Round Winnings: $26,230.77 each

Total Earnings: $151,575.32

World Standings: 2

Average: 8

Proctor’s take: What about them! Here’s the thing about Clay Smith. He’s never had a go-round buckle so I was so excited to win the round last night. He did the same thing as he did in Round 1, but that steer didn’t step to the right and drop his head. Clay’s plan is to be aggressive through the first five rounds and see how it looks going into the last five. They’ll make up that NT, and then some, in the go-rounds.

Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp

Round 2: 4.1, 2

Round Winnings: $20,730.77 each

Total Earnings: $122,593.50 (Snow); $118,904.17 (Thorp)

World Standings: 5 (Snow); 4 (Thorp)

Average: 9

Proctor’s take: That Cody Snow has been one of the most impressive headers at the NFR. He has great horses and he gets the steers legal faster. For Wesley, Dustin Searcy’s heel horse looked great. That finish is so important here. Everyone wants to talk about the way the head horse finishes, but it’s about the way the heeler shuts the run down. That’s what Wesley did so well on that horse in Round 2, and he’ll keep going on eight more. 

Chase Tryan heeling his second steer in as many days for day money. Jamie Arviso

Bubba Buckaloo and Chase Tryan

Round 2: 4.6, 3/4

Round Winnings: $13,326.92 each

Total Earnings: $127,989.78 (Buckaloo); $107,405.60 (Tryan)

World Standings: 3 (Buckaloo); 9 (Tryan)

Average: 2

Proctor’s take: I’ve seen since Bubba Buckaloo since junior high rodeos and up through the professional ranks, and he’s never disappointed. He’s come out huge here so far in Vegas. Going into the first round, Bubba was back and forth about which horse he was going to ride, but it looks like he’s made a good choice with his grey. Back in 2012, in his NFR debut, Chase Tryan was so impressive here for Keven Daniel. I’m not the least bit surprised they’ve placed in both rounds, and I can’t wait to watch what they get done here this week. 

Rhen Richard and Quinn Kesler

Round 2: 4.6, 3/4

Round Winnings: $13,326.92 each

Total Earnings: $92,789.71 (Richard); $88,906.45 (Kesler)

World Standings: 11 (Richard); 13 (Kesler)

Average: 3

Proctor’s take: That was one of the greatest heel shots I’ve seen at the NFR or maybe ever. He was spread out, and he didn’t want two feet in his loop. But Rhen did a great job of pulling that steer. Whatever heelers say, headers can really only control the steer’s front end. And Rhen’s buckskin pulled the steer even though he was spread out terrible in the back end. Plus Quinn had the sweetest hat band.

Aaron Tsinigine and Trey Yates

Round 2: 4.8, 5

Round Winnings: $6,769.23 each

Total Earnings: $100,813.72 (Tsinigine); $115,208.17 (Yates)

World Standings: 8 (Tsinigine); 6 (Yates)

Average: 5

Proctor’s take: I thought Smudge was a tick tight when Aaron hung it on him. When he went to get his slack Smudge came back a little early. That made Trey’s job a little bit harder. Trey did a great job of heeling two feet. Aaron is going to step Smudge up a step and get back up to where he needs to be in Round 3. Aaron and that horse know how to win here, and they’re just a small adjustment from where they were when he won it all in 2015.

Driggers’ fishing it on his Round 2 steer to still be 4.9. Jamie Arviso

Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira

Round 2: 4.9, 6

Round Winnings: $4,230.77 each

Total Earnings: $155,413.21 (Driggers); $156,397.06 (Nogueira)

World Standings: 1

Average: 1

Proctor’s take: It looked like Kaleb was off the barrier a tick and that made him skip that loop on big and open. But luckily, Kaleb did the fastest job of fishing it on that I’ve ever seen. Junior was ready for it and made a great effort to place and get money out of the round. The way he fished it on their and the way Junior stayed hooked was a sign of how cool they’re roping—had either of them panicked, they could have taken a no-time, but instead they came out with a go-round check. 

Erich Rogers and Clint Summers

Round 2: 5.4

Round Winnings: — 

Total Earnings: $85,123.45 (Rogers); $96,236.20 (Summers)

World Standings: 13 (Rogers); 11 (Summers)

Average: 4

Proctor’s take: Erich missed the barrier a little bit last night and made a veteran move by taking another swing and making sure he caught. To win the gold buckle here, you’ve got to win an average check on Saturday, and Erich knows that and knows how to do it. Clint was ready to get it cleaned up fast, and they’ll win good checks the rest of the week. When Rogers has a steer to go ahead and win big day money on, he’ll use it.

Derrick Begay riding the barrier in Round 2 of the 2018 NFR. Jamie Arviso Photo

Derrick Begay and Cory Petska

Round 2: 4.4 + 5

Round Winnings:

Total Earnings: $94,837.15 (Begay); $101,294.03 (Petska)

World Standings: 10

Average: 7

Proctor’s take: Begay got as good of a start as a guy could take there, and he took the same start as he did last night. That steer kind of shuffled, so Derrick didn’t want to hit him too hard. Petska just roped a leg and that doesn’t happen often. It’s not if but when these two go to winning big this week. 

Riley and Brady Minor 

Round 2: 4.7 + 5

Round Winnings: —

Total Earnings: $91,553.75 (Riley); $90,361.13

World Standings: 12

Average: 14 

Proctor’s take: In Round 2, Riley did exactly what I thought he’d do. He got a great start, because Bob got a great start. Riley is undoubtedly on the best horse in the PRCA. I thought Brady had him roped, but he got that inside leg. Don’t worry: Brady is going to get a lot of those looks this week for a lot of money.

Clay Tryan and Travis Graves

Round 2: 4.60 + 10

Round Winnings:

Total Earnings: $122,784.90 (Tryan); $118,927.776 (Graves)

World Standings: 4 (Tryan); 3 (Graves)

Average: 6

Proctor’s take: The steers were fresh tonight, and I thought Clay took the right start. But he ended up half a beat too fast. But that’s the start you have to take every night if you want to win something, and Clay Tryan knows that as well as anybody.

Dustin Egusquiza and Kory Koontz

Round 2: NT

Round Winnings:

Total Earnings: $116,396.03 each

World Standings: 6 (Egusquiza); 5 (Koontz)

Average: 11/12/13

Proctor’s take: Dustin just whipped it off. Dustin did what he does best: he brought the heat. He throws it with so much sass, there’s usually nothing but straight horns. It just didn’t work last night. But that team won’t stay down long. 

Chad Masters and Joseph Harrison

Round 2: NT

Round Winnings:

Total Earnings: $95,342.12 (Masters); $114,515.04 (Harrison)

World Standings: 9 (Masters); 7 (Harrison) 

Average: 11/12/13

Proctor’s take: Chad is one of the most consistent headers in the PRCA, roping with one of the best heelers in the PRCA. I was so shocked to see him wave it off a half head. They’ll do big things bouncing back.

Luke Brown and Jake Long

Round 2: NT

Round Winnings:

Total Earnings: $108,897 each 

World Standings: 7 (Brown); 8 (Long)

Average: 10

Proctor’s take: My fantasy team, oh man. They had a red steer with down horns that stepped to the right. Luke Brown, who once went 37 in a row without missing at the Finals, just didn’t quite get the right horn. They’ll finish big the rest of the week.

Tyler Wade and Cole Davison 

Round 2: NT

Round Winnings:

Total Earnings: $83,145.02 (Wade); $76,251.57 (Davison)

World Standings: 14

Average: 11/12/13

Proctor’s take: TWade hung it on one. He did a dang good job and hung it on him so fast. When he hit, I really thought Cole had him measured off, because I was chasing that guy the last six weeks of the season trying to get to the Finals, and he comes up with big steers for big money. TWade is sticking, so these guys will turn things around big with day money in Round 3 on the best set of steers. 

Lane Ivy and Buddy Hawkins

Round 2: NT

Round Winnings:

Total Earnings: $77,457.61 (Ivy); $74,451.01 (Hawkins)

World Standings: 15

Average: 15

Proctor’s take: When Lane nodded, his black rocked him to the back of the saddle. He came with it anyway and waved it off again. Lane can rope with straight steel nerves, and the first two haven’t been scripted. But they’ll bounce back. TRJ

SHARE THIS STORY
CATEGORIES
TAGS
Related Articles
team roper Coleman Proctor demonstrates a drill on the dummy
Pro Tip: Focus On Your Delivery With This Dummy Drill
Patrick Smith, Tanner Tomlinson and Coleman proctor sitting at a table having a conversation.
pro tip
"You're such a team roper."
March_24_2023_NFR_R05_TR_Tyler Wade_Wesley Thorp_HRae_002
Standing on Business
Forged From the Fire of Humble Beginnings
pro choice roundtable still
Pro Tip
What Makes A Great Rope Horse?
Coleman Proctor and world heeling No. 1 Levi Lord will join forces for tonight’s American East Regional Finals. Click Thompson Photo Courtesy of Teton Ridge
double down
Look Who’s Doubling Down in Tonight’s East Regional Finals on The Road to The American