Rookies Sweep Podium, Claim Six of Top 11 Spots in L.A. as First-Year Talent Continues to Dominate
By: James Youness
LOS ANGELES – By now, it’s more than common knowledge that the 2024 rookie class is quite talented.
And as the history books continue to welcome new ink on what seems to be a weekly occurrence these days, it makes us wonder if we’re taking this star-studded group for granted?
Sure, fans inside Crypto.com Arena may have set the tour’s decibel level standard for the season, producing drastic roars and the loudest cheers of the season Saturday night following No. 1 Cassio Dias’s epic out.
Yet, as fans, we’re always looking forward to the next out, despite witnessing greatness just moments before. One of the many perks of following the sport’s top tour and witnessing the thrilling event in-person.
Which is both an ode to how electric the sport and Unleash The Beast environment are overall; how much we actually enjoy consuming the entertainment and being apart of the experience.
But every once and a while, we have to take a step back and really process what’s going on here.
And what’s been going on lately … well, deserves circling back to.
Teaming up with the world’s top-ranked bull in Man Hater, who was previously unridden across multiple levels of competition in more than 30 profession attempts, Dias didn’t put on a show Saturday night.
He put on the show.
The show of the year most likely, as the last time a premier series rider met that mark was back in 2022 (as Jose Vitor Leme, who doctored out of this weekend’s short round due to injury, went head-to-head with two-time YETI World Champion bull Ridin’ Solo for an identical score).
As soon as the tour’s top-ranked rider elected to dance with his bovine counterpart, there were a few rounds of high-fives and shouts, as fans and tour personnel alike understand what kind of opportunity the matchup could present.
And from the moment the duo exited the chutes, fireworks were flying.
It wasn’t a typical out by any means, as you could see how determined Man Hater was from the opening jump. Immediately getting vertical, the bull gave it his all and then some. Getting his back legs up even higher on the second leap, fans began to realize this was going to be an insane effort either way. It just came down to whether or not Dias could finish the job.
Matching the bovine’s every move, Dias did his part as well, making the ride look flashy yet remaining in control the entire way.
With the buzzer sounding through the arena, or whatever you could hear of it over the raucous arena-wide cheers, Dias completed his appearance the only way he knows how.
Center stage, waving to the fans who continue to fuel him to what could be his first world title.
Eventually claiming his fourth premier series win within the Brazilian’s first 12 career UTB appearances, he took home plenty of points and a few checks alongside his growing stardom.
Los Angeles is a great place to shine, after all.
But Dias was far from the only rookie who enjoyed success out west.
Featuring an event podium consisting of three rookies (Dias, John Crimber, Marco Rizzo) for the second time in three weeks (with Leonardo Castro, Crimber and Callum Miller representing the class in Sacramento, California two weeks back), there’s never been a bad time to be heating up.
However, Dias and his fellow first-years have been firing on all cylinders since the season-opener in Tucson, Arizona, with Caden Bunch securing a career-first title during his UTB debut.
And with Kaiden Loud securing a fourth-place finish in Los Angeles to help the class claim four of the event’s Top 5 spots, not to mention Clay Guiton and Canadian kid Jake Gardner turning in ninth and tenth-place (tie) efforts, respectively, the new kids on the block successfully claimed six of the Top 11 spots on the weekend.
For Crimber, who’s now secured three runner-up finishes in his past five events attended, it was yet another close call. Confirming the second-place efforts are a sign that he’s headed in the right direction, the talent cracked the Top 3 once again and currently sits in the No. 3 spot courtesy of his 11-for-24 record (45.83%) on the year.
For Rizzo, who posted two qualified rides for the first time at a UTB event this weekend, the third-place effort marked the trending 19-year-old’s best finish of his young career. Having shown some bits and pieces of what he’s capable of throughout his first few premier series appearances, via several close calls near the seven-second mark, he’s still working on getting the 8 down on the regular, with his first podium showing again suggesting the process is worth trusting.
Rounding into his second-consecutive Top 10 placement after finishing eighth overall the previous weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah, Loud is up to the No. 13 rank. Able to hit pay dirt at least once in seven contests this season, he’s placed within the Top 20 of each of them, with a second-place showing in Albany, New York, representing his best finish so far.
There’s something to be said about consistently finding yourself bringing home UTB points.
And that something is that the kid has a damn good shot to secure a berth to what would be his career-first World Finals appearance. The same could be said about each of this year’s respective rookies, who are very much expected to continue to play a large role down south during the 2024 World Finals: Unleash The Beast.
While we’ll very much look forward to seeing them hold their own at the season-ending showdown, we’ll be zoomed into this week’s upcoming U.S. Border Patrol PBR Jacksonville for now.
That is, after a few more watch-throughs of Dias and Man Hater’s epic showdown!
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
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