(Editor's note: PBR release)
LAS VEGAS – Continuing his seemingly unstoppable form seen thus far in 2020, current PBR world No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme delivered a flawless 2-for-2 performance at South Point Arena to lead Team Cooper Tires to victory Friday during Challenge Day 1 of the PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge.
Leme rode Squeeze Box (Hodges/Shuler) for 84.25 points and Livin Lucky (JD Nix Rodeo Co.) for 84.75 points, propelling his contingent’s dominant 336.25-87 victory over Team Can-Am. Alongside Captain Leme, six-time PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) Champion Sage Kimzey (Strong City, Oklahoma), three-time PBR Global Cup qualifier Stetson Lawrence (Williston, North Dakota) and young gun Mauricio Gula Moreira (Gaviao Peixoto, Brazil) also recorded scores.
“He can ride anything,” five-time PBR World Finals qualifier turned commentator Colby Yates said of Leme on RidePass, PBR’s western sports digital network, which along with CBS Sports Network carried the action live. “There has been no rest for this guy. He has been working. He has been practicing, every single day.”
“All the rides are very important for us,” Jose Vitor Leme said following Team Cooper Tires’ first game. “There are a lot of good teams, and I am so grateful for these guys to help my team win today.”
“I wouldn’t rather be riding with anyone else,” Sage Kimzey added. “We’re definitely here to win.”
Bulls Dominate as Stetson Wright is Lone Cowboy to Ride in Team Las Vegas’ Challenge Day 1 Victory
Team Las Vegas: 88.25 points
Team YETI: 0 points
LAS VEGAS – While each game in the PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge features 12 outs, it takes just one score to win – a fact illuminated in the second intra-divisional match-up of Challenge Day 1. Backed by Captain, and reigning PRCA All-Around Champion, Stetson Wright’s (Milford, Utah) 88.25-point score aboard Big Black Cat (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Heald Pro Bulls), Team Las Vegas blanked Team YETI, 88.25-0. In the bullpen, a dominant force in the game, Red Dawn (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Clay Struve/Heald Pro Bulls) led the contingent of bovine athletes, dispatching Team YETI’s Cole Melancon (Paris, Texas) in 2.78 seconds to earn a 44.5-point bull score.
“A win is a win,” Yates said on RidePass. “It’s just like a football game when you win by only a touchdown or an extra point. If a team plays terribly, a win is a win and that’s what matters”
“This place is awesome,” Team Las Vegas’ Captain Stetson Wright said. ”I have never been to anything like this. It is just an unreal experience for all of us.”
Three-Time PBR World Champion and Captain Silvano Alves Propels Team Union Home Mortgage to Victory in Most Fiercely Contested Game of Challenge Day 1 in PBR’s New Team Tournament
Team Union Home Mortgage: 337 points
Team Wrangler: 257.25 points
LAS VEGAS –Challenge Day 1 for the PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge ended in the most fiercely contested game of the night, a dramatic ride-for-ride battle between Team Union Home Mortgage and Team Wrangler that was decided by the final out inside South Point Arena. In a must-cover situation, the night’s final rider, three-time PBR World Champion, and captain, Silvano Alves (Pilar do Sul, Brazil) rode Gambini (Dakota Rodeo/Julie Rosen/Clay Struve/Chad Berger) for 85 points, propelling Team Union Home Mortgage to a 337-257.25 victory. Earlier in the evening, the veteran Brazilian covered All It Takes (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls/Miller Farms) for 82 points. Also recording rides for Team Union Home Mortgage were Mason Taylor (Maypearl, Texas) who made the 8 on Ain’t Done Yet (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls/Miller Farms) for 85.75 points, and Luciano de Castro (Guzolandia, Brazil) who covered Anthrax (EVP Bucking Bulls) for 84.25 points in a rematch. Leading the valiant effort by Team Wrangler was Roscoe Jarboe (New Plymouth, Idaho). Going 2-for-2, the Idaho cowboy is now atop the leaderboard for the tournament’s Built Ford Tough MVP honor.
“Lead by example. That’s exactly what Alves did,” PBR announcer Matt West said on RidePass.
“Every single rider on Team Union Home Mortgage played a big part in this,” Yates echoed on RidePass.
“I just focused and rode my bull,” Silvano Alves said following the victory. “Stay here to help the guys, who had helped me. Thanks to god for winning this game.”
“It was all up to him,” Alves’ teammate Mason Taylor said of the pressure on the veteran Brazilian. “I just tried to do my job, ride both bulls I got on. I definitely let one get by me. I’m just glad I got the team that I do, and hopefully we’ll keep the ball rolling.”
YETI “BUILT FOR THE WILD” BULL OF THE WEEKEND STANDINGS
Here are the Top 5 bull scores recorded on Challenge Day 1 of the 2020 PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by U.S. Border Patrol:
1. Red Dawn (Dakota Rodeo/Berger/Struve/Heald Pro Bulls) – 44.5 points (Cole Melancon, 2.78 seconds)
2. Big Black Cat (Dakota Rodeo/Berger/Struver/Heald Pro Bulls) – 43.75 points (Stetson Wright, 88.25 points)
Bring The Heat (Cooper/Scruggs/Scarborough) – 43.75 points (Brennon Eldred, 1.66 seconds)
4. Chicken and Biscuits (Ogden Ranch/Hart Cattle Co.) – 43.5 points (Fabiano Vieira, 5.97 seconds)
Boogie Bomb (Bland Bucking Bulls) – 43.5 points (Mason Taylor, 2.67 seconds)
DIVISION A STANDINGS
Here are the current standings for Division A after Challenge Day 1 of the 2020 PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by U.S. Border Patrol:
1. Team Union Home Mortgage, 1-0-0-337 points
2. Team Cooper Tires, 1-0-0-336.25 points
3. Team Las Vegas, 1-0-0--88.25 points
4. Team Wrangler, 1-0-0-257.25 points
5. Team Can-Am, 0-1-0-87 points
6. Team YETI, 0-1-0-0.00 points
BUILT FORD TOUGH MVP STANDINGS
Here are the current standings for the Built Ford Tough MVP race for the 2020 PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by U.S. Border Patrol:
1. Roscoe Jarboe, 2-for-2, 171 points
2. Jose Vitor Leme, 2-for-2, 169 points
3. Silvano Alves, 2-for-2, 167 points
4. Stetson Wright, 1-for-2, 88.25 points
5. Mauricio Gula Moreira, 1-for-2, 87 points
6. Colten Jesse, 1-for-2, 86.25 points
7. Mason Taylor, 1-for-2, 85.75 points
8. Stetson Lawrence, 1-for-2, 85.25 points
9. Luciano de Castro, 1-for-2, 84.25 points
10. Sage Kimzey, 1-for-2, 82 points
CHALLENGE DAY 2 MATCH-UPS
Here are the game match-ups for Challenge Day 2 on Saturday, June 6, for Division A of the 2020 PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by U.S. Border Patrol:
Team Cooper Tires vs. Team YETI
Team Las Vegas vs. Team Union Home Mortgage
Team Can-Am vs. Team Wrangler
Challenge Day 2 for the 2020 PBR Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by U.S. Border Patrol gets underway at 9:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 6. All the action will be broadcast LIVE on CBS Sports Network and RidePass.
