Round 9 rarely disappoints in the team roping at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, and the 2021 edition was no exception.
On Hill Rodeo Cattle’s lightest pen of NFR steers, Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp matched Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin for a week’s best 3.5-second run, worth $24,166.64 each.
It marked a second go-round win of the week for Proctor and Medlin and the first for Snow and Thorp.
Proctor and Medlin roped at third out and put the pressure on the pack with their run.
“After we got back there, I stood somewhat close to see how it was working out, but I never once tried to let myself think that I had it won because, obviously, you never know—we got tied,” Medlin said. “That’s the fastest I’ve ever been and I didn’t even win it outright. They made a great run, and I was just happy to get a part of it tonight. We knew it was going to be fast, and it was.”
That was the fastest Proctor had ever been at the National Finals in his six appearances.
“Technology is a big contributor to all the great team roping we’re getting to watch,” Proctor said. “You go 3.5 and sit at the end of the tunnel and hope you place. It’s incredible to watch, and it’s a fun time to be a team roper.”
For Snow and Thorp, the win was a welcome improvement on their tough week.
“We got off to a bad start right off the bat,” Thorp said. “I roped a leg on one I should not have in Round 1. I kept getting to the inside, our angles weren’t great, our steers were on the stronger end of them, and it just felt like I wasn’t getting all the way around them. I decided to make a horse change. We made a couple of good runs and still got in weird spots of the arena, and didn’t get flagged or as good of a flag as we needed to place…. We’re catching a lot of steers and it’s just not going our way. We decided to stick to our game plan and, when we got the right steer, we could capitalize on it.”
Proctor and Medlin are seventh in the world with $155,270.06 and $161,849.94 won, respectively, and 13th in the average with a time of 24.40 seconds on five head. Snow and Thorp are eighth in the PRCA World Standings with $138,880.73 and $161,241.06 won, respectively, and they’re fifth in the average with a time of 60.70 seconds on eight head.
If the rodeo ended tonight and average payouts as they are now were thrown into the World Standings, Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira would be the world champions by $19,700.08 and $35,118.26 over Rhen Richard and Jeremy Buhler. Driggers and Nogueira are fourth in the average with a time of 45.50 seconds on eight head, and a fourth-place check in the average pays $32,657.63 each. Richard and Buhler are second in the average with a time of 62.60 seconds on nine head.
Notably, Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins are leading the average and well on pace to break Jake Barnes and Clay O’Brien Cooper’s NFR average record of 59.1 seconds on 10 head, held since 1994. They’re 48.30 seconds on nine head and have 10.8 seconds to play with in Round 10. TRJ
Full Results:
1/2. Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin, 3.5-second run, worth $24,166.64
1/2. Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp, 3.5-second run, worth $24,166.64
3/4. Clint Summers and Ross Ashford, 3.9-second run, worth $13,716.20
3/4. Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira, 3.9-second run, worth $13,716.20
5. Rhen Richard and Jeremy Buhler, 4.3-second run, worth $6,966.96
6. Derrick Begay and Brady Minor, 4.4-second run, worth $2,177.17
6. Clay Tryan and Jake Long, 4.4-second run, worth $2,177.17
NFR Go-Rounds Breakdown Per Man:
1) $26,996.97
2) $21,336.32
3) $16,111.10
4) $11,321.31
5) $6,966.96
6) $4,354.35
NFR Average Breakdown Per Man:
1) $69,234.17
2) $56,171.12
3) $44,414.37
4) $32,657.63
5) $23,513.49
6) $16,981.97
7) $11,756.75
8) $6,531.53
FULL RESULTS:
744 Coy Rahlmann and Douglas Rich NT
748 Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins 5.6
745 Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin 3.5
755 Derrick Begay and Brady Minor 4.4
753 Rhen Richard and Jeremy Buhler 4.3
758 Clint Summers and Ross Ashford 3.9
751 Brenten Hall and Chase Tryan NT
742 Tyler Wade and Trey Yates NT
750 Clay Tryan and Jake Long 4.4
730 Cody Snow and Wesley Thorp 3.5
746 Clay Smith and Jade Corkill NT
743 Erich Rogers and Paden Bray 3.9 + 30
719 Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira 3.9
757 Dustin Egusquiza and Travis Graves NT
749 Quinn Kesler and Joseph Harrison NT
