Things heated up in Round 6 of the team roping at the 2025 NFR seeing a 3.4 by Tanner Tomlinson and Travis Graves and some crossfire controversy. We tapped 22-time NFR heeler and 1997 NFR champ Kory Koontz to get his opinion on what went down in Round 6 and how things are looking overall.

“I thought it was a really good round,” Koontz said. “My opinion is when the steers leave consistently, then it makes it really tough. The headers control the whole thing, and so then it either makes it really tough. And now we’re at the end, so we’re going to start the third run on the steers so they know ’em better; they know the start better, they’re sharper at that, and all of those things combined and the steers have handled great. There’s only been a couple of steers that were a little, maybe what I’d call trashy, but for the most part, if the headers did a good job, well then the steers are very heelable. So, it’s made it good watching.”

Dustin Egusquiza & Levi Lord

Round 5: 13.8
Round Winnings: 0
Total NFR Earnings: $42,823.73
World Standings Earnings: $203,527.12; $201,145.61
Average: 31.3/4; 11
World Standings: 6

Koontz’s take: That was one that didn’t start as good, and they’re trying to be as fast as possible. So Dustin’s a little hair triggered, and if I remember right he broke out. They’ve kind of had a tough week getting tapped off, and so it’s crazy how momentum with overcoming some things and then getting tapped off is hard to do in that week. But I just felt like the steer didn’t start great, and Dustin left a little early, which you got to be. All of my guys I roped with, I always told them, ‘Look, I’d rather you break out than be late.’ So, I just thought that was kind of a mistake you got to overlook, stay aggressive and hope they start good. Otherwise they made a good run.

Clint Summers & Jade Corkill

Round 5: 3.5
Round Winnings: $28,979.51
Total NFR Earnings: $91,812.89
World Standings Earnings: $253,054.50; $253,379.72
Average: 25.5/6; 1
World Standings: 2; 1

Koontz’s take: I thought that was the best run of the night. I thought the steer was really good, but not a loper. Great start, great head catch, set him up perfectly and Jade was waiting on him. I thought that was the very best run of the whole night. I kind of said from the beginning, if those guys rope the way they should, then that would be my pick to win the whole deal. And now they’re the only team with a chance to catch all 10. I still believe that, but I do think they got to keep their hammer cocked. I don’t think they can just back off and catch. Clint started with a couple of starts that weren’t right on the money and he was smart; he did the smart thing and took another swing or two and stuck it on them. Jade has been normal Jade Corkill, and it doesn’t look like a steer is going to get around his loop. He looks sharp, and that yellow horse looks great. I thought they made the best run last night.

Derrick Begay & Colter Todd

Round 5: 100
Round Winnings: 0
Total NFR Earnings: $21,828.38
World Standings Earnings: $188,030.32; $185,677.97
Average: 38.9/5; 7
World Standings: 11; 10

Koontz’s take: That steer was maybe a hair low-headed, and he was being aggressive trying to win. In there, when you get a swing off in the box, if your angles aren’t perfect and a steer does something out of the way, it really makes it hard to catch. And that’s kind of what it looked like to me was the steer was a little low-headed. I thought he got a great start. So, I just thought maybe his angle was a little bad–a little steep, maybe coming over the top–and just trying to be fast because the steer was right there and he just was a little low-headed and just missed.

Tanner Tomlinson & Travis Graves

Round 5: 3.4
Round Winnings: $36,667.95
Total NFR Earnings: $92,798.60
World Standings Earnings: $276,605.72; $242,717.49
Average: 26.5/5; 4
World Standings: 1; 2

Koontz’s take: I thought that was a great run. I thought Tanner did an unbelievable job. The steer checked a little and come to him. I thought TG’s shot was great, but I’m going to give my opinion. I believe that if they’re going to flag Trey out, then I thought they should have flagged TG out, too. I thought both of those shots were almost identical, other than TG’s followed just a little, and then when the head rope tightened, it kind of popped him and he heeled him at the same time. So to me, way back when, the last time I made it, I wouldn’t have thrown there because I’d have been afraid I’d get flagged out. And it’s been a little bit hard to tell where you can throw and where you can’t, but I think it really is determined by where the flagger is sitting back over there in that other corner, and if the heel horse gets around square and like TG’s steer followed just a little. He did pull him when TG threw, though. Sp, that was my opinion on that, and that’s just being brutally honest. But on top of that, it was a great run.

Kaleb Driggers & Junior Nogueira

Round 5: 14.5
Round Winnings: 0
Total NFR Earnings: $25,376.88
World Standings Earnings: $223,874.60; $223,874.60
Average: 37.7/5; 6
World Standings: 5

Koontz’s take: Man, I just feel bad that they’re having had. They both really dominated this year and things just haven’t clicked. I do look for them to finish strong. They’re both mentally tough, they’re both fundamentally sound. He just got going a little too soon. His steer didn’t start as good, kind of like the same situation as Dustin, and then he broke the barrier. But he was smart, took a swing, stuck it on him and made sure he didn’t get another no-time. And never know how that’ll turn out in the end, but just kind of a bad going steer, not starting very good.

Lightning Aguilera & Kaden Profili

Round 5: 4.1
Round Winnings: $5,914.19
Total NFR Earnings: $81,758.68
World Standings Earnings: $196,494.54; $195,294.34
Average: 21.5/4; 8
World Standings: 7; 8

Koontz’s take: I thought they made a great run. I wish Kaden could have pinched his dally off because the head loop goes on, that steer hits and he heeled the crap out of him. And then for some reason, Joe (Beaver) even mentioned, it’s almost like he got his sleeve, his cuff or his shirt tail or something hung down there and couldn’t get all the way around. Sp then it kind of took a minute for it to actually come tight and get a flag. I thought the flagger did a great job on that one, but still. I know Lightning has either missed or lost his rope or something, but he’s turned three or four steers that have been really, really fast. That horse is good, squaring them up and giving Kaden a shot right there. And so I thought they made a good run and got a little money out of it.

Kolton Schmidt & Jonathan Torres

Round 5: 3.6
Round Winnings: $18,629.68
Total NFR Earnings: $122,468.08
World Standings Earnings: $242,406.29; $234,140.19
Average: 19.9/5; 2
World Standings: 3

Koontz’s take: Man, I’ll tell you what, they’re a team that I feel like has roped great. I think that Kolton either missed one or lost his rope earlier in the week, so that gave them a no-time. But man, they’ve been dead solid after that. Other than Jade, I thought Jonathan has out heeled everybody. He looks so sharp, he’s riding to a great spot, when he sets it down and comes tight there is no more forward movement out of the cow. It has been impressive to watch, and I don’t think he owns that horse, but they fit so good. That horse looks great, and he is riding the hair off of him and setting it up. Even had a couple want to pinch him to the right a little, and it’s like, no big deal, just square ’em up and pull back. So I thought they made a great run, and it looks like they can just keep doing that.

Luke Brown & Trey Yates

Round 5: NT
Round Winnings: 0
Total NFR Earnings: $25,376.88
World Standings Earnings: $148,679.80; $148,679.79
Average: 22.3/3; 13
World Standings: 15

Koontz’s take: Man, I think Luke is roping great. Trey’s kind of had a little heck, and man, I don’t blame him for being aggressive. But I did believe, in my opinion, that was a crossfire. As he’s turning, he finished in his loop. And the steer, he didn’t follow at all; he was running straight, he picked up and then hit out, and when he hit out, he hit in his loop. And to me, that’s a crossfire. There’s a lot of controversy. You read stuff on Facebook, back and forth on it, but honestly, being someone that I’ve been flagged out at the NFR and it was way back a long time ago, but it’s so important to be disciplined in there and to be able to ride to that shot where you know, ‘OK, he’s leaving me, and this is 100% legal.’ And if you don’t, well then you’re leaving it to chance. I feel like TG took a big risk. He got the bonus side, he got paid. Trey took the risk, and he got flagged out. And as far as my opinion is, they could do away with the rule as far as I’m concerned. But really and truly, as a competitor, I like the rule because it made you be disciplined, and it made you be honest. But it’s a hard rule to call consistently judging in tight quarters that’s over behind where the heeler is actually throwing. That is a hard place to call it. I actually think if they had a judge sitting on the bucking chutes, they could see the whole picture looking back and that was his only call, to me, that would be a better option. That’s just a Kory Koontz opinion. As far as a fan, me sitting here, I didn’t even come out to Vegas this year. I’m sitting here watching it on my TV, and if they just let all those go and just let ’em throw fast, they’d set new records and it’d just be who could whip it down there the fastest. And that’s fun to watch. So to me, I wouldn’t care either way because I’m not doing it anymore. But I thought Luke did a great job, and I thought Trey whipped it down there a little too soon.

Riley Minor & Brady Minor

Round 5: 3.6
Round Winnings: $18,629.68
Total NFR Earnings: $44,203.70
World Standings Earnings: $169,228.97; $169,228.99
Average: 29.9/5; 5
World Standings: 13

Koontz’s take: I thought they made a great run. Steer was out there just a little bit, and Riley stuck it on him. I mean, brought him around, and that steer no more hit and was coming out of there and Brady shut it off. I thought it was a great run. Great run. I don’t know that he was maybe in the barrier as much as he would like to be, but he rode sharp, stuck tight and finished great. I thought it was a really good run.

Jake Smith & Douglas Rich

Round 5: 100
Round Winnings: 0
Total NFR Earnings: $68,550.43
World Standings Earnings: $194,087.46; $183,337.45
Average: 29/3; 14
World Standings: 9; 11

Koontz’s take: Man, they started pretty darn good, and then Jake’s horse has been getting him a little. He just got going a little too soon last night, kind of like Driggers and Dustin, but I think he broke out and then just had maybe a bad angle. He’s got a big loop because that horse has been wanting to get a little tight and so he wants to have a little extra to make sure it covers the horns. It just looked like he got too good a start or broke out and then he was close and missed.

Dawson Graham & Dillon Graham

Round 5: 8.3
Round Winnings: 0
Total NFR Earnings: $61,256.26
World Standings Earnings: $193,190.28; $193,190.30
Average: 16.2/3; 12
World Standings: 10; 9

Koontz’s take: Man, I thought they were fixing to beat everybody and beat the 3.4. And it was hard to tell. I thought Dawson did a great job. Man, couldn’t stick it on one and square him up any better. Dillon, as he was delivering, I couldn’t tell if maybe his horse was still moving forward and not separating quite enough for him to really be able to extend and set it down there. And I didn’t think the steer was one of the easy ones to heel. That steer was big and a little bit piggy, and it kind of didn’t just hit and open up and give him a real good look. So just something that can happen in there, you throw fast and it didn’t set up just perfect and got a leg. But I could see those guys winning a lot more money.

Tyler Wade & Wesley Thorp

Round 5: 100
Round Winnings: 0
Total NFR Earnings: $52,286.43
World Standings Earnings: $195,652.90; $195,652.90
Average: 8.5/2; 15
World Standings: 8; 7

Koontz’s take: They’re another team that kind of like Driggers, they’ve man just had heck. They put a couple of good runs together and then last night, TWade, he got started early. He pulled, he did get out of the barrier, but he had no momentum. And it even went on and I think he kind of missed his slack and it came back off. But they’re another team that man, in these last four rounds, you wouldn’t take them for granted. Between them and Kaleb and Junior, and Dustin and Levi, it’s so deep this year that there’s so many teams that could literally set a new record because of the ability they have. So then it’s just when all the stars align just right. But you would want to bet that TWade and Thorp and those guys get it going and get some stuff going their way late in the week.

Cyle Denison & Lane Mitchell

Round 5: 4.0
Round Winnings: $9,462.70
Total NFR Earnings: $33,065.33
World Standings Earnings: $175,067.71; $176,097.23
Average: 25.3/4; 9
World Standings: 12

Koontz’s take: I thought they did a good job. I thought they’ve had a little bit of heck, and last night they were 4.0, so they didn’t go slow, but it looked like Cyle quit trying to be so fast, relaxed just a little, opened his swing up a little bit and just covered the horns. And when he did, he got a neck. And that horse is really, really strong and really good. And it went around the neck, he stepped in front of him, squared him good and Lane heeled him nice. So I like that run. If you can start the week and do that every night, you’re going to win a ton of money, even when the rounds get really tough and you can still scratch a fourth or a fifth, you’re making money. So I liked the run they made last night to kind of get their rhythm back a little bit and kind of get a little confidence back.

Andrew Ward & Jake Long

Round 5: 100
Round Winnings: 0
Total NFR Earnings: $86,095.85
World Standings Earnings: $235,150.60; $233,404.05
Average: 21.9/5; 3
World Standings: 4

Koontz’s take: Doggone it. Andrew was roping outstanding and Jake was doing the same. They were just chipping along, and it was almost like the TV almost missed their run because it was like, ‘Oh crap, Andrew missed,’ And I didn’t even see what happened. So I really couldn’t tell why he missed, but I mean, it happens. The cool thing is I think it only moved him down a couple of spots in the average. I really believe that in my opinion, there’s still a threat for the world title. Clint and Jade are a threat for the world title, too. I would even say Jonathan and Kolton are a true threat because I don’t think they’re far out of the average either. So it’s a battle. I mean, it’s going to be good watching.

Clay Smith & Coleby Payne

Round 5: 100
Round Winnings: 0
Total NFR Earnings: $10,000
World Standings Earnings: $168,489.89; $159,293.26
Average: 29.5/4; 10
World Standings: 14

Koontz’s take: Clay and Coleby, they’ve took turns a little bit. Clay turned some good ones, and Coleby kind of just has had a little heck. But I truly believe both of those guys rope really good. Kind of like the other guys that have had heck, I look for them to turn it around. It almost looked like for the first time last night, maybe that gray horse might’ve been a little quick. He come across there and whenever he committed to the delivery, that sucker stepped out and that horse is big and strong, and when he did, it took a little away from him; that’s kind of what I remember of the miss. But I know good and well with that happening, he’ll ride him sharper. He’ll get a good start, and I would look for him to turn one to be three tonight. So I hope they can get together and get on the same page to finish this thing out