OKLAHOMA CITY – Missouri Thunder co-coach Luke Snyder walked down the hallway of Paycom Center, let out a deep breath, and smiled.
“Now that is a lot better,” Snyder said after the Thunder (9-8, Freedom Fest 1-0) defeated the Nashville Stampede (4-13, Freedom Fest 0-1) 177-0 on the first night of Freedom Fest.
Snyder was getting sick and tired of his team’s downhill spiral in the last two weeks. Missouri arrived in Oklahoma the losers in six of its last seven games after starting the inaugural PBR Team Series season 7-2.
“That sucked to happen, but when something like that happens to a guy, you never want to feel that again,” Snyder said about his team’s midseason struggles last weekend in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. “So, in a way, it’s like, ‘I know how that feels, I never want to feel that again,’ so it lights a fire under their ass a little more.”
The Thunder are on a mission to get back in the hunt for the PBR Team Series Championship. Adriano Salgado got things immediately started for Missouri with 88.25 points on Concho after a judge’s review previously showed 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco slapped Crossover at the 7.73-second mark. The slap was a sign of things to come for Nashville, who would go 0-for-5 in the game with three 7-second buckoffs.
By the time Andrew Alvidrez crawled into the bucking chute, Missouri had already clinched the victory. However, that did not stop him from adding to the fun with a game-high 88.75 points aboard Glory Days.
“Oh, it’s just a warmup, man. Just a warmup,” Alvidrez said following the win. “Man, to be completely honest with you, (the losing) hasn’t phased me. Our job still remains the same. As long as I’m able to do my part out there, I can keep my head high. As long as I do my job. When I don’t do my job, that’s when I get pissed.
“And we always bounce back.”
Alvidrez leads the Thunder with eight qualified rides in 15 outs and is ranked seventh in the league’s MVP race.
The 26-year-old could have lost his focus knowing the game was already clinched on Friday night, but Alvidrez says his mindset never changes in the Teams competition.
“I don’t pay attention to the other team, my score, even my bull, really,” Alvidrez said. “I just ask Ross (Coleman) and Luke (Snyder) what bull I’ve got, and they tell me. But man, I just focus on doing my job. You ride your bulls, everything gets fixed.”
The Thunder are fourth in the PBR Team Series standings and just two games back of the No. 1 Carolina Cowboys (11-6) ahead of their game against the Arizona Ridge Riders (10-7) on Saturday night (7:45 p.m. ET, RidePass on Pluto TV).
FRITZLAN SUSTAINS CONCUSSION
Missouri had a scary moment earlier in the game when Leopold bucked Colten Fritzlan off in 7.71 seconds and stepped on the back of Fritzlan’s helmet.
Fritzlan later told PBR.com that he was diagnosed with a concussion and will need to go through PBR’s concussion protocol before being cleared to return to competition.
Alvidrez said the moment motivated him to finish the game strong for his teammate.
“Fritzlan’s one of my good boys,” Alvidrez said. “Just to see him out there hurt, it gives you more motivation to keep your hand in that bull rope because you know he wasn’t going to let go until they stomped him loose. So for damn sure, it pumps you up to get after them bulls.”
SATURDAY NIGHT GAME SCHEDULE
Kansas City Outlaws (7-10, Freedom Fest 0-1) @ Carolina Cowboys (11-6, Freedom Fest 1-0)
Arizona Ridge Riders (10-7, Freedom Fest 0-1) @ Missouri Thunder (9-8, Freedom Fest 1-0)
Nashville Stampede (4-13, Freedom Fest 0-1) @ Austin Gamblers (10-7, Freedom Fest 0-1)
Texas Rattlers (6-11, Freedom Fest 1-0) @ Oklahoma Freedom (9-8, Freedom Fest 1-0)
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media