PUEBLO, Colo. – The Arizona Ridge Riders have a key game against the Missouri Thunder on Friday night at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, as the top two teams in the PBR Team Series standings will jockey for sole possession of first place.
Arizona and Missouri have jumped out to quick 4-1 starts through two weeks of competition in large part because of free agent signings who have quickly evolved into key contributors.
So far, Alisson de Souza has appeared to be the biggest free agent signing of the offseason in the league. The 29-year-old is tied for the league lead in qualified rides (5) and his 5-for-7 start to the season has helped the Ridge Riders quickly rise to the top of the PBR Team Series standings.
However, it was two other free agents for the Ridge Riders rising to the occasion alongside Souza to clinch Arizona the Outlaw Days victory this past Sunday in Kansas City, Missouri.
Souza has been Arizona’s leadoff rider all year long, and he began the game with 77.5 points on Dark Fantasy. Nashville then responded with 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco giving his team the lead with an 87-point effort on Tested Viper.
Following a buckoff from each team, Arizona free agents Sandro Batista (70.25 points on Contusion) and Keyshawn Whitehorse (74.75 points on I’m a Secret) cemented the win for Arizona as Nashville bucked off its final three bulls of the game.
In a strategy to monitor this season, Arizona turned down both re-ride options in the game for Batista and Whitehorse. The Ridge Riders opted for simply getting a score on the board vs. going for a home run, and it paid off for one game. (Note: The team who has the highest aggregate ride total in the game is the winner).
Hear from Coach Colby Yates and Coach Paulo Crimber following our first event win of the season! pic.twitter.com/Vv0xuhR9Ua
— Arizona Ridge Riders (@AZRidgeRiders) August 8, 2022
Whitehorse was one of the biggest surprises back on draft night during the 2022 PBR Team Series Draft, presented by ZipRecruiter, on May 23.
The 2018 Rookie of the Year was coming off a fifth-consecutive World Finals qualification in Fort Worth, Texas, and he was an important factor for the undefeated Team Cooper Tires at the 2020 Monster Energy Team Challenge.
Whitehorse admitted to PBR.com that he was pretty shocked to not be selected in the draft by one of the league’s eight teams.
“Emotions were very calming until it was over,” Whitehorse said. “Throughout the night, I was kind of curious of the aspects of each team’s strategy, but you know, at the end of the day, I knew that there was going to be a plan set for me whether it was going to be a part of the Team Series or not, but it allowed me to kind of look at myself and understand myself a little bit more, but also at the same time, it allowed me to look into my own value as well. I was second behind Jose (Vitor Leme) in the last team challenge, so it was pretty interesting.”
Multiple teams knew of the value Whitehorse could offer, and he originally turned down a handful of offers to sign with teams early in free agency immediately following the draft.
Whitehorse instead chose to be patient, waiting to find the perfect match.
“I had a couple of teams approach me after the draft, but I’m going to keep that private, just a handful,” Whitehorse said.
Whitehorse did not originally agree to even sign with Arizona. In fact, Whitehorse politely turned down coach Colby Yates and company at first.
Yates, though, remained persistent and would continuously check in with Whitehorse to see if he would be ready to join the squad, which eventually became the case when the Navajo Nation bull rider agreed to sign on June 25.
“We had multiple conversations before I signed,” Whitehorse said. “It wasn’t like a one-and-done kind of thing. I just said, ‘I’m keeping my options open for a little while,’ but, man, now I wouldn’t want to be a part of any other team.
“They just provided me with the opportunity to do what I wanted to do riding wise and to be a part of a good team, a good organization without having to try to belittle me into a situation and not really giving me much to offer, and also allowing to me to have my freedom as well.”
Souza and Whitehorse are helping to fill the void for the Ridge Riders, who have two key riders – Mauricio Moreira and Chase Dougherty – on injured reserve. Both Moreira and Dougherty are expected to be out for the majority of the season.
Following its game against Missouri on Friday night, the Ridge Riders take on the Ariat Texas Rattlers (1-4) on Saturday.
The Ridge Riders vs. Rattlers game airs Sunday on CBS national television as part of the CBS Game of the Week doubleheader.
Whitehorse is still just 1-for-4, but the one ride on Sunday was crucial and could be a turning point in his season.
The 25-year-old says his draft situation is also water under the bridge and his sole focus now is on helping Arizona win a PBR Team Series Championship on Nov. 4-6 in Las Vegas.
“I want my team to win, that’s my biggest concern,” Whitehorse concluded.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media