Coy Rahlmann and Douglas Rich hit big in Round 6 of the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo with a 3.6-second run, worth $26,996.97 a man in the rodeo’s toughest round of team roping so far. 

While two legs placed in Round 5, Erich Rogers and Paden Bray’s 4.2-second run won last hole in Round 6. Rahlmann and Rich, who roped at the round’s halfway point, went at the day money after watching Quinn Kesler and Joseph Harrison go 3.8 early on. 

“I could hear the times, and I knew it was already tight,” said Rahlmann, just 20, from Missouri. “We knew we were down a ways in the average, so I knew we needed to go ahead and go all-in.” 

Their steer was one that Kesler and Harrison had a leg on in Round 3, but he was just right for Rahlmann and Rich. 

“Coy got a great start and headed him good, turned him and got a good handle and made it easy to do my job,” said Rich, 26. “It was about as good a run as we could have made.”

Rahlmann and Rich have won $48,318.28 each on the week, and they’re 11th in the PRCA’s World Standings with $112,244.25 and $112,167.48, respectively. Their only other clean run came in Round 3, winning fourth with a 4.8-second run worth $11,321 each. 

“I felt like we both needed to get dialed in a little bit,” Rahlmann said.

“At the beginning it was first-NFR jitters,” Rich added. “You dream of this moment your whole life and it’s finally coming true. It’s pretty surreal to actually be able to do it.” 

Rahlmann rode his grade roan gelding Blue to the fastest run of the rodeo. 

“He’s so easy,” Rahlmann said. “He scores great, and he leaves so flat. He finishes hard and pulls up the wall. He’s a great all-around horse.”

Rich was riding Paul Eaves’ 10-year-old world champion mare Docs Gunslinger Chic. Rich lives with Eaves in Millsap, Texas, and Eaves offered her to Rich just a few weeks ago. 

“It means a lot to me that he trusts me with her,” Rich said. 

Rich’s father passed away unexpectedly in September, and Rich had to battle through the last month of the season while grieving the loss. For the entire family, the NFR is a welcome bright spot. 

“It’s been pretty emotional,” Rich said. “Every night after we get done, he’d be the first person I’d call. But I know he’s watching and I know he’s cheering up there. That makes it a little bit better, I guess. And my mom’s out here, and there’s a lot of people that have never left Illinois that got on a plane and flew to Vegas for a couple days to watch.”

In the average race, Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins stayed steady with a 4.8-second run to move them to 33.60 seconds on six head, while Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira made another 4.8-second run to one to 37.70 on six. Clay Smith and Jade Corkill dropped to fifth in the average after taking their first no-time of the week in Round 6. 

Rhen Richard and Jeremy Buhler remain the high-money winners of the week with $80,975.91 a man after placing fourth in the round with a 4.0 second run for $6,966.96 each. TRJ

755 Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp 4.3

757 Clay Smith and Jade Corkill NT

745 Erich Rogers and Paden Bray 4.2

742 Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira 4.8

749 Dustin Egusquiza and Travis Graves 4.0 + 5 

719 Quinn Kesler and Joseph Harrison 3.9

]748 Coy Rahlmann and Douglas Rich 3.6

751 Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins 4.8

743 Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin NT

746 Derrick Begay and Brady Minor 4.1

758 Rhen Richard and Jeremy Buhler 4.0

750 Clint Summers and Ross Ashford 5.2

753 Tyler Wade and Trey Yates NT

744 Clay Tryan and Jake Long 3.9