ProRodeo Sports News - December 16, 2022

TEAM ROPERS DRIGGERS/NOGUEIRA WINS SECOND STRAIGHT GOLD BUCKLES

was the world champ in 2016, 2018 and 2021 and 2022. Waguespack finished atop the world standings with $268,881. He narrowly defeated Lummus who finished with $266,188. Waguespack split fourth in Round 10 (4.0 seconds) and was third in the average with a 57.1-second time on 10 head. “I feel undeserving of this world title,” Waguespack said. “That was the craziest round of steer wrestling I have ever seen. Will Lummus bulldogged great all week long. The steer he had tonight actually took me out of the average earlier in the week that’s the steer I got the barrier on. I would have never thought that would happen. Will should be sitting here instead of me. I was the lucky one who came out on top at the end. That was one of the craziest rounds I have ever watched.” Waguespack is joining some elite company in steer wrestling world title circles. Only Homer Pettigrew (six) and Luke Branquinho (five) have won more world titles thanWaguespack. The Gonzales, La., cowboy is tied with four world titles with Ote Berry, Everett Bowman and Jim Bynum. Thurston won his third career gold buckle in 2022, thanks to earning a PRCA single-season saddle bronc riding record with $399,316. Thurston of Big Valley, Alberta, also won world titles in 2016 and 2019. “This one was probably the hardest one I have ever had,” saidThurston of title No. 3. “I had to work for this one. The other 14 guys in the room are crazy talented and ride awesome. I had quite a bit of money to make up coming in here. I knew if I just made the best ride I could on every horse and kept placing in the rounds I would give myself a fighting chance. And that’s what I did. Having my family and everybody here, it is really cool. I have won a couple of others. To have them all here for this one is really special.” Thurston earned an NFR saddle bronc riding record $256,078. He earned $74,150 for winning the average with 876.5 points on 10 head. SADDLE BRONC RIDER ZEKE THURSTON NABS HIS THIRD WORLD CROWN Canadian ZekeThurston made it a hat trick on Dec. 10.

Make it back-to-back for team ropers – header Kaleb Driggers and heeler Junior Nogueira – who won their second straight world championships. Driggers/Nogueira finished atop their respective world standings with $340,708 each. They earned $112,830 each at the NFR and finished second in the average with a 71.4-second time on nine head. “This is what we’ve always dreamed about, being here and winning a gold buckle,” Driggers said. “This week we had a lot of trials and tribulations. We had to overcome them. It didn’t go exactly as we planned. At the end of the day, we kept our faith in the Lord and our faith in each other and we persevered.” Nogueira echoed his partner. “It was one of the toughest finals (without winning a round), especially for me,” Nogueira said. “Kaleb did an amazing job of keeping me up. A great job. Perhaps, I just humbled myself a little bit, I guess. We had to fight through it. There’s nothing easy. We always compete against the best guys in the whole world, and they don’t make it easy on anyone. We were blessed to be good in the average, and we really had to catch that last one, a tough steer. We were able to do it. And you have to give all the glory to God.” BAREBACK RIDER JESS POPE SNARES HIS FIRST CAREER WORLD CROWN The wait is over for Jess Pope. After finishing third and second in the world standings in 2020 and 2021, respectively, the Waverly, Kan., cowboy is a world champion in 2022. “This is awesome. The emotions right now, there isn’t anything like them. It is just so rewarding. I worked my whole life for this, and it finally came true. “I knew I had it in me. It was just letting the cards fall right and drawing right where I was supposed to and doing what I was supposed to when I was. God’s plan, the way it was supposed to be I guess.” Pope also won his third consecutive NFR average crown with 860 points on 10 head.

Spectators filled the stands every night at the Thomas & Mack Center during the 10 days of the 2022 Wrangler NFR presented by Teton Ridge. PRCA ProRodeo photo by Clay Guardipee

ProRodeo Sports News 12/16/2022

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