2025 Year-End Edition

WARD/LONG EARN FIRST PRCA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS By Alex Dodd E ntering Round 10 of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, team roping header Andrew Ward and heeler Jake Long needed a few things to go their Ward and Long decided to team up this offseason after roping with different partners last season. This marked Ward’s sixth trip to the NFR and Long’s 15th qualifica tion to compete at the Finals. Their offseason decision paid off, as Ward finished with $373,838 to win the heading title and Long earned $372,092 to win the heeling championship.

way to finish the night with gold buckles. The duo was projected to finish second in their re spective disciplines in the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings and in the NFR average race. Ward/Long flipped the script Dec. 13 with a 3.9-second run to share a Round 10 win, clinching their first PRCA World Championships and winning their first NFR aver age championship together. “That has a great ring to it. I love the way that sounds, and I’m thankful,” Ward said after being introduced as a world champion on The Chute Bosses podcast. “The big guy was watching out. We drew a great steer, thankful for the family and everybody who got us here and kept supporting us all our lives. I’m just grateful.”

Ward and Long’s earnings are new single-season re cords in heading and heeling, respectively. The duo won the average at 44.0 seconds on nine head, besting Clint Summers/Jade Corkill by 5.7 seconds. “He’s a great partner,” Long said. “He compliments me and gives me everything that I like in a partner. Obviously, he heads great. That’s No. 1. Then he’s just a great guy, a great person and a great human. I’m a little more of an emotional roller coaster, and he keeps me flatlined.”

Andrew Ward/Jake Long’s Round 10 run secured their first PRCA World Championships. (PRCA photo by Click Thompson)

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JANUARY 2026