ProRodeo Sports News - 2021 Year End Edition

TEAM ROPING WORLD CHAMPIONS

Team roping heeler Junior Nogueira prepares to rope a steer during Round 4 of the 2021 NFR with header Kaleb Driggers. The team went on to win the world championship at the NFR PRCA ProRodeo photo by Rod Connor

PRCA ProRodeo photo by Rod Connor

Breaking Through

for this title.” Driggers and Nogueira finished third in the average with a 52.6-second time on nine head. They had a 7.1-second time in Round 10 to secure their titles. The previous three times the duo roped together at the Wrangler NFR they finished second in the world each time. “We have been in this situation a lot and to finally have it go our way is amazing,” said Driggers. “I’m kind of a numbers guy so I kind of had it all mapped out and knew exactly what we needed to be. “Until they came back and told us we had won we still were not sure just because I have been so close so many times. I have been reserve world champion four times and to finally get over the hump is great and without God we would not be here.”

Coming into Vegas this season they had a good feeling things would finally lineup for them to take home those coveted gold buckles. “I had a peaceful mindset this entire week,” Driggers said. “I told Junior before it even started, I think this is going to be our week. We were just going to rope and leave it all on the table and it worked out in our favor.” Nogueira admits he’s grown up over the years when it comes to his roping and falling just short, but this was a huge sigh of relief on Dec.11 at the Thomas &Mack Center. “I used to let it bother me a little bit, but now I have my family, my partner, and we are having a great life,” Nogueira said. “I put all my prayers into this, saying it was my dream to one day to be the best. I don’t feel all that different, but I’m just glad I caught all my steers by two feet and achieved my goal.”

Driggers and Nogueira finally capture coveted gold buckles

BY TANNER BARTH T he wait is over for standout team ropers Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira. The duo won their first team roping header and team roping heeler world titles. Driggers finished with $263,227 and Nogueira earned $277,612. Back in 2016, Nogueira became the first Brazilian world champion in PRCA history by winning the all-around world title. He now becomes the first

Brazilian to win a team roping world championship. “This is awesome to achieve this dream,” Nogueira said. “We have been really close and worked

really hard to do this. If God’s not in control and he’s not out in the front and it’s not our turn, it’s not our turn. We have been here before and had the experience and Kaleb did a great job like always. I wanted to heel behind this guy, and I think God put us together for us a reason and I want to glorify God

ProRodeo Sports News 12/17/2021

ProRodeo Sports News 12/17/2021

ProRodeo.com

ProRodeo.com

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