LAS VEGAS – Fans inside of T-Mobile Arena taking in the first round of the 2023 PBR Camping World Team Series were treated to quite the explosive slate.
Seeing Caden Bunch secure a walk-off win for the No. 4 Oklahoma Freedom over the No. 7 Nashville Stampede in stunning fashion.
Witnessing the No. 3 Texas Rattlers survive to see Day 2 for the second-straight postseason behind a fourth-consecutive conversion from Brady Oleson.
Experiencing Felipe Furlan and the No. 8 Missouri Thunder shock the world, claiming a win during the tournament’s first Last Chance Game.
But perhaps the most electric game of the night, and arguably the season, came during Friday night’s opening showdown between the No. 6 Carolina Cowboys and No. 5 Arizona Ridge Riders.
We’re talking instant classics here, folks.
Two juggernauts exchanging blows, decided in the bottom of the fifth.
RELATED: Arizona Ridge Riders, Oklahoma Freedom earn walk-off wins on opening night of PBR Camping World Teams Championship
Add in a dramatic judge’s review following the 10th and final out and you could practically hear the hearts of Carolina Cowboys fans around the world shatter.
“Honestly, that’s what all sports are about. The attention, the drama. Guys playing to the best of their ability and figuring out who tops who,” Keyshawn Whitehorse shared moments after producing an epic, walk-off effort to earn Arizona the win.
“Growing up, watching any kind of sports, any kid, those are the kind of games you remember watching. To be a part of a game like that and to be one to contribute in that way, that’s a goal of mine each and every time I get on. To be part of that moment that a kid might look at our team, or myself, and say they want to do that and be in that same position, try to learn from that and get that same excitement.”
Setting the bar for the next generation on the way to producing the tournament’s high score thus far, courtesy of the team’s 4-for-5 showcase, the Ridge Riders appeared to be in postseason form despite missing a pair of key contributors in Nick Tetz and Colten Fritzlan, both of whom are currently designated to the team’s Injured Reserve.
The talented duo may not be active and riding for Arizona, but that wouldn’t stop them from playing their usual roles atop the chutes and within the locker room.
“It's a big thing. He’s (Tetz) been a huge help in that role this year. Really keeping guys on top of their toes and keeping them motivated. They need something like that and it’s good to have him in the locker room, but we have a few guys like that,” Head Coach Colby Yates shared.
“Fritzlan has been out for a while, and it’s hard to have a guy like that out too. Every team is dealing with something like that but for us to have those guys continue to come to events and really energize everybody and keep everybody motivated, let them know that they’re still here and still with them. It’s a big thing for us, so we’re glad to have them and we can use all of the help we can get.”
Supported with momentum in the locker room and on the dirt alike, Whitehorse watched on as his Ridge Riders continued to not only record qualified rides on the regular, but answer Carolina each time they met the 8 themselves.
It’s hard not to get excited for your turn to impress in the playoffs in general, but seeing the team go 3-for-4, the team provided a few much-needed sparks for their closer.
“Absolutely. I think when guys ride, it definitely builds up the confidence. We were down a couple of points, a couple of guys held their weight, then I was just there to do my job,” Whitehorse admitted.
“We kept the momentum shifted on our side of the arena. We didn’t get the highest scores. We made really good rides and rode some bulls that are really hard to ride. Bandito Bug doesn’t get ridden very often, but Chase (Dougherty) made it look easy. Eduardo (Aparecido) rode (JAG Metals) Hard Way, and he hadn’t been ridden yet. Those guys had a lot of momentum going in the right direction for our team.”
But we aren’t here for a play-by-play.
We’re here for THE play. The play, and ride, of the night.
Thankfully for Arizona, this wasn’t the first time the McCracken Springs, Utah, native would need to be tapped for late-game heroics.
“The thing is just having the mindset behind it. I look forward to getting put in those positions now and I want to keep getting put in those positions during the individual season, put myself in those positions. I want to be the guy who the team can rely on and say ‘He’s going to give it everything he has. He’s going to ride,’ and I look forward to that position, not necessarily because of the pressure, but because I like to hone in on that moment,” he shared.
“Everybody, including myself, is always caught up living in a different time. Whether it’s in the future or the past. That’s a time where you have to be in the present to make the right moves and right reactions.”
Eventually matching his fifth-frame opponent Twisted Feather jump-for-jump en route to hearing the whistle, Whitehorse needed any type of confirmed ride score to get his squad the win.
He’s never been one to settle for anything other than giving his all, though, scored a flashy 88.5 points in clinching the win.
“I think we look forward to doing our job to the best of our ability. We’re on the biggest platform of the Team Series right here, right now. Out in Las Vegas,” Whitehorse added.
“We look forward to competing at the highest level. I think sometimes our team is so talented and the ability that we have throughout the regular season, sometimes we’re just hanging out and going to another event. But when it comes time to make it count, that’s what we generally do.”
As to how they make it count Saturday night, with a pending opportunity to knock off the No. 2 seed Kansas City Outlaws?
“Keep things simple. Each jump, each second. Each moment at a time. And keep relying on God to protect us and give us the bulls we have,” Whitehorse concluded.
“Whatever it takes, honestly.”
In agreeance the whole way, Yates was happy with the win and enjoyed a brief celebratory moment in the locker room. But he, and his squad, know the job isn’t done yet.
Eyeing another Championship Sunday berth during the craziness of the postseason, he understands his guys are still locked in and ready to work.
“We just want to make sure that we’re here on Sunday for sure,” Yates said.
“We have that same support. Last year … We feel like we left something on the table here and we want that Championship worse than anybody. We feel like we deserve it and we’ve worked for it. We’re going to do everything we can do go do it.”
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
