Monster Energy Team Challenge preview: Oklahoma Wildcatters vs. Arizona Ridge Riders
The two evenly matched squads face off to conclude Round 1 in Pittsburgh this weekend.
By Darci Miller
FORT WORTH, Texas – Buckle up! The PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by Camping World, is back this weekend in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and if it’s anything like the first three installments, it will be wild.
First, we saw the New York Mavericks take down the juggernaut Florida Freedom on home dirt inside Madison Square Garden. Then, the Nashville Stampede got in on the fun, toppling the heavy-hitting Carolina Cowboys in a lopsided victory at the PBR Chicago. This past weekend in Houston, Texas, the Texas Rattlers upset the reigning champion Austin Gamblers, four rides to two.
This weekend, at the U.S. Border Patrol PBR Pittsburgh, presented by Ariat, it’s the Oklahoma Wildcatters vs. the Arizona Ridge Riders – two teams needing some bragging rights!
In case you missed it, all but two regular-season UTB events in 2025 will feature a PBR Teams rivalry game baked into Round 1. For those 15 weekends, the final 12 outs of the opening round will be a 6-on-6 game, with all outs counting both towards the UTB event and the game results.
Let’s dig into what we can expect in the Steel City!
The Oklahoma Wildcatters were one of the two expansion teams that joined the league in 2024. And, like many expansion teams, they struggled in their inaugural season. After kicking things off with a 2-1 start on home dirt at Wildcatter Days, the Wildcatters couldn’t keep the momentum up, slipping to 11-16-1 on the year and tying for the third-worst riding percentage. They had to face the Ride-In Round to try to earn a spot at the PBR Teams Championship, ultimately falling short and missing out on competing inside T-Mobile Arena.
Not what you want to see, but there are still plenty of positives. Head coach J.B. Mauney has a solid roster boasting Cort McFadden (No. 6 in the UTB standings), Clay Guiton, Wingson Henrique da Silva, Josh Frost, Kyler Oliver and Guilherme Valleiras. They may be short on accolades, but all of these riders are proven capable of stepping up when it counts, and Oklahoma is certainly no pushover.
The Arizona Ridge Riders’ 2024 season was, plain and simple, a huge disappointment. Previously the only team to have competed on the final day of the Teams Championship in both iterations, Arizona spent almost all of 2024 at the bottom of the standings, squeaking past the New York Mavericks into the No. 9 position on the last day of the regular season. Previously known for their consistency, the Ridge Riders never got their feet under them and, like the Wildcatters, lost the Ride-In Round and spent the Teams Championship on the sidelines.
However, the 11-17 record doesn’t tell the whole story. The Ridge Riders’ riding percentage was 43.6%, the fifth-highest in the league – there was clearly some bad luck involved in their losses. They also ended the regular season with a 3-0 showing at their home event, Ridge Rider Days, proving they can put the pieces together. With Eduardo Aparecido, Keyshawn Whitehorse (No. 9 in the UTB standings), Luciano De Castro (No. 8) and Nick Tetz leading the charge, Arizona is way more dangerous than it initially appears.
These two squads had an interesting journey in 2024. First facing off at Wildcatter Days in Oklahoma City, the Ridge Riders spoiled the Wildcatters’ perfect homestand with a narrow 172.5-171.25 victory. Later in the summer, in Austin, Texas, the Wildcatters got a narrow win of their own, 180-178.75. Finally, on the Ridge Riders’ home turf in Glendale, Arizona, they again won a close one, 263.5-255.5. Both teams then competed in the Ride-In Round, and both were on the losing side (however, Oklahoma did walk away with the higher score, 173.75 to 170.5).
That’s four games decided by a combined 13.75 points! It does not get more evenly matched than that.
Both teams will look slightly different at the Monster Energy Team Challenge, as the Ridge Riders lost Dener Barbosa and the Wildcatters lost Austin Richardson. Also, Josh Frost will take over coaching duties for the Wildcatters in the absence of head coach Mauney.
In a matchup that’s perhaps more of a coin toss than any other, which team will be able to start 2025 off on the right foot? We’re picking Arizona because of their lineup of more proven heavy hitters and that higher riding percentage… but it’s literally anybody’s game.
Don’t miss any of the action! The Monster Energy Team Challenge will conclude Round 1 in Pittsburgh and airs Sunday, Jan. 26, at 2:30 p.m. ET on CBS.
