Jess Pope Takes Advantage of Good Draw to Win Round 7

LAS VEGAS

Courtesy of the PRCA

Jess Pope benefited from a familiar draw ahead of Round 7 of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

The 2022 PRCA World Champion bareback rider squared off with Pete Carr Pro Rodeo's Foxhole Gunner. He had an 88-point ride to tie for third at the Oakley Independence Day Rodeo in Oakley City, Utah.

Pope matched the score with an 88-point ride on Foxhole Gunner on Wednesday night to earn his first round win of the 2025 NFR.

"Oh, excited. It's been a pretty slow week, and I knew I had a good shot today, so I was damn tickled for it," Pope said. "You know, all 15 of us – there's a reason we're here. You know, it's a semi-eliminator pen. I kind of like getting on the buckers, and it just gets your motor going a little bit more. It's a little bit harder, and there's a lot more on the line."

Pope's top finish awarded him $36,668. He's earned $99,896 at the NFR so far, sits second in the average at 596.25 points on seven head and ranks third in the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings.

Pope trails the world leader, Rocker Steiner, by $117,660.84. But there's a lot of money left on the table in the final three rounds and anything can happen under the bright lights of the Thomas & Mack Center.

"This helps a lot. I mean, after six rounds, I started to get down on myself a little bit," Pope said. "I felt like I was strong but couldn't figure out if the judges were liking what I was doing or if I needed to try to change something. And tonight definitely made it a little bit better."


ROWDY PARROTT SECURES FIRST ROUND WIN OF 2025 NFR

Rowdy Parrott watched patiently as 14 other steer wrestlers ahead of him set the bar in Round 7 of the NFR.

The best mark was set just two bulldoggers ahead of him when Tucker Allen clocked a 4.2-second run. Parrott saw it as a challenge and answered with a 4.0-second run to secure his first round win of the 2025 NFR.

"It's finally good to get some momentum going. Just been drawing strong ones and making good runs," Parrott said. "I finally had a good chance tonight. And I just capitalized on it.

"I think I just drew a better steer. Finally, I had a steer and catch up to get in a good spot and just did my job and it worked out in my favor."

The win comes at a pivotal time for Parrott, who has been able to stay in the mix in the chase for the steer wrestling world title.

He currently sits at No. 5 in the world with $208,485 in total earnings for the season.

"You know, I didn't start out as strong as I wanted. So now to be able to come in and finish strong, I was just looking forward to it."


TEAM ROPERS DAWSON GRAHAM/DILLON GRAHAM MATCH ROUND 7 RECORD

For the second time since arriving in Las Vegas for the 2025 NFR, the Canadian Graham brothers found themselves making a trip to the South Point.

The win by heeler Dawson and header Dillon came in with a 3.5-second run, matching the Round 7 record set by Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin in 2024.

"Pretty cool," Dawson Graham said. "We're just happy to get on the board again."

The win came after three straight rounds of missing the pay window. The brothers took home the Round 3 win in a three-way tie before falling into the slump.

But collecting $36,668 each has put the Grahams back into the top five of the world standings with three rounds to go.

"There's $36,000 out there every night for a win so continuing to put our best foot forward," Dillon Graham said. "Even if a couple bad runs happen, things can change real fast here."


STATLER WRIGHT WINS SECOND STRAIGHT GO-ROUND

For the second straight night, Statler Wright found himself taking a victory lap around Thomas & Mack Center with a round win in saddle bronc.

The youngest of the Wright crew, Statler rode Flying U Rodeo's Talk Derby 2 Me for 89.75 points to take the round win and collect his second straight $36,668 check and third overall in the 2025 NFR.

"Throughout the year, I'm usually big into studying videos on a horse," Wright said. "But here that doesn't seem to be the case. The less I watch, the better I do and I'm not sure why. I try to ride them for each jump that they are going to have and not set a trap for them."

The win inched Statler closer to older brother Stetson, who is currently No. 6 in the world after collecting a check Wednesday night following a no score in Round 6.

But it also moved Statler into No. 2 overall in the average with 601.5 points on seven head. He's just behind average leader Zeke Thurston, who has 606 points on seven head.

Statler has collected $129,467 in earnings since arriving in Las Vegas.

"Just keep doing what I'm doing," Wright said. "It's been working out. I'm taking it one horse at a time."


JOEL HARRIS GOES BACK-TO-BACK IN ROUND 7

Joel Harris entered the Round 7 tie-down roping with a full head of steam at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

After a Round 6 win, Harris kept up his momentum with a 7.5-second run to earn a second-straight go-round win and trip to the South Point Hotel Casino.

"I should've just stayed over there, if they're going to bring me back again," Harris said. "What a group of guys to go and be on top of for two nights in a row. It's been an amazing calf roping this year, and I'm obviously going to look back fondly on getting two go rounds out of here. I'm feeling amazing."

Harris' NFR earnings moved up to $147,209 after Round 7. He currently sits seventh in the average at 46.0 seconds on six head and third in the world with $388,064.

On his way to the media room, ProRodeo Hall of Famer Joe Beaver stopped Harris in the hallway to congratulate him on the round win and tell him it was an impressive run.

"He's been one of my biggest fans for a long time," Harris said of Beaver. "It sounds crazy saying it, but he's always been such a help to me. What a guy."


T.J. GRAY CASHES IN WITH ROUND 7 WIN

T.J. Gray cashed out in Round 7 of the bull riding.

The 24-year-old Dairy, Ore., cowboy had one of two qualified rides in the round, joining Resistol Rookie of the Year contender Bryce Jensen.

Jensen finished with a 76-point ride on Cowtown Rodeo's Orbit. Gray matched McCoy Rodeo's Blue Duck for 90.5 points. The win helped Gray earn the $36,668 paycheck. Only two qualified rides added ground money for a total of $62,986.

"I expected to have a few more by now. They don't come as easy as they make you think they do," Gray said. "So when you work for it, you appreciate it a lot more. I'm feeling very blessed to be here, drew a great bull, and happy to stay on him tonight."

Gray, who has now made four trips to the pay window, moved up to No. 5 in the world with the Round 7 win. Jensen, who has taken control of the rookie race, is No. 6.

"Just gotta have fun. If you try and make it work out, it never works out," Gray said. "You just have to have fun and wing it. That was the strategy, wing it."


HAYLE GIBSON-STILLWELL TAKES FIRST ROUND WIN OF 2025 NFR

Hayle Gibson-Stillwell flirted with a first-place finish in Round 2.

The following rounds were quiet for the 34-year-old cowgirl. But finally, in Round 7, she found the winner's circle with a 13.46-second run.

"Oh, gosh, I'm full of excitement. I can't even contain it," Gibson-Stillwell said. "I had the confidence in my horse, you know, I finally rode and just let her work. We had fun tonight, and we danced."

The seventh round of barrel racing proved to be difficult for most of the field.

Multiple barrels were hit, including two in the same runs. Katelyn Scott and her horse took an unfortunate tumble around the first barrel. Both her horse and Scott were OK.
The win moved Gibson-Stillwell to seventh in the rankings with three rounds to go.

2025 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Results
Seventh round, Dec. 10
Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nev.

Bareback Riding: Seventh round: 1. Jess Pope, 88 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo's Foxhole Gunner, $36,668; 2. (tie) Mason Clements and Cole Franks, 85.75, $25,431 each; 4. Waylon Bourgeois, 85.5, $15,377; 5. Bradlee Miller, 84, $9,463; 6. Kade Sonnier, 83.75, $5,914; 7. Garrett Shadbolt, 83.25; 8. Wacey Schalla, 83; 9. Dean Thompson, 81.5; 10. Sam Petersen, 80.5; 11. Cooper Cooke, 80.25; 12. Jacek Frost, 80; 13. Rocker Steiner, 77.5; 14. Tilden Hooper, NS; 15. Jayco Roper, Inj. Average leaders: 1. Wacey Schalla, 604.5 points on seven head; 2. Jess Pope, 596.25; 3. (tie) Sam Petersen and Kade Sonnier, 594.5 each; 5. Cole Franks, 593; 6. Rocker Steiner, 588.5; 7. (tie) Garrett Shadbolt and Bradlee Miller, 587.5 each; 9. Dean Thompson, 505.5 points on six head; 10. Waylon Bourgeois, 502.25; 11. Tilden Hooper, 500.75; 12. Jayco Roper, 491.25 points on five head; 13. Cooper Cooke, 423.5; 14. Mason Clements, 419; 14. Jacek Frost, 407.5. World Standings: 1. Rocker Steiner, $421,185; 2. Sam Petersen, $319,826; 3. Jess Pope, $303,525; 4. Wacey Schalla, $286,275; 5. Kade Sonnier, $273,571; 6. Cole Franks, $257,873; 7. Bradlee Miller, $244,088; 8. Waylon Bourgeois, $234,014; 9. Cooper Cooke, $218,241; 10. Dean Thompson, $208,965; 11. Garrett Shadbolt, $202,805; 12. Mason Clements, $165,562; 13. Jacek Frost, $155,514; 14. Jayco Roper, $149,775; 15. Tilden Hooper, $139,951.

Steer Wrestling: Seventh round: 1. Rowdy Parrott, 4.0 seconds, $36,668; 2. Tucker Allen, 4.2, $28,980; 3. (tie) Bridger Anderson and Jesse Brown, 4.3, $18,630 each; 5. (tie) Kyle Irwin, Gavin Soileau and J.D. Struxness, 4.4, $5,126 each; 8. (tie) Will Lummus and Justin Shaffer, 4.5 each; 10. Ty Erickson, 4.8; 11. (tie) Dakota Eldridge and Tyler Waguespack, 5.0 each; 13. Scott Guenthner, 6.0; 14. Stetson Jorgensen, 14.4; 15. Chance Howard, NT. Average leaders: 1. Tucker Allen, 32.7 seconds on seven head; 2. Rowdy Parrott, 41.9; 3. Kyle Irwin, 45.4; 4. J.D. Struxness, 48.5; 5. Stetson Jorgensen, 49.1; 6. Ty Erickson, 24.9 seconds on six head; 7. Jesse Brown, 27.6; 8. Scott Guenthner, 28.6; 9. Justin Shaffer, 28.8; 10. Dakota Eldridge, 34.8; 11. Gavin Soileau, 64.0; 12. Will Lummus, 20.8 points on five head; 13. Bridger Anderson, 22.4; 14. Tyler Waguespack, 31.2; 15. Chance Howard, 37.8. World Standings: 1. Will Lummus, $290,871; 2. Tucker Allen, $262,296; 3. Ty Erickson, $246,270; 4. Jesse Brown, $238,691; 5. Rowdy Parrott, $208,486; 6. J.D. Struxness, $206,631; 7. Justin Shaffer, $205,694; 8. Stetson Jorgensen, $200,439; 9. Tyler Waguespack, $193,138; 10. Bridger Anderson, $183,496; 11. Kyle Irwin, $175,265; 12. Scott Guenthner, $168,738; 13. Dakota Eldridge, $159,756; 14. Gavin Soileau, $123,981; 15. Chance Howard, $119,777.

Team Roping: Seventh round: 1. Dawson Graham/Dillon Graham, 3.5 seconds, $36,668 each; 2. (tie) Luke Brown/Trey Yates and Clay Smith/Coleby Payne, 3.7, $25,431 each; 4. (tie) Lightning Aguilera/Kaden Profili and Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord, 3.8, $12,420 each; 6. (tie) Riley Minor/Brady Minor and Andrew Ward/Jake Long, 3.9, $2,957 each; 8. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.2; 9. Derrick Begay/Colter Todd, 4.4; 10. Kolton Schmidt/Jonathan Torres, 5.0; 11. Clint Summers/Jade Corkill, 5.8; 12. Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp, 8.3; 13. Tanner Tomlinson/Travis Graves, 9.8; 14. Cyle Denison/Lane Mitchell and Jake Smith/Douglas Rich, NT. Average leaders: 1. Clint Summers/Jade Corkill, 31.3 seconds on seven head; 2. Kolton Schmidt/Jonathan Torres, 24.9 seconds on six head; 3. Andrew Ward/Jake Long, 25.8; 4. Riley Minor/Brady Minor, 33.8; 5. Tanner Tomlinson/Travis Graves, 36.3; 6. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 41.9; 7. Derrick Begay/Colter Todd, 43.3; 8. Lightning Aguilera/Kaden Profili, 25.3 seconds on five head; 9. Clay Smith/Coleby Payne, 33.2; 10. Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord, 35.1; 11. Dawson Graham/Dillon Graham, 19.7 seconds on four head; 12. Cyle Denison/Lane Mitchell, 25.3; 13. Luke Brown/Trey Yates, 26.0; 14. Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp, 16.8 seconds on three head; 15. Jake Smith/Douglas Rich, 29.0. World Standings (headers): 1. Tanner Tomlinson, $313,274; 2. Clint Summers, $282,034; 3. Kolton Schmidt, $261,036; 4. Andrew Ward, $238,108; 5. Dawson Graham, $229,858; 6. Kaleb Driggers, $223,875; 7. Dustin Egusquiza, $215,947; 8. Lightning Aguilera, $214,829; 9. Tyler Wade, $195,653; 10. Jake Smith, $194,087; 11. Clay Smith, $193,921; 12. Riley Minor, $190,816; 13. Derrick Begay, $188,030; 14. Cyle Denison, $184,530; 15. Luke Brown, $174,111. World Standings (heelers): 1. Jade Corkill, $282,359; 2. Travis Graves, $279,385; 3. Jonathan Torres, $252,770; 4. Jake Long, $236,361; 5. Dillon Graham, $229,858; 6. Junior Nogueira, $223,875; 7. Kaden Profili, $213,628; 8. Levi Lord, $213,565; 9. Wesley Thorp, $195,653; 10. Brady Minor, $190,816; 11. Colter Todd, $185,678; 12. Lane Mitchell, $185,560; 13. Coleby Payne, $184,724; 14. Douglas Rich, $183,337; 15. Trey Yates, $174,111.

Saddle Bronc Riding: Seventh round: 1. Statler Wright, 89.75 points on Flying U Rodeo's Talk Derby 2 Me, $36,668; 2. (tie) Zeke Thurston and Stetson Dell Wright, 88.5, $25,431 each; 4. Brody Cress, 87.75, $15,377; 5. Weston Patterson, 86, $9,463; 6. Q Taylor, 85, $5,914; 7. (tie) Ben Andersen, Damian Brennan and Brody Wells, 84.75 each; 10. Ryder Wright, 84.5; 11. Zachary Dallas, 84; 12. Kade Bruno, 83.5; 13. Dawson Hay, 81.5; 14. Lefty Holman, 81.25; 15. Sage Newman, 80.5. Average leaders: 1. Zeke Thurston, 606 points on seven head; 2. Statler Wright, 601.5; 3. Lefty Holman, 598; 4. Brody Cress, 592.75; 5. Kade Bruno, 591.75; 6. Ben Andersen, 591.25; 7. Zachary Dallas, 588.5; 8. Sage Newman, 581.25; 9. Stetson Dell Wright, 527.75 points on six head; 10. Ryder Wright, 523.25; 11. Damian Brennan, 521.25; 12. Weston Patterson, 510.25; 13. Q Taylor, 509.75; 14. Dawson Hay, 502.5; 15. Brody Wells, 427.5 points on five head. World Standings: 1. Ryder Wright, $392,017; 2. Damian Brennan, $361,489; 3. Zeke Thurston, $332,336; 4. Statler Wright, $311,339; 5. Stetson Dell Wright, $308,997; 6. Dawson Hay, $306,418; 7. Kade Bruno, $303,921; 8. Brody Cress, $253,374; 9. Brody Wells, $240,084; 10. Zachary Dallas, $230,483; 11. Weston Patterson, $222,178; 12. Sage Newman, $215,958; 13. Lefty Holman, $192,132; 14. Q Taylor, $188,853; 15. Ben Andersen, $181,248.

Tie-Down Roping: Seventh round: 1. Joel Harris, 7.5 seconds, $36,668; 2. Riley Mason Webb, 7.8, $28,980; 3. Dylan Hancock, 8.0, $21,882; 4. (tie) Tom Crouse and John Douch, 8.1, $12,420 each; 6. Riley Pruitt, 8.2, $5,914; 7. Zack Jongbloed, 9.2; 8. (tie) Kincade Henry and Brushton Minton, 9.6 each; 10. Shad Mayfield, 10.6; 11. Haven Meged, 11.2; 12. Shane Hanchey, Ty Harris, Kyle Lucas and Marty Yates, NT. Average leaders: 1. Riley Mason Webb, 58.6 seconds on seven head; 2. John Douch, 59.0; 3. Brushton Minton, 59.9; 4. Haven Meged, 65.3; 5. Zack Jongbloed, 68.1; 6. Dylan Hancock, 68.5; 7. Joel Harris, 46.0 seconds on six head; 8. Shad Mayfield, 47.4; 9. Kincade Henry, 49.5; 10. Marty Yates, 60.8; 11. Tom Crouse, 68.9; 12. Riley Pruitt, 40.8 seconds on five head; 13. Shane Hanchey, 55.5; 14. Ty Harris, 63.5; 15. Kyle Lucas, 42.2 seconds on four head. World Standings: 1. Riley Mason Webb, $411,829; 2. Shad Mayfield, $388,931; 3. Joel Harris, $288,064; 4. Kincade Henry, $284,248; 5. John Douch, $252,687; 6. Dylan Hancock, $248,540; 7. Marty Yates, $201,701; 8. Riley Pruitt, $200,430; 9. Tom Crouse, $198,321; 10. Haven Meged, $182,937; 11. Zack Jongbloed, $181,784; 12. Ty Harris, $176,767; 13. Brushton Minton, $171,020; 14. Kyle Lucas, $161,180; 15. Shane Hanchey, $146,420.

Barrel Racing: 1. Hayle Gibson-Stillwell, 13.45 seconds, $36,668; 2. Tricia Aldridge, 13.52, $28,980; 3. Kassie Mowry, 13.62, $21,882; 4. Hailey Kinsel, 13.64, $15,377; 5. Julie Plourde, 13.65, $9,463; 6. Andrea Busby, 13.76, $5,914; 7. Halyn Lide, 13.79; 8. Tayla Moeykens, 14.00; 9. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 14.23; 10. Emily Beisel, 18.54; 11. Wenda Johnson, 19.36; 12. Carlee Otero, 23.64; 13. Megan McLeod-Sprague, 23.65; 14. Lisa Lockhart, 23.74; 15. Katelyn Scott, NT. Average leaders: 1. Kassie Mowry, 95.73 seconds on seven head; 2. Julie Plourde, 97.63; 3. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 98.38; 4. Hailey Kinsel, 100.63; 5. Tricia Aldridge, 100.64; 6. Andrea Busby, 102.40; 7. Hayle Gibson-Stillwell, 105.37; 8. Emily Beisel, 106.08; 9. Halyn Lide, 107.62; 10. Megan McLeod-Sprague, 111.26; 11. Lisa Lockhart, 115.49; 12. Wenda Johnson, 118.24; 13. Carlee Otero, 120.38; 14. Katelyn Scott, 82.32 on six head; 15. Tayla Moeykens, 102.99. World Standings: 1. Kassie Mowry, $338,234; 2. Hailey Kinsel, $308,096; 3. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, $261,492; 4. Carlee Otero, $251,830; 5. Tricia Aldridge, $251,132; 6. Emily Beisel, $251,050; 7. Hayle Gibson-Stillwell, $245,251; 8. Lisa Lockhart, $236,243; 9. Halyn Lide, $209,025; 10. Katelyn Scott, $208,777; 11. Megan McLeod-Sprague, $198,577; 12. Anita Ellis, $156,992; 13. Andrea Busby, $154,927; 14. Tayla Moeykens, $152,561; 15. Wenda Johnson, $148,428; 16. Julie Plourde, $128,276.

Bull riding: *Seventh round: 1. T.J. Gray, 90.50 points on McCoy Rodeo's Blue Duck, $62,986; 2. Bryce Jensen, 76.00, $55,298; 3. (tie) Stetson Dell Wright, Ky Hamilton, Tristen Hutchings, Hudson Bolton, Hayes Weight, Qynn Andersen, Jordan Spears, Mason Moody, Rawley Johnson, Jessi Petri, Luke Mackey and Wacey Schalla, NS. 15. JR Stratford, Inj. *(all totals include ground money). Average leaders: 1. Ky John Hamilton, 433.50 points on five head; 2. Stetson Dell Wright, 356.25 points on four head; 3. T.J. Gray, 352.50; 4. 4. JR Stratford, 350.75; 5. Hudson Bolton, 342.25; 6. Luke Mackey, 340; 7. Bryce Jensen, 337.75; 8. Tristen Hutchings, 260.75 points on three head; 9. Qynn Andersen, 259; 10. Jordan Spears, 227.75; 11. Wacey Schalla, 177 points on two head; 12. Mason Moody, 171.75; 13. Jesse Petri, 161; 14. Hayes Weight, 86.75 points on one head; 15. Rawley Johnson, NS. World Standings: 1. Stetson Dell Wright, $499,158; 2. Wacey Schalla, $413,458; 3. Ky Hamilton, $401,841; 4. Tristen Hutchings, $370,895; 5. T.J. Gray, $323,373; 6. Bryce Jensen, $293,902; 7. JR Stratford, $263,020;8. Hudson Bolton, $217,866; 9. Qynn Andersen, $212,795; 10. Hayes Weight, $196,365; 11. Luke Mackey, $186,177; 12. Mason Moody, $184,690; 13. Jordan Spears, $176,627; 14. Jesse Petri, $159,995; 15. Rawley Johnson, $158,778.

All-Around: 1. Stetson Dell Wright, $684,315; 2. Wacey Schalla, $570,014; 3. Dylan Hancock, $237,930; 4. Brushton Minton, $172,841; 5. Jake Clay, $142,536; 6. Paden Bray, $112,953; 7. Tanner Green, $101,314; 8. Seth Hall, $100,966; 9. Cole Clemons, $99,801; 10. Slade Wood, $98,651.