Korbin Rice and Jake Edwards left the South Point with $111,500 and the 2024 Ariat World Series of Team Roping Riata Open Finale title Dec. 8, after roping six steers in 38.09 second. 

When Rice, 23, and Edwards, 25, rode into the short round at high call on five steers, they lead a wolfy pack of some of today’s best Open team ropers. As they watched the round play out, they knew they had 9.67 seconds to work with after seeing World Champion Colby Lovell and his partner Ty Arnold go to the lead at second call.  

“I actually purposely waited to see what we had to work with, and I’m glad we did,” Rice, of Hobbs, New Mexico, said. “I heard it was 9 seconds, and I knew if we made a clean run within the back end, we would beat 9 seconds. I knew I had all day to get out, catch the steer and then let Jake come in heeling at some point.” 

Rice’s intuition was right, and they sealed the deal on the Riata Open title after an 8.20 in the short round at the back end of the arena. Edwards, a Fort Ann, New York, native, saw the outcome before they backed in the box. 

“I told him I felt like I had him heeled before he ever even roped him,” admitted Edwards. “I tried to stay in a good mindset all day long and stayed to myself. I just tried to focus on very minimal things.” 

Full story coming in the February 2025 issue of The Team Roping Journal.