Junior Nogueira and Levi Lord have separated themselves from the pack as they battle it out for the No. 1 spot in the PRCA Team Roping Heeler Standings. While nothing is set in stone, the two will likely claim the top two spots heading into the NFR.
Here is a look at the full top 20 on the Heel side.
No. 1 Junior Nogueira, $130,520
Junior Nogueira and his partner Kaleb Driggers are putting together another great season. They had a strong showing at the Cheyenne Frontiere Days where they placed third and took home over $12,000 in total. Since Cheyenne, the pair have earned two checks over $1,000.
No. 2 Levi Lord, $127,242
Lord is $3,000 back of the No. 1 spot and has closed ground since the start of August. To open the month the Lord and his partner Dustin Egusquiza took home the Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo title with a 4.2-second run to make over $3,600. The pair followed that up with two more wins, the first at the Larimer County Rodeo and the second at the Jerome County Rodeo. Those two wins earned them over $5,000 total.
No. 3 Buddy Hawkins, $108,135
Hawkins has been on a cold streak but remains in the top 3 in the Heeler standings. The last big payday Hawkins earned came at the Sheridan County Fair and Rodeo where he and his partner J.C. Yeahquo got the win to earn just over $2,250.
No. 4 Wesley Thorp, $104,520
Thorp has already taken two rodeos in August, the first came at the Mountain Valley Stampede. Thorp and his partner Tyler Wade stopped the clock at 3.8 seconds to take home over $5,000. The second win of the month came at the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo where they were 3.7 seconds to win another $5,400.
No. 5 Logan Medlin, $104,018
Logan Medlin and his partner Coleman Proctor are back in the top 5 and are within striking distance of the top spot. In August, the pair have only cashed one check, coming courtesy of a fourth-place finish at the Lawton Rangers Rodeo.
No. 6 Douglas Rich, $101,935
Rich has visited the pay window once in August after a 4.3-second fifth-place finish at the Mountain Valley Stampede. The finish made him and his partner Jake Smith just over $3,000.
No. 7 Colter Todd, $92,377
Todd has not cashed a check over $1,000 since mid-July when he took home $1,400 for a seventh-place finish at the Fiesta Days Rodeo.
No. 8 Jake Long, $90,070
Jake Long opened August with a win at the XIT Rodeo in Dalhart, Texas. Summers stopped the clock at 5.4 seconds to get the win and earn just under $2,500.
No. 9 Jonathan Torres, $83,685
Torres had a strong showing at The War Bonnet Round Up where he placed fifth and made over $2,100. That is his first check since mid-July where he took home over $6,000 at the Snake River Stampede.
No. 10 Kaden Profili, $80,692
Profili is struggling of late, only submitting a qualified run on one of his 13 runs in August. His last payday came at the end of July where he placed eighth at Iowa’s Championship Rodeo to earn over $1,200.
No. 11 Hunter Koch, $78,664
Koch has put together a great start to the month with four checks over $1,900. The first came at That Famous Preston Night Rodeo after a third-place finish, which earned him $3,200. His next check came at the War Bonnet Round Up after a fourth-place finish to earn another $2,300. Next came the Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo where he placed third with a 4.6-second time to earn another $2,700.
No. 12 JC Flake, $77,286
Flake has three big paydays in August. The first came thanks to a second-place finish at the Mountain Valley Stampede where he was 4.0 seconds. The win earned him over $4,600. Flake then went to the War Bonnet Round Up with a second-place finish to make $3,000. His final big payday of the month came courtesy of a second-place finish at the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo to make another $4,500.
No. 13 Trey Yates, $75,071
Yates got a nice payday at Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo where he got the win with a 4.2-second run to earn $3,600.
No. 14 Coleby Payne, $75,022
Payne’s last payday came at the War Bonnet Round Up where he placed second to earn just under $3,000.
No. 15 Paul Eaves, $74,539
Eaves is making a push for another NFR appearance and his start to August should go a long way in making that a reality. Eaves placed fifth at the Mountain Valley Stampede to make $3,000. Next, he placed second at That Famous Preston Night Rodeo to make another $3,700. Finally, he placed third at Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo to make $2,700.
No. 16 Brady Minor, $72,953
Minor’s last payday came at the Big Sky Pro Rodeo where he took the average and made over $3,500 in total.
No. 17 Ross Ashford, $72,531
Ashford had a big end to July with an $8,000 weekend at the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo. Ashford was 5.2 and 6.1 seconds to win the average in Dodge City.
No. 18 Tanner Braden, $72,390
Braden has not cashed a check over $1,000 in nearly a month. His last came at the Utah Days of ’47 rodeo where he took home $1,400.
No. 19 Dillon Graham, $70,675
Graham needed a big start to the month, and that’s exactly what he got. Graham took the title at the Famous Preston Night Rodeo to make $4,235 and close the gap between him and the right side of the bubble.
No. 20 Kollin VonAhn, $69,488
VonAhn’s last check came over the weekend where he took the Lawton Rangers Rodeo with a 4.1-second run to earn $1,700.
