Round 7 of the team roping will feature the third run on the strongest set of steers. After a disastrous Round 6 in the team roping, everyone is looking for a bit of redemption in Round 7, and lots of teams are out of the average going for first every night. Nine-time NFR header Charly Crawford breaks down everyone’s chances.
Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira
Round 6: NT
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $53,012.81 each
World Standings Earnings: $167,964.48 (Driggers); $168,948.33 (Nogueira)
Average: 3, 27.80/5
World Standings: 2
Crawford’s take: I think Driggers is just tapped off. That was just a freak deal last night. His rope came off the right horn, the steer just came into him. His loops just look so sharp and it looks so easy for both of them. One miss won’t get them down. I don’t see them folding at all. They almost got the monkey off their back with that miss so they can really go at them. They’ve roped the best they’ve ever roped these last six rounds.
Clay Smith and Paul Eaves
Round 6: 4.5, 3
Round Winnings: $15,653.85 each
Total NFR Earnings: $81,782.05 each
World Standings Earnings: $197,126.60 each
Average: 2, 21.90/5
World Standings: 1
Crawford’s take: Man, since he started riding Marty here—he’s rode the dun in past years mainly—he looks so good. He’s so fast-footed. The rope goes on, the steer is turning and that horse finishes so good. If they stay with what they’re doing, they’ll be hard to touch. There is going a lot of money won on nine head. It will be a shoot-out between those Clay and Kaleb.
Aaron Tsinigine and Trey Yates
Round 6: 4.5 + 5 +10, 5
Round Winnings: $6,769.23 each
Total NFR Earnings: $50,192.31 each
World Standings Earnings: $134,236.80 (Tsinigine); $148,631.25
Average: 1, 48.40/6
World Standings: 5 (Tsinigine); 3 (Yates)
Crawford’s take: Aaron’s loops look tight. He’s so comfortable in there. Trey is going to do good back there, you can’t get that kid down. I bet they get back on track tonight. They’re the only team with them all caught and I can see that staying that way. Trey is third in the world right now, so if anyone messes up, he’s right behind them.
Dustin Egusquiza and Kory Koontz
Round 6: NT
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $23,326.92 each
World Standings Earnings: $129,722.95 each
Average: 14, 22.80/3
World Standings: 8
Crawford’s take: Dustin’s timing looks decent here and there, but he just hasn’t been able to get tapped off on where the horns are, and I mean no disrespect. It blows my mind to see him miss, period. Sometimes trying to be so fast there is hard, but that’s what he’s good at. They’ll get tapped off soon. You don’t see them staying down long because there’s too much talent between the two of them.
Chad Masters and Joseph Harrison
Round 6: NT
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $34,961.54 each
World Standings Earnings: $120,303.68 (Masters); $139,476.58 (Harrison)
Average: 9, 32.10/4
World Standings: 11 (Masters), 4 (Harrison)
Crawford’s take: They’ve roped great when they catch. They just happen to make good runs at the wrong time. They were 4.1 in a round when that won fifth. That’s tough. It seems like some of the rounds they’ve had bad luck in a tough round when they catch and have made a bobble in an easy round. If they can get back to their run, they’ll make al to of money the rest of the week.
Clay Tryan and Travis Graves
Round 6: NT
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $25,794.87 each
World Standings Earnings: $122,784.90 (Tryan); $118,927.76 (Graves)
Average: 15, 23.80/3
World Standings: 9 (Tryan); 11 (Graves)
Clay and Travis: They have too much experience between the two of them to get out of here without a lot of money. Clay will get it on the rest of them from here on out. That sorrel is so good here. They’ll hammer out some rounds.
Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp
Round 6: NT
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $41,730.77 each
World Standings Earnings: $133,593.50 (Snow); $129,904.17 (Thorp)
Average: 7, 25.10/4
World Standings: 6 (Snow); 7 (Thorp)
Crawford’s take: Cody has roped really good on the buckskin. He’s got some good goes and is setting them up really good. Searcy’s horse fits Wesley really good. They finished strong last year, too. They’ll be coming after them because they’re seventh in the average. That buckskin is fast-footed so they’re coming at them in the rounds.
Derrick Begay and Cory Petska
Round 6: —
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $36,230.77 each
World Standings Earnings: $121,067.92 (Begay); $127,524.80 (Petska)
Average: 4, 42.50/5
World Standings: 10
Crawford’s take: They were my pick going in. Begay is so good in those setups. I thought they’d be killing them. Petska is good no matter what. They’ve had such a good year. I think they’re going to knock a bunch of threes out before it’s done.
Bubba Buckaloo and Chase Tryan
Round 6: 4.4, 2
Round Winnings: $20,730.77 each
Total NFR Earnings: $59,852.56 each
World Standings Earnings: $148,720.55 (Buckaloo); $128,136.37 (Tryan)
Average: 11, 13.60/3
World Standings: 3 (Buckaloo), 9 (Tryan)
Crawford’s take: Bubba started off good and he’s roped really good for his first year at the Finals. Hock does such a good job of getting around there and coming tight, if they get the right steer they’ll make a victory lap. Buckaloo is still third in the world standings, so if things go right and they get some big day-money, he could be a sleeper come Round 10.
Luke Brown and Jake Long
Round 6: —
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $47,653.94 each
World Standings Earnings: $130,756.01 each
Average: 10, 13.10/3
World Standings: 7 (Brown); 6 (Long)
Crawford’s take: You couldn’t have roped more steers than Luke Brown did before he came out here. They ran at least 40 every time we were at Patrick’s practicing. Then Luke would go run at least 50 more at Chad’s. They’re so dang good at that fast set up too. Luke runs 100 steers a day, and you can’t rope that many at home and get out of here without having better luck than they’ve had so far. I’m excited to watch them the last few rounds.
Riley and Brady Minor
Round 6: —
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $57,807.69 each
World Standings Earnings: $139,361.44 (Riley); $138,168.82 (Brady)
Average: 6, 22.00/4
World Standings: 4 (Riley); 5 (Brady)
Crawford’s take: The runs they’ve made, they’re so smooth and so easy. They are so much faster than they look because they’re so smooth and finish so good. They’re always mounted and they know what horses they need to fit their deal. They’ll have a good last few rounds.
Erich Rogers and Clint Summers
Round 6: NT
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $30,096.15 each
World Standings Earnings: $98,450.37 (Rogers); $109,563.12 (Summers)
Average: 8, 31.00/4
World Standings: 14 (Rogers); 13 (Summers)
Erich and Clint: One thing about Rogers is he’s always thinking about winning and he won’t let that phase him. He does such a good job of not panicking. I thought Clint has heeled good there. If they’ll still make a good fast run when they need to, they’ll be smart about it.
Tyler Wade and Cole Davison
Round 6: 3.9, 1
Round Winnings: $26,230.77 each
Total NFR Earnings: $36,230.77 each
World Standings Earnings: $109,375.79 (Wade); $102,482.34 (Davison)
Average: 13, 21.90/3
World Standings: 13 (Wade); 14 (Davison)
Crawford’s take: This one’s easy. TWade’s going to be fast or he’s not.
Lane Ivy and Buddy Hawkins
Round 6: 8.7, 4
Round Winnings: $11,000.00 each
Total NFR Earnings: $47,230.77 each
World Standings Earnings: $114,688.38 (Ivy); $111,681.78 (Hawkins)
Average: 12, 21.70/3
World Standings: 12
Crawford’s take: Same as TWade and Cole, when they strike, it will be fast. Lane’s done a good job and he’s found his timing on that horse. He’s been fast on the last few rounds.
Rhen Richard and Quinn Kesler
Round 6: —
Round Winnings: —
Total NFR Earnings: $27,557.69 each
World Standings Earnings: $92,789.71 (Richard); $88,906.45 (Kesler)
Average: 5, 43.20/5
World Standings: 15
Crawford’s take: Man, Rhen’s horse is getting a little bit strong right there. But he’s going to work at softening him up, and Quinn is doing a good job back there. It surprised me it’s taken Rhen this long to get here because he’s roped so good for so long. He’s showing everyone he deserved to be here and he dang sure has spun every one. Once they draw the right one, they’ll be good.
