2003 Wrangler NFR Team Roping Pairs

Number	Header	Heeler
1	Speed Williams	Rich Skelton
2	Jake Barnes	Allen Bach
3	Trevor Brazile	Wayne Folmer
4	Daniel Green	Kory Koontz
5	David Key	Clay O'Brien Cooper
6	Chad Masters	Michael Jones
7	Charles Pogue	Mike Beers
8	Steve Purcella	Kirt Jones
9	Shain Sproul	Boogie Ray
10	Kevin Stewart	Monty Joe Petska
11	Clay Tryan	Cory Petska
12	Travis Tryan	Matt Zancanella
13	Matt Tyler	Patrick Smith
14	Wade Wheatly	Britt Bockius
15	Tee Woolman	Kyle Lockett

2003 Wrangler NFR Television Schedule

Date Rodeo Network Time (ET)

2003 Wrangler NFR Live

Listen to each round of the 2003 Wrangler NFR LIVE! Each night Dec.5-14: 6:15pm - 9:15pm PST, you can return here to listen to the live coverage of the rodeo. Click here to Listen Live

Round One Results

Top Team Ropers Back on Track

After lackluster performances at the last two Tour Finales, one might have began to wonder how thin the line might be that separates the top pro ropers from their weekend warrior counterparts. That line got a little bit wider as the big dogs put the excitement back in the game during the first performance of the forty fifth Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

In contrast to recent high stakes PRCA events that have been plagued with penalties and no times, eleven of fifteen teams made flawless runs and there were no barrier or leg penalties. Better yet, times got faster as the event progressed. In fact, the last six teams to go finished in the money.

Veteran world champs Jake Barnes and Allen Bach heated things up by posting a 5.2 second time, late in the round.

Trevor Brazile and Wayne Folmer raised the bar with a 4.7.

Travis Tryan and Matt Zancanella followed with a 4.6 which was quickly matched by Speed Williams and Rich Skelton, the final team to go.

Both Tryan/Zancanella and Williams/Skelton, the frontrunners in the standings coming into the finals, showed a big improvement over last year's opening round, where the two teams combined for 67 seconds on their first steer.

Tolbert Prather
1Fine.com

Place	Header	Heeler	Time	Money Won
1/2	Speed Williams	Rich Skelton	4.6	12,832.43
1/2	Travis Tryan	Matt Zancanella	4.6	12,832.43
3	Trevor Brazile	Wayne Folmer	4.7	8,554.96
4	Jake Barnes	Allen Bach	5.2	6,011.59
5/6/7	Daniel Green	Kory Kontz	5.3	2003.86
5/6/7	David Key	Clay O'Brien Cooper	5.3	2003.86
5/6/7	Tee Woolman	Kyle Lockett	5.3	2003.86

Round Two Results

Round one's heroes stumble in round two

Can you believe the old fashioned whuppin' that the Kansas State Wildcats dished out to the number one ranked Oklahoma Sooners, in the Big 12 championship game, on Saturday night? They just flat out manhandled 'em! Beat 'em like stepchildren! The Wilcats mopped the floor with the Sooners, feeding them a 35-7 thrashing that throws the whole national championship picture into chaos.

But, we're here to talk about team roping.

The second round of the 45th Wrangler National Finals Rodeo team roping was not much different, in that the top teams in the world standings also took a fall, before a live national television audience, on Saturday night. The only difference was that the top team ropers beat themselves.

Twelveth ranked Daniel Green of Oakdale, Calif., and Kory Koontz of Sudan, Texas, started the round with a 4.4-second run, then #14 Shain Sproul of Arlee, Mont., and Wrangler NFR rookie (#10) Boogie Ray of Mabank, Texas, matched it.

When it came around to the top dogs, they shot themselves in the foot, one right after the other.

Trevor Brazile and Wayne Folmer excited the crowd by posting a lead matching 4.4-second run. The cheers turned to moans, however, when a ten second barrier penalty was added to the score.

Travis Tryan and Matt Zancanella turned a 4.6- second run into a 9.6 with a five second leg catch penalty.

Tee Woolman and Kyle Lockett added five to their 4.8, with a leg penalty, as well.

The number one team, Speed Williams and Rich Skelton, followed suit, wiping out a would be round winning time of 4.3 seconds with a five second leg penalty of their own.

Beside winning the round, Green and Koontz took a commanding lead in the average, while Sproul and Ray moved into a solid second. The average winner, after ten rounds, earns an additional $36,000.

So, like the NCAA football national championship picture, the PRCA team roping may have been thrown into chaos, as well

Tolber Prather
1FIne.com

Place	Header	Heeler	Time	Money Won
1/2	Daniel Green	Kory Koontz	4.4	12,832.43
1/2	Shain Sproul	Boogie Ray	4.4	12,832.43
3	Steve Purceella	Kirt Jones	4.5	8,554.96
4	David Key	Clay O'Brien Cooper	4.9	6,011.59
5	Matt Tyler	Patrick Smith	5.2	3,699.44
6	Charles Pogue	Mike Beers	5.4	2,312.15

Round Three Results

Green and Koontz tie arena record

Daniel Green of Oakdale, Calif., and Kory Koontz of Sudan, Texas, matched the arena record with a 3.8-second run, good for their second round victory.

Winning $29,171.62 apiece, in just three rounds of competition, the pair has been gobbling up ground in the world standings. They have jumped from 12th in the standings, coming into the finals, to a solid 5th. They're now just one round win away from second and they hold a three second lead in the average. An average win could pad their earnings by another $36,000.

They are still, however, a long way from threatening the commanding lead held by reigning world champs, Speed Williams and Rich Skelton, who refuse to go away.

Speed and Rich got another nice check tonight with a 4.4-second effort, enough to split second place. They have now earned $22,774.68 each, at the finals, and are sitting 4th in the average. Their lead in the world standings is now $42,000 over their closest competitors. They're in a good position to coast to a seventh straight world title.

Clay Tryan of Billings, Mont. and Cory Petska of Lexington, Okla. picked up their fist check with a 4.4-second run of their own.

The teams of Charles Pogue/Mike Beers and Matt Tyler/Patrick Smith each posted 4.8-second times, worth $4,000 a man. Perhaps more important, they moved to second and third in the average, respectively

Tolbert Prather
1Fine.com

Place	Header	Heeler	Time	Money Won
1	Daniel Green	Kory Koontz	3.8 Ties Arena Record	14,335.33
2/3	Clay Tyran	Cory Petska	4.4	9,942.25
2/3	Speed Williams	Rich Skelton	4.4	9,942.25
4/5	Jake Barnes	Allen Bach	4.8	4,855.51
4/5	Matt Tyler	Patrick Smith	4.8	4,855.51
6	Chad Masters	Michael Jones	4.9	2,312.15

Round Four Results

Team Ropin' Ain't Over Yet

Shain Sproul of Arlee, Mont., and Boogie Ray of Mabank, Texas, won for the second time in four days. The new combination stopped the clock in 4.0 seconds on Monday, bringing their total NFR earnings to $27,167.76, thus far. They're also sitting third in the average with 24.5 seconds on two head. The makeshift pair is appear to be on their way to enjoying a very profitable finals.

Reigning champions Speed Williams of Amarillo, Texas, and Rich Skelton of Llano, Texas, finished second with a 4.2-second run and further extended their leads in the heading and heeling standings, respectively, to more than $50,000.

Thanks to mishaps by other teams, Speed and Rich also reclaimed the lead in the average. They will now have to really mess up to give away their seventh straight world title. Since we're talking about the best team roping duo of all time, that just ain't gonna happen. Or, can it?

Jake Barnes and Allen Bach had a hot run of 4.3 seconds to take third in the round and move to fourth in the average. With $19,422.06 in NFR earnings, Barnes has moved to third in the header standings while Bach has moved to second in the heeler standings.

Considering that Barnes didn't even start rodeoing until mid season and has rapidly worked his way up the standings. And, considering he has the most to lose by letting Speed and Rich wipe out his record, he and Bach could make things real interesting. Bach missed a steer in round two...it won't happen again. Unless Speed and Rich are flawless for six more rounds, this game ain't quite over.

Is Matt Tyler playing it too safe?

It's obvious that Matt Tyler has set his sights on winning the NFR average title by catching cleanly on ten consecutive steers. It's a cinch that Matt Tyler can catch ten in a row, in his sleep. But, can he really count on rookie, Patrick Smith, at his first NFR to go ten for ten on the heel end? It's an awful lot to ask of the young heeler...So far, so good...It just might happen. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

Is Team Roping ready for "Instant Replay?"

Charles Pogue and Mike Beers entered the fourth round in second place in the average. They turned a steer on 3.8 seconds, but were flagged for a crossfire penalty and received a no time. Watching the replay, the steer had been clearly turned and was caught on it's second jump. Even though they also legged up, they did not deserve to be knocked out of the average by a bad judgement call by the official. What a tough break for these great cowboys.

Tolbert Prather
1Fine.com

Place	Header	Heeler	Time	Money Won
1	Shain Sproul	Boogie Ray	4.0	14,335.33
2	Speed Williams	Rich Skelton	4.2	11,329.54
3	Jake Barnes	Allen Bach	4.3	8,554.96
4	Chad Masters	Michael Jones	4.4	6,011.59
5	Clay Tyran	Cory Petska	4.8	3,699.44
6	Wade Wheatly	Britt Bockius	4.9	2,312.15

Round Five Results

Rough Night for Team Ropers

Six misses and six leg catch penalties made for an ugly night of team roping in the fifth round of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

Of the three clean runs of the night, Wade Wheatley of Hughson, Calif., and Britt Bockius of Claremore, Calif., posted the fastest time of 4.6 seconds to win the round.

Trevor Brazile and Wayne Folmer stopped the clock in 4.8 seconds to take second. The $11,330-a man second place checks moved Folmer into second place in the world heeler standings, while Brazile extended his lead to $93,000 over Jesse Bail in the all-around race. Brazile, still alive in the average in both the team roping and calf roping events, only needs $40,000 more to overtake the single season earnings record of $297,896, set by Ty Murray in 1993.

Steve Purcella and Kirt Jones posted the only other clean run in the round, 5.0 seconds, good enough for third place and $8,555 apiece.

Despite a five second leg penalty, Kevin Stewart and Monte Joe Petska earnd their first check of the finals with a 9.3 second time worth $6,012 each. All team roping contestants have now cashed a check.

Tolbert Prather
1Fine.com

Place	Header	Heeler	Time	Money Won
1	Wade Wheatley	Britt Bockius	4.6	14,335.33
2	Trevor Brazile	Wayne Folmer	4.8	11,329.54
3	Steve Purcella	Kirt Jones	5.0	8,554.96
4	Kevin Stewart	Monty Joe Petska	9.3	6,011.59
5	Clay Tyran	Cory Petska	9.4	3,699.44
6	Shain Sproul	Boogie Ray	9.7	2,312.15

Round Six Results

Jake Barnes Means to Keep Record

Two nights ago, I talked about Speed and Rich needing to be flawless for six more rounds in order to stave off a late charge by Jake Barnes and Alan Bach.

Well, Speed and Rich must be feeling the pressure because, since then, Speed used two loops on one steer while Rich legged up on another.

Tonight Barnes and Bach turned up the heat on them a little bit more by winning the round and narrowing the gap by another $14,335. Barnes and Bach moved into second in the world standings and second in the average.

Barnes is determined to do all he can do to save his record of most team roping world titles. He is 100% focused on his task at hand, arriving early at the Thomas and Mack Center to watch "game" films before each competition.

The hill is steep but the match should be worth watching over the final four rounds.

Tolbert Prather
1Fine.com

Place	Header	Heeler	Time	Money Won
1	Jake Barnes	Allen Bach	3.9	14,335.33
2	Kevin Stewart	Monty Joe Petska	4.1	11,329.54
3	Tee Woolman	Kyle Lockett	4.3	8,554.96
4	Steve Purcella	Kirt Jones	4.4	6,011.59
5	Wade Wheatley	Britt Bockius	4.5	3,699.44
6	David Key	Clay O'Brien Cooper	4.6	2,312.15

Round Seven Results

Ropers Wow Las Vegas Crowd in Round 7

Team ropers made a statement Thursday night that should hush the critics that have been razzing them pretty hard since the pitiful performance two nights ago, where three teams earned paychecks after being slapped with five second leg catch penalties. In contrast, tonight's performance was nothing short of an exhibition of pure talent.

Speed Williams and Rich Skelton set the pace early on by posting a 4.2-second score that was quickly matched by Charles Pogue and Mike Beers. That score, however, would only be good enough to split 4th and 5th place in the round.

In the end, three teams would grab a share of the Round 7 title. Reigning world all-around champion Trevor Brazile of Decatur, Texas, further extended his stranglehold on another all-around title, joining forces with Wayne Folmer of El Paso, Texas, to stop the clock in 4.1 seconds. Daniel Green of Oakdale, Calif./Kory Koontz of Sudan, Texas, and Shain Sproul of Arlee, Mont./Boogie Ray of Mabank, Texas, also had 4.1-second runs.

The conservative, yet consistent average leaders, Matt Tyler and Patrick Smith, even pushed the envelope a little bit by posting a 4.8-second run and collecting a sixth place check.

The average race and the world title picture remained basically unchanged. Tyler and Smith are just three steers away from going ten for ten, while Williams and Skelton are one round closer to a seventh straight world champion title.

The roping talent show did not end with the team roping.

In the calf roping, Cody Ohl won the round with a blistering 7.0-second run, moving him ahead of Fred Whitfield in the hunt for that event's gold buckle.

Blair Burk's 8.0-second time was tenth best in the round. Now that's ropin'!!!!

Tolbert Prather
1Fine.com

Place	Header	Heeler	Time	Money Won
1/2/3	Daniel Green	Kory Koontz	4.1	11,406.61
1/2/3	Shain Sproul	Boogie Ray	4.1	11,406.61
1/2/3	Trevor Brazile	Wayne Folmer	4.1	11,406.61
4/5	Charles Pogue	Mike Beers	4.2	4,4855.51
4/5	Speed Williams	Rich Skelton	4.2	4,855.51
6	Matt Tyler	Patrick Smith	4.8	2,312.15

Round Eight Results

Green and Koontz win another one

When Daniel Green of Oakdale, Calif. and Kory Koontz of Sudan, Texas make a clean run, they win a round. Thus far they have tied the arena record and have won four of eight rounds in route to $53,410.66 apiece in total NFR earnings.

Speed Williams and Rich Skelton set the pace in round eight, posting a 4.1-second run. That score was matched by Kevin Stewart and Monte Joe Petska.

Green and Koontz bested the time by on tenth of a second, about midway through the round. Their 4-flat was later tied by Tee Woolman and Kyle Lockett, the last team to go.

Speed and Rich will have to have a "no time", and fail to place in the final two rounds, to have any chance of blowing their lock on a seveth world title. Even then, Jake Barnes and Allen Bach would have to place in the top three in both of the last two round.

Matt Tyler and Patrick Smith made another nice run to pick up another little check and move closer to the average title.

Fred Whitfield struck back in the calf roping, with a sizzling 6.9-second run, to jump back ahead of Cody Ohl in the standings. Considering their places in the average and total earnings, they are neck and neck in the stretch. That race will come down to the wire.

Tolbert Prather
1Fine.com

Place	Header	Heeler	Time	Money Won
1/2	Daniel Green	Kory Koontz	4.0	12,832.43
1/2	Tee Woolman	Kyle Lockett	4.0	12,832.43
3/4	Kevin Stewart	Monty Joe Petska	4.1	7,283.27
3/4	Speed Williams	Rich Skelton	4.1	7,283.27
5/6/7	David Key	Clay O' Brien Cooper	4.7	2,003.86
5/6/7	Jake Barnes	Allen Bach	4.7	2,003.86
5/6/7	Matt Tyler	Patrick Smith	4.7	2,003.86

Round Nine Results

Barnes and Bach keep title hopes alive

Jake Barnes of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Allen Bach of Weatherford, Texas did what they had to do to keep their title hopes alive by winning the nineth round of team roping with a 4.1-second run.

Six-time and reigning world team roping champions Speed Williams of Amarillo, Texas, and Rich Skelton of Llano, Texas, essentially wrapped up another title by sharing fourth place in Round 9. Their leads of $43,000 and $38,000, respectively, haven’t mathematically clinched the title, but it will take a lot for runners-up, Barnes and Bach, to pass them Sunday.

Speed and Rich will have to get a "no time", in the final round, while Jake and Allen must win the round for an upset to occur. But, what chance do Speed and Rich have of getting a "no time"?

Well, it's happened before under typical circumstances, and...Speed Williams will have several extenuating circumstances to deal with on Sunday. He'll be celebrating his 36th birthday, so he may feel much older. His wife has gone into labor with their first child, back in Amarillo, so he may just have to turn out so he can be there like a good dad...yeah, that'll happen. And, he has the flu, so he just may not feel like roping. Ha ha...the worse affect all that had on his round nine score was that he got a 4.7 instead of a round winning 4.1...so keep dreaming.

Matt Tyler and Patrick Smith caught cleanly one more time. Only one steer to go.

Reigning world all-around champion Trevor Brazile of Decatur, Texas, wrapped up his second straight crown in Round 9, and he should become the first cowboy in PRCA history to surpass $300,000 in a single season when Sunday’s round concludes. He just needs one more 9-second calf to pull that off.

Cody Ohl and Fred Whitfield are dead even at the wire. They each posted a 9.0-second time in round nine. Bottom line: The man who wins the most in the final round, wins the world.

Sunday's final round will be broadcast live on ESPN at 4:00p.m. Eastern (1:00 Pacific).

Tolbert Prather
1Fine.com

Place	Header	Heeler	Time	Money Won
1	Jake Barnes	Allen Bach	4.2	14,335.33
2	Chad Masters	Michael Jones	4.4	11,329.54
3	Shain Sproul	Boogie Ray	4.5	8,554.96
4/5	Speed Williams	Rich Skelton	4.7	4,855.51
4/5	Trevor Brazile	Wayne Folmer	4.7	4,855.51
6	Clay Tyran	Cory Petska	5.6	2,312.15

Round Ten Results

Cody Ohl breaks world record to win gold

Cody Ohl of Stephenville, Texas broke the tie-down roping world record with a sizzling 6.5 second run to edge out Fred Whitfield in a tight race for the 2003 world champion gold buckle.

Fred Whitfield made a valiant effort to defend his crown by posting the third fastest time in the round, a 7.5. You just can't ask for a better finish than that.

Mike Johnson made a clean 8.5-second run to lock the average champion title.

Trevor Brazile needed to be 9.5 seconds to become the first cowboy in history to surpass $300,000 in single season earnings. He mis-strung his calf to settle for an 11.5 which dropped him from 2nd to 4th in the average, leaving him just short of the mark. He also dropped out of the average in team roping after using two loops to turn his steer. It was a tough way to end a remarkable season that earned him a second consecutive world all-around title.

Speed Williams and Rich Skelton have officially earned the title of "the best team roping tandem of all time." They made a clean 5.1-second run to seal the deal.

Happy Birthday Speedy and congratulations on your new baby girl, born last night in Amarillo.

You can't say enough about the perfomance of rookie, Patrick Smith of Midland, Texas. Smith just started learning to rope two short years ago. He started this season heeling for Tee Woolman, enjoying a very successful first half of the season.

Fate paired him with veteran Matt Tyler for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Tyler, the most consistent header in the business, challenged Smith with the the ultimate assignment..."catch ten of ten steers and win the average." Smith tuned out the pressure, focussed on his mission, rose to the challenge, and delivered. I'll almost bet money that Matt keeps this kid around next year.

Tolbert Prather
1Fine.com

Place	Header	Heeler	Time	Money Won
1/2/3	Chad Masters	Michael Jones	4.4	11,406.61
1/2/3	David Key	Clay O'Brien Cooper	4.4	11,406.61
1/2/3	Wade Wheatley	Britt Bockius	4.4	11,406.61
4	Shain Sproul	Boogie Ray	4.5	6,011.59
5	Charles Pogue	Mike Beers	4.6	3,699.44
6/7	Jake Barnes	Allen Bach	5.0	1,156.07
6/7	Kevin Stewart	Monty Joe Petska	5.0	1,156.07

Average Leaders

Place	Header	Heeler	Time	NFR Earnings
1	Matt Tyler	Patrick Smith	62.30/10	49,634.15
2	Jake Barnes	Allen Bach	65.30/10	81,079.39
3	Speed Williams	Rich Skelton	66.00/10	74,682.44
4	Shain Sproul	Boogie Ray	82.00/10	72,794.20
5	David Key	Clay O'Brien Cooper	93.30/10	36,223.68
6	Steve Purcella	Kirt Jones	99.10/10	32,138.90