AUSTIN, Texas. – Revenge is best served when the steaks are at their highest.
So, when the Arizona Ridge Riders found themselves down 87 points with Keyshawn Whitehorse set to compete in the closer role during the final out of the game, they couldn’t get much higher.
Add in the fact that Whitehorse had begun his season with eight-straight buck offs, one of which came the prior weekend in Music City, against the very same bull and …
Well, the story pretty much writes itself.
Solidifying the 173.75-171.5 final in walk-off fashion courtesy of his epic 89.25-point dance with Do Dat Eddie, Whitehorse wanted another shot at the talented bovine, and eventually converted with flying colors when presented the opportunity.
“He bucked me off last weekend in Nashville. Honestly it was all about mindset. I went in there (last weekend) not with the fight I needed to,” Whitehorse began.
“Last night, when we looked at the draw, we knew that we had drawn that bull already earlier this week and had a different teammate get on him. Everybody didn’t like him, nobody really likes him, but once I saw that we drew him again, I said, ‘Just give me that bull.’”
“It had a two-sense deal because I wanted to prove to myself and wanted to prove to the team and just step up to the plate because I know that’s what I’m capable of.”
Now 4-2 throughout the league’s last two events, the team has been forced to take the “Tag, you’re it,” approach in sharing the heroics. But nobody said there’s anything wrong with sharing the spotlight.
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“Colten Fritzlan got us the first win last weekend. Vitor (Losnake) got the win the next day,” Whitehorse detailed.
“Nick’s been doing his job staying on, and I know that has to feel good. I think the past few games he’s stayed on and made really big scores, but we never got the win and I think it feels really good for him to have that weight off his shoulder that we finally got the win with a score of his too.”
Now 4-9 on the season, Arizona has been enjoying the thrills of the 5-on-5 format after beginning the year on an 0-7 skid. But thanks to a little bit of coaching from Colby Yates and Paulo Crimber, guys locking in and accepting their roles, suddenly the Ridge Riders are up to the No. 6 ranking overall and just three games behind the Carolina Cowboys, who occupy the No. 4 spot currently.
“In any team sport, everyone has a position to do. In basketball, you have a center, your shooting guard, your point guard, forwards and all that, but they have a certain position to play and they all do certain things. I guess you could say, even with the small stature I am, I’m the center because I’m getting rebounds and cleaning it up,” Whitehorse shared with a laugh.
“Sometimes I don’t want to be in position to get on one of those kind of bulls, but if there’s anyone to get the job done, I can do it.”
As the PBR Camping World Team Series heads into an off weekend, with its course set for Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Sept. 8-10 when the Oklahoma Freedom host the second-ever Freedom Fest, Whitehorse is debating a potential appearance at the PBR Buckin’ on the Rez PBR Challenger Series event in Window Rock, Arizona next weekend.
“It’s still questionable, but I do plan on going to Window Rock to ride there. Kind of a close-to-home deal, hometown crowd thing. That is my plan, but I’m not certain if I’m doing it.”
Never hesitant to put on a show for the Arizona faithful, he’ll have to wait just over a month until his squad hosts a home event of their own.
“Last year (PBR Teams) it was brand new, and a lot of teams didn’t get many wins in their home building,” he added.
“Last year the teams didn’t know what to expect and maybe didn’t realize there’d be so much energy and maybe it overtook them a little bit or put some pressure on the team. I think this year they understand what it is and how much energy it can be and how to handle it. I know we have a really good fan base there in Arizona and we look forward to competing at a top notch there.”
Picking up big wins against the Nashville Stampede and Missouri Thunder inside Moody Center, they’ll look to build on their recent success in Oklahoma City with games against the Austin Gamblers, Kansas City Outlaws and Oklahoma Freedom.
“We’ve struggled but we just have to keep going and we all know that we have to keep getting better,” he concluded.
“I think the Arizona Ridge Riders are trending up.”
Photo courtesy of Josh Homer/Bull Stock Media