PRORODEO Sports News - July 12, 2024

PONOKA STAMPEDE

Billie-Jean Duff photos Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira captured the team roping title at the Ponoka Stampede with a 5.5-second run in the Showdown round.

Cashing In

Diggers/Nogueira capture Ponoka victory

BY DIANNE FINSTAD, Special to ProRodeo Sports News A southern cowboy got some northern redemption at the 88th Ponoka Stampede. Equal money and growth to a $60,000 purse in the team roping meant the largest Canadian ProRodeo was a must-do on the rodeo list for Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira. But there was a little extra motivation for Nogueira. “Last year, we had a good chance to be high callback,” said Nogueira, who has a world all-around gold buckle to go with the two team roping ones he and Driggers have earned. “I messed up on the second one, so we had a little unfinished business.

I was really sad about last year.” The talented duo and longtime partners made a solid 6.4-second run on their first steer. Nogueira, the heeler of the equation, was determined not to have history repeat on the second steer. They caught, and even managed to be a second faster with a 5.4. A 7.5-second run in the finals helped them claim a spot in the rich Showdown Round, where they roped themselves a Ponoka championship in 5.5 seconds, edging out Dustin Bird and Jeremy Buhler’s 5.7, and aggregate leaders Trey Yates and Jake Clay, who clocked 5.8 seconds. “Honestly, I was a little bit late at the barrier,” said Driggers, the header, about their winning run. “Our steer was probably just average for

COWBOY CHRISTMAS

BAREBACK RIDING 1. Weston Timberman .. 90 pts. 2. Richmond Champion .... 88.5 3. Samuel Petersen ........... 85.5

STEER WRESTLING 1. Dalton Massey ......... 5.8 sec. 2. Cody Cassidy .................. 6.0 3. Dakota Eldridge ............ 11.5

TEAM ROPING 1. Driggers/Nogueira ... 5.5 sec. 2. D. Bird/J. Buhler ............. 5.7 3. T. Yates/J. Clay ............... 5.8

TOP MONEY EARNER Cody Cassidy ($20,549, steer wrestling)

TOP

SCORES

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ProRodeo Sports News 7/12/2019