Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin maxed out at the Cinch Playoffs in Puyallup, Washington, Sept. 5-8, winning $19,900 a man in pursuit of their second Puyallup title in three years.

Proctor and Medlin took home the maximum amount of money a contestant could win in Puyallup after winning both rounds in their set and the overall title. Their $19,900-a-man weekend pushed them to No. 4 in the PRCA world standings with $131,745.64 won on the year.

“It’s funny because we’re down to the last few rodeos, but it’s really the crunch time of the season for our goals,” Proctor, an eight-time NFR header, said. “We feel like we’re a world champion caliber team, and that’s what we’re after. And big hits like that, those are so crucial, especially coming into the later parts of September. You want to talk about momentum and keeping the ball rolling and this and that, but I think it just kind of validates what Logan and I truly believe about our team, and that it’s good enough to win under all situations.”

The win echoed Proctor and Medlin‘s first Puyallup title in 2022. Both years, they were in the Top 15 and the victory pushed them into safer territory to solidify their NFR qualifications. This time, however, it also locked them in for the $144,444 Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls the final weekend of the season.

“It kind of felt like it officially pushed us over the hump to where it takes all the weight off your shoulders,” said four-time NFR heeler Medlin. “Not that we thought we had it made for sure, but we thought we were in a decent spot. The biggest thing about it this time, though, is we were a little ways back in the tour standings; it was going to be hard to get into Sioux Falls through the standings. Whenever we made the top four, obviously we were wanting to catch the last one because that one’s what paid the most, but really making the top four was a big deal—that got us back into the Governor’s Cup.”

How to win Puyallup

Proctor and Medlin roped in the second and final set with both their first and second round runs on Saturday, Sept. 7. Their first round steer was textbook, staying straight and in the middle of the arena. They took the win in Round 1 of their set with a 4.4-second run for $3,450 a man.

Staying consistent, they turned in a 4.5 in Round 2 to pick up another round win and $3,450 each on a steer that Medlin wasn’t too sure about.

“Jake Smith and Douglas Rich had him and he ran to the right and ducked his head,” Medlin explained. “Whenever I saw we had him, I didn’t love what we had. But Coleman told me, ‘I think he’ll be better if I can just head him before he starts ducking his head.’ Coleman got a good start and the steer stayed a little straighter for us. Coleman got it on him before he was expecting it and, as it turned out, he was probably the very best steer to have.”

They punched their ticket to Sunday’s Semifinals round of eight after winning their set, and the stakes were high.

“When you show up for the eight-man, what’s really on the line that’s huge is the buy into the Governor’s Cup at Sioux Falls,” Proctor said. “I mean, there’s a lot riding on that eight-man round, money aside. Fortunately we were in a great position where we got to go at the end and you kind of get to make your game plan.”

Proctor and Medlin were No. 1 in the overall aggregate, so they were able to rope last in the eight-man. Their 4.7-second run put them third in the round and advanced them to the sudden-death round of four. With a 4.9 in the Finals, they sealed the deal on the $13,000-a-man win. Medlin credits the steers they drew and Coleman’s spins for their huge success.

“You expect to do good, but to run the table like that, that’s probably a little far fetched against the team that you’re having to go against,” Medlin said. “But we fortunately drew on the better end of the steers, and Coleman was getting good starts and got tapped off on his horse right there, and he was doing some sticking. It really made my job pretty easy.”

Puyallup horsepower

While Puyallup’s short score is usually “Heisman’s” setup, Proctor called on “Mills,” which came from his college rodeo partner Mitch Barney and just so happens to be a half-brother to “Dillon,” Jr. Dees’ signature sorrel.

“He has been the workhorse of my crew,” Proctor said of the 9-year-old. “I rode him all summer; I cracked him out a lot in the spring and in the summer, and I jackpot on him a bunch. He scores great. He’s temperamental, if you will, at times about stuff, but that makes him gritty.”

On the heels, Medlin called on his 2023 Heel Horse of the BFI, Cantina.

“He is a good horse to have at places like that where the steers are going to want to step to the left a little bit,” Medlin said of the 8-year-old Tongue River Ranch-bred gelding. “You can’t come too early or you’re going to haze them left, as you need to let them start. And he can really run, so he lets you let the steer start and gets there fast.”

A perfect fit

With two Puyallup titles and the 2023 Governor’s Cup win, Proctor and Medlin’s track record demonstrates how well their run fits this setup.

READ: Proctor, Medlin Win Sioux Falls Where Payout Punches NFR Tickets for Many

“Our run really sets up fast, and it fits really good in a place like Puyallup where the conditions can be kind of tough,” Proctor said. “You want to keep the run out in the middle of the arena with as little wasted time as possible to still have a chance to win a lot.”

Medlin had no doubt Proctor deserved the win.

“He heads good all the time, but that’s what I was telling people yesterday: Coleman deserved to win Puyallup because in my opinion, he headed better than everybody there this year,” Medlin said. “He turned every one of them in the same spot.”

A season well spent

With less than a month left in the 2024 season, the Puyallup win is giving Proctor and Medlin a push in momentum to finish the year strong.

“It gives you a lot of confidence,” Medlin said. “We kind of had a stretch there for about a month where we didn’t win very much, which was kind of rough there for a while and had to work through that, maybe had to ride the ship and get things back going the right direction right here before the season’s over. Because there’s a lot of money to be won the last month of the season.”

Proctor ropes next at the Pendleton Round-Up to make some gains in the all-around race but, thanks to the year they’ve had, Medlin is heading home until the North Dakota Roughrider Cup in Mandan and Sioux Falls.

“We’ve had an amazing summer,” Proctor said. “I think we started Reno a little over $30,000, and we’re leaving Puyallup with over $130,000. So it’s been an amazing summer and mostly it just lets you know that what we got is good enough. I’m really excited. we’re fixing to start shortening the scores. I’m fixing to get back on Heisman, things start coming our way because I mean, the most important thing besides going in the top five or number one to the national finals is that I pass Wacey Schalla and get to carry the Oklahoma flag in the grand entry. I mean, that’s my next goal.”