In the end, it was young guns Gabe Williams and Faron Candelaria who took home the once-in-a-lifetime title of Resistol Rookie Roundup Team Roping Champions, winning a total of $6,258.
Williams and Candelaria’s time of 4.4 seconds in the Cowtown Coliseum Saturday night sealed the win.
The fourth annual Resistol Rookie Roundup returns to the Cowtown Coliseum April 25–26, 2025, with rookie team ropers vying for a part of the a $100,000 purse.
The top 20 permit holding team ropers are competing in the event, which not only includes high-energy opportunities for competition, but career-building events including media training. The main goal? Equip young rodeo athletes for long-term success.
“The Rookie Roundup is a pivotal stepping stone in a young rodeo athlete’s career, giving them the opportunity to gain experience both in and out of the arena—whether through their PRCA headshots, media training or guidance from some of rodeo’s best,” said Mary Jane Carpenter, Brand Director for Resistol.
Resistol Rookie Roundup Team Roping Results
First round: 1. Britton Grinstead/Scott Daily, 9.2 seconds, $1,329 each; 2. Logan Graham/Gus Mosley, 15.4, $1,156; 3. Ryder Ladner/Derrick Crawford, 15.5, $982; 4. Gabe Williams/Faron Candelaria, 15.7, $809; 5. Devon Johnson/Zane Pratt, 19.7, $636; no other qualified runs.
Semi-finals: 1. Klay Yaussi/Kash Yaussi, 4.6 seconds, $897 each; 2. Devon Johnson/Zane Pratt, 4.9, $673; 3. Gabe Williams/Faron Candelaria, 5.0, $449; 4. Britton Grinstead/Scott Daily, 13.4, $224.
Shootout: 1. Gabe Williams/Faron Candelaria, 4.4 seconds, $2,500 each; 2. Britton Grinstead/Scott Daily, 11.2, $1,500; no other qualified runs.
Resistol Rookie Roundup Format:
On Friday April 25, all 15 contestants in each event will compete in a single go-round.
The following night, on April 26, the top eight will advance to the semifinals, with the top four to battle it out in the championship round later that evening.
Where to watch the Resistol Rookie Roundup:
The Resistol Rookie Roundup is airing on the Cowboy Channel starting at 7:00 PM CT on Friday and Saturday April 25–26.
Throwback to 2024’s Resistol Rookie Roundup Champions:
In life outside rodeo, Ben Jordan is a businessman, but in the Cowtown Coliseum, there was nothing “businessman-like” about the 4.5-second bomb he and Scott Lauaki dropped to stun the field and win the Resistol Rookie Roundup’s 2024 team roping title.
After surviving two steers that went left in the tiny building—forcing Jordan to face into the panels with a thud in the round of 15 and round of 8—Jordan and Lauaki finally got the one they wanted in the final four.
Jordan, 32, of Spanish Fork, Utah, and Lauaki, 22, of Payson, Utah, won $2,500 for their efforts April 27 in Northside’s gunslinging setup, out-dueling the pack of the rest of the top 15 Resistol Rookie of the Year contenders for the title in Fort Worth. They also picked up $636 each in Round 1 April 26, bringing their haul for the event to $3,136 a man, unofficially….”
