ProRodeo Sports News - March 31, 2023

MONTGOMERY, ALA.

SOUTHEASTERN LIVESTOCK EXPOSITION

Team ropers Thomas/Green score win Gaining Traction BY JOLEE JORDAN, Special to ProRodeo Sports News W hen the 2022 ProRodeo season came to a close last September, Clay Green found himself just a little shy of his goal of claiming the Resistol Rookie of the Year honors for team roping heelers. He finished fourth. So, when he and his longtime pal, Cole Thomas, decided to pair up for the 2023 season – Thomas’ rookie year in the PRCA – Green was ready to help his buddy. “I missed it by a couple thousand, so my goal is to help him get the rookie deal,” said Green, 24. “We’re going out to California for the spring and hoping to keep going and make the NFR too.” Thomas/Green had a solid start this winter and recently got a big win at the NFR Playoff Series stop in Montgomery, Ala. Roping on March 18, at the Southeastern Livestock Exposition, Thomas and Green pulled tight in 4.0 seconds, three tenths ahead of NFR qualifiers Coy Rahlman and Jonathan Torres and a field stacked with the top talent in PRCA team roping. Thomas credited the winning run to a good scouting report on their drawn steer. “We drew a steer from the day perf and got to watch him go,” said Thomas, 23. “He looked good, so we had a game plan and took him from there.” While his partner didn’t share Thomas’ confidence in the steer, he does have plenty in his friend. “He does outstanding on these short score rodeos,” Green said. “He got him set up really fast and gave me a good shot.” The duo had just one performance to sweat to see if they would claim their first ProRodeo win since joining forces. But it was a tough one. “We had nine more but there were a lot of good ropers out on Sunday,” Green chuckled. The win was worth $3,635 apiece along with valuable NFR Playoff Series points. Both cowboys are currently inside the top 20 in those standings as well as the PRCA | RAM World Standings in their respective disciplines. Both cowboys followed their roping dads into the sport and Green still ropes quite a bit with his brother, Dillon. The partnership between them is only new on the ProRodeo level, aside from a few rodeos when both were still on their permits. “We’ve known each other a really long time and we’re good friends,” Thomas said, he lives in Meadville, Miss., while Green calls Pine Grove, La., home. “We talked and we both wanted to go a little bit.” “It’s been fun,” Green said. “He does a good job and makes it easy for me.” Thomas closed out his permit year in 2022 with a big win at the RAM Southeastern Circuit Finals Rodeo last November and has already notched some new experiences as a rookie at rodeos like Odessa, San Antonio and Austin this winter. He and Green won third in Odessa and earned a spot at San Antonio through the qualifier rodeo offered for the first time this year, a memory Thomas already includes among his rookie year favorites. A common mindset has helped the friends become a solid team. “We both have the same goal in mind, stay consistent and keep finishing the run, don’t get ahead of ourselves,” Thomas said. While Green has a “shoot for the moon and you’ll land among the stars” attitude, Thomas is more practical in his approach. “We talked about our goals and basically it’s one steer at a time,” he said. “Just have fun, keep our heads down and keep going.” “I’d love a shot at the rookie but it’s a long way from being done,” Thomas continued. “After Montgomery, we decided to go out to California for the big spring rodeos and see how that goes.” Both cowboys are keeping an eye on their RAM Southeastern Circuit standings as well. Thomas is second to Theriot by just $300 while Green trails Cole Curry by around $600 for the year-end titles.

Darlena Roberts photo

Complete results/Page 60

Header Cole Thomas, left, and Clay Green won the Southeastern Livestock Exposition with a 4.0-second run in Montgomery, Ala.

STEER WRESTLING 1. Mason Couch ....................... 3.9 sec. (Tie) Will Lummus ...................... 3.9 (Tie) Dedo Slade ......................... 3.9 TEAM ROPING 1. C. Thomas/C. Green ............. 4.0 sec. 2. C. Rahlmann/J. Torres ................ 4.3 3. D. Turner/C. Clayman .................. 4.4 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Jesse Wright ......................... 85 pts. (Tie) Jake Finlay ........................... 85 (Tie) Spencer Wright ................... 85

TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Austin Davis ........................ 8.4 sec. (Tie) Marcus Theriot ................... 8.4 3. Tatum Miller .............................. 8.9 BARREL RACING 1. Chloe Gray ....................... 15.32 sec. 2. Margo Crowther ...................... 15.41 3. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi ............. 15.44 BULL RIDING 1. Koby Radley .......................... 86 pts. 2. Jack Gilmore ................................ 81 (Tie) Cole Hould ........................... 81

TOP SCORES

“We both have the same goal in mind, stay consistent and keep finishing the run, don’t get ahead of ourselves. . . . We talked about our goals and basically it’s one steer at a time. Just have fun, keep our heads down and keep going.”

TOP MONEY EARNER Cole Franks ($4,477, bareback riding) BAREBACK RIDING

Franks

1. Cole Franks ............................ 86 pts. 2. Colt Eck ........................................ 85 3. Tanner Aus ................................. 84.5

– COLE THOMAS

ProRodeo Sports News 3/31/2023

ProRodeo Sports News 3/31/2023

ProRodeo.com

ProRodeo.com

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