FORT WORTH, Texas – Arizona Ridge Riders’ aces Luciano De Castro and Keyshawn Whitehorse haven’t been able to lead their black and white contingent to PBR Teams glory quite yet.

Hell, the same can be said for leaders on six of the series’ other squads just the same.

But the PBR Camping World Team Series standouts have given their all the past three summers – both in the locker room and on the dirt – in attempting to raise the largest gold buckle in Western sports.

And while their most recent season in the camaraderie-driven landscape was technically the organization’s least fortunate of three campaigns, the two stars are shining brighter than ever as the 2025 Unleash The Beast circuit rages on!

Individual accolades aside, which we’ll dive into here shortly, the pair of Top 10 premier series-ranked athletes are preparing to suit up alongside Eduardo Aparecido, JaCauy Hale and company Friday night during the tour’s fourth iteration of Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by Camping World electricity! 

Each of the Austin Gamblers, Carolina Cowboys, Florida Freedom, Nashville Stampede, New York Mavericks and Texas Rattlers have renewed their respective rivalries throughout the past three weekends.

And after seeing the Rattlers post a series-high 350.25-point win over the Gamblers last weekend in H-Town, we can’t help but want MORE of the matching jerseys, rivalry-specific trophies and team-wide celebrations.

Which brings us to Friday’s showdown inside PPG Paints Arena, as the Arizona Ridge Riders prepare to go head-to-head against Cort McFadden, Clay Guiton and the Oklahoma Wildcatters. 

Set to invade the final 12 outs of the weekend’s opening round in 6 vs. 6 fashion, both squads are looking to open their respective METC season debuts with what would be a momentous victory.

And knowing seven of the 12 competitors will need to convert Friday night in order to stick around for the remainder of the weekend, we expect the scoreboard and corresponding judges to be active early and often as we close out Round 1 in high-flying fashion!

RELATED: Monster Energy Team Challenge preview: Oklahoma Wildcatters vs. Arizona Ridge Riders

After leading the squad in qualified rides during the 2024 season, No. 33 Eduardo Aparecido hasn’t enjoyed the best start to the season thus far. But if we know one thing about the veteran, he enjoys sharing the chutes and celebrations with his teammates. And if we know one thing about Head Coach Colby Yates and company, they expect their locker room leader to show up big time during Friday night’s showdown. 

In the same light that Guiton and McFadden will need to step up to the plate and put their big boy chaps on if they want to see their Wildcatters edge out the veteran-savvy Ridge Riders, we believe Whitehorse and Castro will need to deliver just the same if they hope to lead Arizona to victory.

They’re simply on the same page right now, both recently earning 8 UTB points during the rare midweek competition en route to each posting one qualified ride as they continue to neighbor each other in the premier series standings.

A quick look at said UTB standings shows No. 8 Castro is officially 14-for-22 (63.64%) on the season, whereas No. 9 Whitehorse, just one spot and 15 points behind the veteran, brings a 13-for-21 (61.9%) slate into the Week 10 showdown. 

Seemingly taking his off-dirt fashion to a new level this time around, Whitehorse has produced at least one qualified ride in each of the eight premier series events he’s participated in, which has equated to four Top 10s and six Top 20s. However, it’s his hot streak of three Top 12 performances within his last four events that has him trending in the right direction.

RELATED: Keyshawn Whitehorse wins Round 1 in Houston, cracking Top 10 in 2025 World Championship race

In retrospect, Castro has logged at least one conversion in seven of the eight UTB events in which he’s appeared in. Able to take advantage of some weekly momentum, the veteran has been able to parlay six of those seven performances into Top 10 placements as he continues to propel himself up the standings with big rides and strong finishes.

And wouldn’t you know it, he logged his 200th premier series conversion this past weekend aboard Fire Zone, providing that much more wind beneath his wings for this weekend’s quickly approaching U.S. Border Patrol PBR Pittsburgh presented by Ariat. 

His second-place, 3-for-3 performance last weekend in Houston, Texas, represents his most recent standout effort, as he collected 109.5 UTB points. Nearly sweeping the event, albeit coming up just .75 points short of Lucas Divino for what would’ve been his first event title of the season, he earned his first two round wins of the year while adding a pair of rank 90-pointers to his resume, his first pair of elite rides in 2025. 

While Castro racked up both of his round wins (which included a short round tie with both Divino and Kaique Pacheco), Whitehorse added his second session victory earlier in the weekend, originally taking home the Round 1 win courtesy of his quality 89.25-point journey atop Let’s Roll.

Will the pair of Top-10 ranked riders be able to team up Friday night for a big win while continuing to propel their respective hot starts to the 2025 campaign? Be sure to tune in LIVE and FREE Friday!

This weekend’s U.S. Border Patrol PBR Pittsburgh presented by Ariat showcase in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is set to begin Friday, Jan. 24 at 7:45 p.m. ET as the best bull riders in the world prepare to put on a show inside PPG Paints Arena.

Competition will later conclude Saturday, Jan. 25 at 7:45 p.m. ET with Round 2, followed by the short go as riders look to improve their odds at capturing the coveted 2025 PBR World Championship! 

All three rounds of action in Pittsburgh will be available LIVE and FREE on RidePass on Pluto TV, PBR’s YouTube channel, PBR’s mobile app, PBR’s app on connected TVs, including Apple TV, Fire TV, Roku, and Google TV, as well as on your favorite web browser at watch.pbr.com. The stream for PBR Pittsburgh begins on Friday, Jan. 24, at 8 p.m. ET.

Fans can keep an eye on PBR.com and @PBR social media channels for the latest news, scores, wrecks and more! 

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media