The team roping in round 5 turned into controlled chaos as the guys delivered the fastest runs of the finals. It was fast, electric, and nothing short of a roller coaster. By the end of the night, the round record had fallen, the leaderboard had shifted, and fans were all buzzing over a crossfire call that erased what would of been NFR history.
After winning Round 5 with a 3.7, Kolton Schmidt and Jonathan Torres stayed hot and jumped to an early lead tonight with a blazing 3.6, the fastest time of the finals at that moment, but it did not last long.
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Only moments later, the Thomas & Mack erupted.
Luke Brown and Trey Yates stopped the clock at a jaw-dropping 3.1 seconds, a run fast enough to shatter the arena record. Before the celebration could begin, the judge waved the flag; a crossfire call and no time for the team.
The crowd went from roaring to stunned silence in an instant. Crossfire penalties always spark debate. Regardless, the call stood, and the record-setting moment disappeared from the results sheet.
However, the pace did not slow down.
Next up, Dawson and Dillon Graham came guns ablazing and clocked a 3.3, another run fast enough to threaten the arena record. But Dillon caught a leg adding 5 seconds to the time.
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Then came Clint Summers and Jade Corkill, who were determined not to let the round get away from them. The pair made a flawless, textbook run in 3.5 seconds, taking the lead and putting pressure on everyone left to rope.
But one team had something to say about that.
Tanner Tomlinson and Travis Graves delivered the highlight of the night, an impressive 3.4-second run. It wasn’t just the fastest time of the finals so far this year, but it also broke the Round 6 all time record.
Tomlinson and Graves are no strangers to high-pressure moments. Tanner is now a three-time NFR qualifier, while Graves is the veteran of veterans with 16 NFR appearances. Their speed tonight tightened the already intense world standings race on both ends.
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What is a crossfire?
A crossfire happens when the heeler attempts to rope the steer’s hind legs before the header has successfully turned and completely changed the direction of the steer.
If the heeler ropes too early, no matter how fast or clean the catch is,the team receives a no-time . It’s one of the most controversial calls in the event because it all happens in a split-second and comes down to the judge’s interpretation and opinion of timing and direction.
Many disagreed with the call, saying that Trey did in fact wait long enough to throw his loop.
World Standings Race Tightens
Headers:
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Tanner Tomlinson – $276,606
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Clint Summers – $253,055
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Kolton Schmidt – $242,406
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Kaleb Driggers – $223,875
Heelers:
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Jade Corkill – $253,380
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Travis Graves – $242,717
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Jonathan Torres – $234,140
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Junior Nogueira – $223,875
Average Race
The only team with six clean runs is Clint Summers and Jade Corkill, who now lead the average with 25.5 seconds on six head. Behind them is Kolton Schmidt and Jonathan Torres with 19.9 on five 3. Andrew Ward and Jake Long are 21.9
4. Tanner Tomlinson and Travis Graves – 26.5
5. Riley Minor / Brady Minor – 29.9
Nothing is finished yet, there is plenty more action to take place. It really is too soon to predict anything at all other than team roping fans are sure to be on the edge of their seats for the next four rounds.
