OKC STARTS SEASON OFF WITH A BANG | New PBR team upsets defending champ Texas
EDITOR’S NOTE: ETBlitz.com’s Clayton Fletcher was traveling to the Oklahoma City area this week, and he did such a great job in Arlington in May at the PBR World Championships at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, we decided to send him to the PBR event at OKC this weekend. Enjoy Clayton’s reports the next few days.
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The 2024 PBR teams kicked off tonight here in OKC with the Wildcatters Days, the first event in OKC because the area just got a team this year.
It was a good night to be a Wildcatter fan as they took down the defending team champs, the Texas Rattlers, in a huge upset no one saw coming.
The night kicked off with a matchup between the Kansas City Outlaws vs. the Austin Gamblers. KC stared the game off strong with an 88.5 ride from Koltin Hevalow on Rowdy. Austin would answer back with an 87.25 ride from Dalton Kasel on Big Hawk.
KC would add to its lead with a big 89.75-point ride from the reigning PBR world champ Cassio Dias on Let’s Roll. Austin’s Jose Vitor Leme added to their score with an 86.75-point ride on Crazy Times. Austin had a chance to win on a re-ride by Paulo Silva, but he would buck off. KC would take the win, 178.25 to 174.
In game two, it was the Nashville Stampede taking on the Arizona Ridge Riders.
Nashville would start the game off with a ride from Ednelio Almeida for 84.75 on Ready Teddy. Arizona would answer with 86.75 from Nick Tetz on Hoka Hey. They added to their score with 88 points from Eduardo Aparecido on Mahan.
Nashville would answer with 86.75 from Mason Taylor on Renegade and 83.50 from Silvano Alves, but it wouldn’t be enough, as Arizona would add two more rides from Keyshawn Whitehorse for 87.5 on Desperado and Luciano De Castro for 78.25 on Barbarosa to give Arizona the win (340.5 to 255).
In game three, the New York Mavericks met the Missouri Thunder. The thunder would have two big rides, which would be the only two of the game: one from Felipe Furlan for 88.25 on Peterbilt, and Boudreaux Campbell on Wasted Nights for 86.50, giving the Thunder the win 174.75 to 0. This was the first game ever for the new team from New York.
In the final game of the night, and for the OKC crowd the biggest one of the night, the Oklahoma Wildcatters took on the defending champs, the Texas Rattlers.
The Wildcatters came out hot and put 89.25 on the board from Eduardo Matos on Bangarang. The Rattlers just couldn’t find any rides the whole night, and went 0-5. The Wildcatters added two more rides to secure the upset, and the first win ever for the OKC team. Clay Guiton put up 71 points on Taz and Cort McFadden rode Top Dollar for 88 points.
After night one, the Outlaws, Ridge Riders, Thunder, and Wildcatters start the season off 1-0. The Gamblers, Stampede, Mavericks, and Rattlers start off 0-1. The Florida Freedom and Carolina Cowboys didn’t compete on night one, but will face off in night two.
For more details on the event and all PBR news, check out www.PBR.com.