Jesse Provides Walk-Off Fireworks as Team Wrangler Gets Long-Awaited First Victory to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
By: Darci Miller
PUEBLO, Colo. – Team Wrangler captain Colten Jesse was staring down disaster on Friday night at the Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by U.S. Border Patrol.
Not only was Team Wrangler facing its fourth consecutive loss if Jesse didn’t successfully ride Monkey, Jesse was also facing a bull rider’s nightmare in the bucking chute.
He was put on the clock as he readied himself, and as the seconds ticked away, Monkey attempted to climb out of the chute – and half succeeded.
But Jesse kept his wits about him and, after Monkey climbed back down to ground level, made the 8-second whistle for 85 points and the walk-off victory over Team YETI (1-3), 259.5-254.25.
“That’s big-time stuff there,” said two-time World Champion Justin McBride on CBS Sports Network. “What a struggle in the chute, man. A lot of guys, that’s going to take them out of it right there. It’s never going to get past this point, because look, this is a pretty dangerous situation. Jesse doesn’t take his hand out. If he takes his hand out, there’s no way he gets out on this bull. Crawls back down on him, and then goes and does this. Just sticks. And he’s stuck into his hand the whole time. All of his weight is running down his left leg, but he doesn’t panic. He doesn’t clamp down. He just keeps moving back to the middle, moving back to the middle, lets that turn into 8 seconds. That’s a great job by Colten Jesse, and Team Wrangler getting their first win.”
With the win, Team Wrangler improves to 1-3 and climbs from No. 6 to No. 4 in the Division A standings. It trails No. 3 Team Can-Am in the aggregate by 177.25 points.
The aggregate is critically important as Division A competition nears its end.
The Monster Energy Team Challenge features 12 teams, and two Divisions (A & B). The Top 3 teams in each division, based upon win-loss record, will qualify for Championship Weekend and a single-elimination tournament in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on July 10-12 in front of fans.
If teams have the same win-loss record, the tiebreaker is the amount of points accumulated. If Team Wrangler can get another win or two under its belt, it could very well slip into the playoffs.
While Wrangler did go 0-3 on the first weekend of competition, it accumulated 257.25 points in its loss to Team Union Home Mortgage (1-3), who it now leads in the standings.
Not only did Jesse clinch the win for Wrangler Friday at the Pendleton Whisky Let ‘Er Buck Saloon at the South Point Arena, he also got things started when he rode The Tickler for 86.75 points.
Wrangler and YETI traded blows throughout the first half of the game, with YETI Team Captain Derek Kolbaba and Cole Melancon getting rides on the board for YETI, and Roscoe Jarboe riding South Texas Gangster for 87.75 points for Wrangler.
“Just tried, I guess,” Jarboe told CBS Sports Network’s Kate Harrison. “That bull is right there around to the right, and it got a little wild, got a little hairy in certain situations, but I kept my hand shut and got the 8 seconds, put a score on the board.”
Kolbaba put YETI ahead by a bull when he rode Blue Fire for 86.25 points. Jarboe and Leandro Machado both bucked off their final bulls for Wrangler, leaving the team’s fate in Jesse’s hands.
“I just wasn’t really worried about riding,” Jesse told Harrison. “I didn’t feel any pressure, but when I seen that chute clock going down and that bull was stood up like that, I was getting kind of nervous. But heck, we got out of there and made it work.”
Brennon Eldred, who was Wrangler’s alternate Friday night, was on hand to help ensure Jesse did indeed get out of there.
“We were just trying to make sure he had the best shot possible, because we knew that was a good bull, and we knew Colten was going to eat him up,” Eldred said. “And we were just trying to get him out of there safe and get him a good go, and we knew that everything else was going to take care of itself.”
Wrangler next faces off against undefeated Team Cooper Tires (4-0) on Saturday night beginning at 9 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network and RidePass. On Sunday, Wrangler’s opponent will be determined by the division standings, with all action beginning at 11 a.m. ET.
Team YETI, meanwhile, will face off against Union Home Mortgage on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Jesse has drawn Crash and Crossfired for Saturday night. He will be looking for revenge against Crossfired, who bucked him off in 5.39 seconds at the 2020 WinStar World Casino and Resort PBR Global Cup USA in February.
Regardless of the matchups or the points, Jesse knows there’s only one thing for his team to do moving forward.
“Just come in tomorrow and ride our bulls, and let the rest take care of itself,” he said. “And get them three wins.”
Professional Bull Riders – Team Challenge – Game 11
Las Vegas, NV, 2020
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Derek Kolbaba, 85.75-86.25-172.00
2. Colten Jesse, 86.75-85-171.75
3. Roscoe Jarboe, 87.75-0-87.75
4. Cole Melancon, 82.25-0-82.25
Brennon Eldred, 0-0-0.00
Eli Vastbinder, 0-0-0.00
Leandro Machado, 0-0-0.00
Jordan Spears, 0-0-0.00
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