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Carolina Cowboys’ Frost, Zivieri Fueling Positivity as Prospects Perform on World’s Biggest Stage

By: James Youness

FORT WORTH, Texas – After seeing the premier series pack record just a combined three qualified rides on Thursday night, the best bull riders in the world knew it was time to turn things around in Round 5.

Through the first seven outs of Friday night’s action, the boys went on to post three scores within the first two sections, including an event-high 91.5-point effort from Andrew Alvidrez.

The other two?

Recent draft selections from none other than the Carolina Cowboys in Josh Frost and Flavio Zivieri.

After exiting Wednesday’s 2023 PBR Team Series Draft with arguably the two most decorated riders available in Sage Kimzey and Frost, courtesy of a pair of trades leading into the annual event, parlayed by drafting Zivieri and Trey Kimzey, younger brother of Sage, teams around the league can’t deny the Cowboys have been the talk of the town.

“Our team was pretty well settled. We wanted to keep our guys, but you’ve always got to be looking. Carolina just looked like they dominated the draft, so if you were grading on picks, they won,” Texas Rattlers Head Coach Cody Lambert shared Friday.

“You’ve got to win it in the arena, but they’ve got guys who are capable of that. We do too.”

Seeing her newly welcomed riders get the job done, Cowboys’ Assistant General Manager Tiffany Davis expressed her belief in Frost, the organization’s No. 2 overall pick just 48 hours prior.

 
“That’s what we needed. That just makes us a little more pumped up for our team already. Josh had been having a Finals that he wasn’t happy with, but we know Josh has it in him, he doesn’t have to prove anything, we know he’s got it in him and sometimes these things happen. So tonight, I was just happy for Josh as a person and that he’s got that under his belt,” Davis shared.

“Then Flavio, that’s really cool too. I was back there, I had to flank a bull, but I was busy watching him and losing my thoughts and concentration thinking, “Okay, I have to get back to my job now and flanking this bull,’ but I was really tickled.

Sharing similar sentiment, the team’s General Manager Austin Dillon reached out in celebration of the encouraging start.

“Austin already sent me a message with exclamation marks after the guys rode.

“I’m like ‘I gotta work, Austin!’”

Getting things started with the evening’s first conversion, Frost began the night with fireworks, able to best his bovine opponent Ground Assault with a quality 86-point effort as just the second rider to exit the chutes.

“Feels good. We’re right here at the halfway point and we started a little rough, but I know I’m a great bull rider. I had a late pick in the draft, but I actually knew that bull and had been on him before, so I was excited that he was left for me to get on. Flavio cracked one right after me, so it looks like we might ride a few more bulls tonight that we have been,” Frost said with a smile early into the night.

“It was a good matchup. I’ve been here before and ridden on the biggest stage in the world. I was having a hard time keeping a good hold of my rope last week, so I found a different rope over the break and just got bucked off last night, but felt good coming in here tonight and I’m looking to go on and ride the next three and finish this bad boy off strong.”

Just four outs later, Zivieri teamed up with Fierce’s Dirt Nap for an 89-point strike, and eventually exited the round with a fourth-place finish courtesy of his conversion. Netting 40 UTB points, the rookie Brazilian continues to show flashes ahead of his first shot at impressing within the 5-on-5 format.

 
The Richard Childress-owned entity nearly saw another one of its riders meet the 8 during the end of Round 5, as 2016 World Champion Cooper Davis made contact with the dirt 7.88 seconds into his attempt late in the round.

Despite the heartbreaking buckoff, Davis remains ranked No. 6 in the Unleash The Beast standings with two more guaranteed rides remaining, but will need to convert before the exclusive championship go comes around Sunday in order to get back within the event’s Top 12 after falling to No. 20 Friday night.

His lone ride came during his Round 3 matchup against Bubba G¸ scored 88 points.

He and fellow Top 10 competitor Boudreaux Campbell, who won the exclusive event title in 2020, will both look to get back in the ride column on Saturday as the pair respectively chase down the rights to be named the 2023 World Champion.

With 2022 World Champion Daylon Swearingen returning to 100% health while waiting for the PBR Team Series campaign to begin, there’s tons of reasons for the squad to be encouraged about the upcoming summer.

“How good of bull riders they are really speaks for themselves but what we’re really excited about is the men that they are. The men that they are and the integrity they have, the good hearts that they have … we think with all of that together in the locker room, the riding will take care of itself,” the Assistant General Manager offered.

“This team … For them to build off each other … When you hang out with a bunch of champions, you know … You’ve got a bunch of World Champions together, it’s exciting. I’m excited just to be in the locker room with all of them guys. They inspire me just being in there. The riding speaks for itself, they’ve got the buckles to prove all that, but the men that they are … They’re real cowboys. Our Top 5 guys have all competed in the National Finals Rodeo, and that’s a whole other world, the rodeo.”

“Cowboying … it kind of fits with the name. They do other things besides just ride bulls. They rope, they own bucking stock themselves, they’re real cowboys. I’m just blessed to be part of such a good group of guys and we’re tickled about next year.”

Since announcing relocation plans earlier this offseason, the Cowboys will host their second annual homestand, Cowboy Days, on Sept. 22-24 in Greensboro, North Carolina, at Greensboro Coliseum. But until then, Davis and company will be rooting on their teammates inside Dickies Arena as the 2023 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast conclude May 20-21 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media

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