Built Ford Tough MVP Watch: Four Riders Step up in Division B Play
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – It may not have been the same blistering start Jose Vitor Leme had in Division A competition at the Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by U.S. Border Patrol, but a handful of riders made significant contributions to their respective teams this past weekend with Division B beginning.
Four Division B riders finished atop the individual aggregate standings after this weekend with 3-for-6 showings, but it was Team Ariat sitting alone in the team standings with a 3-0 record.
Top Division B Riders
Shane Proctor (3-for-6, 260.5)
Ky Hamilton (3-for-6, 260.25)
Cooper Davis (3-for-6, 253)
Ryan Dirteater (3-for-5, 252.25)
Leme’s dominance helped Team Cooper Tires (6-0) never even trail in a game so far, but MVPs also have to be able to rally a team when they are trailing late in the game.
Such was the case Sunday with Team Ariat receiving an emphatic late push from its captain Cooper Davis and his teammate Ky Hamilton during the CBS Game of the Week vs. previously undefeated Team Pendleton Whisky.
Davis and Hamilton really stepped forward in front of the national audience with the first two 90-point rides of the Monster Energy Team Challenge to rally Ariat for a come-from-behind victory.
Team Pendleton Whisky jumped out to an early 173.5-point lead before Hamilton cut the deficit to 89.25 points with his 84.25-point ride on Holy Water.
Team Ariat then ended the first half and began the second with fireworks to jump into the lead.
Davis first converted on Marquis Metal Works Bill The Butcher for 91 points, which was his eighth-highest score at any level of competition. Hamilton then immediately followed by starting the second half with first his 90-point ride in PBR action on American soil by riding 2018 PRCA Bull of the Year Spotted Demon for 90.75 points.
It was a crippling blow to Pendleton Whisky, which was unable to rebound with such a momentum swing in Ariat’s favor.
Davis also delivered in Ariat’s opening win over Team Lucas Oil on Friday night with his 86.5-point ride on Snake Eyes.
The 2016 World Champion owns two of Ariat’s three winning rides.
“I’m really excited for it, and I’ve said it before, team formats are really the best thing for me,” Davis said. “You get into a mindset where you’ve got to provide for the other guys, and you’ve got to really be that guy that’s stepping up and doing all the work. So I’m excited for it.
“I just don’t want to let somebody down. It’s one thing to let yourself down, and to not rise up to the top, but whenever you let everybody else down, it kind of puts a little bit more on the table for you, and I sure don’t like letting somebody down. When you commit yourself to a team, you’re committing all of yourself and whatever it takes to get the win, so that’s kind of my deal. I’ll hang on that extra second or whatever for those guys behind me, because I know it’s not just riding for me anymore.”
Hamilton told CBS Sports Network’s Kate Harrison Sunday that Davis has inspired him to elevate his game.
“I guess just watching Cooper by example was enough to get me going,” Hamilton said. “Looking up to a guy like him and getting to watch him before you ride, it sure helps me.”
The PBR is awarding a Built Ford Tough MVP award following the conclusion of the Monster Energy Team Challenge. The MVP is the rider with the highest total aggregate score throughout the entirety of the METC. If there is a tie for the highest aggregate score, the MVP bonus is split evenly among the contestants who tied, and the title of MVP will be shared.
The MVP receives a $10,000 bonus.
Jose Vitor Leme is leading the MVP race following his 9-for-12 performance in Division A play.
Here is a look at where the MVP race stands among Division B riders following the third weekend of the Monster Energy Team Challenge.
Shane Proctor (3-for-6, 260.5)
2011 PRCA champion Shane Proctor is not letting his age hold him back in Las Vegas. The 35-year-old is 3-for-4 in his last two games as Team South Point has rattled off back-to-back wins since dropping a 166.5-158 game to Team Pendleton Whisky on Friday night.
He has become a go-to-rider for Colby Yates after the General Manager had to scramble to find a replacement for original team captain Cody Teel (right knee) last week.
Proctor has filled in admirably, and Team South Point is on the verge of qualifying for Championship Weekend in Sioux Falls.
South Point is No. 2 in Division B with 2-1 record after going a division-best 7-for-18 in three games.
MVP Moment: Proctor put Team South Point on his back Sunday, single-handedly leading his teammates to victory by registering both of South Point’s only qualified rides in its 172.5-0 victory over Team Boot Barn.
Proctor began the game with 86 points on Get Shorty and then followed up with another 86.5 points on Space Monkey.
Ky Hamilton (3-for-6, 260.25)
The 20-year-old may have gone 0-for-2 in Team Ariat’s first game, but he stepped up to showcase his potential by going 3-for-4 in Ariat’s final two matchups.
The big question for undefeated Team Ariat entering Division B was whether or not someone could step up alongside Davis, and Hamilton has answered that with a resounding yes.
MVP Moment: Team Ariat had begun its game against Team Cat 0-for-4 on Saturday night, and Cat had just jumped out to a 79.25-point lead via a ride from Dakota Louis when Hamilton climbed aboard Twinkle Toes.
Hamilton and Davis were the only two riders left for Team Ariat to go in the game, and Hamilton stepped right up to ride Twinkle Toes for 85.25 points to push Ariat into the lead. Ariat would go on to win by a final score of 160.75-79.25.
Cooper Davis (3-for-6, 253)
Davis missed almost five months of the season because of a broken neck, but the Jasper, Texas, native looks to be rounding right back into championship form. He has captained Ariat to a 3-0 record, and he is 5-for-8 in PBR competition since returning from the injury.
Davis won the Sheridan, Wyoming, Touring Pro Division event prior to the METC, and he has two 90-point rides now among his five rides since his return when you include his 90-point ride on Little Heat in Wyoming.
MVP Moment: Davis has two of Team Ariat’s three winning rides, but his 91-point bomb on Marquis Metal Works Bill The Butcher helped lead Ariat to the No. 1 ranking in Division B in the showdown against previously undefeated Team Pendleton Whisky.
Davis has had a knack for making big rides for his teams, especially on the Global Cup stage, such as when he rode Catfish John for 89.5 points to clinch the American victory on Canadian soil.
Now Davis appears set to write another narrative when it comes to his success in team-style competitions.
Ryan Dirteater (3-for-5, 252.25)
Similar to Davis, Dirteater is recently back to competition after he missed four months recovering from thoracic fractures.
The time off did not slow down Dirteater, who is set to retire at the end of the season, as the 2016 World Finals event winner has kept Team Lucas Oil on the fringe of the Championship Weekend playoff picture.
No. 4 Team Lucas Oil has struggled to get much going outside of Dirteater. The 31-year-old is the only rider on Team Lucas Oil to record more than one qualified ride.
MVP Moment: Facing a close-to-must-win game on Sunday vs. Team Cat, Dirteater made sure to put his team in front on his first ride attempt of the game, converting for 84.25 points on Pistol. It was all Lucas Oil needed as Matt Triplett chipped in 87 points on Comfortably Numb, and Lucas Oil went on to win its first game 171.25-0.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
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