LAS VEGAS – The team roping race for gold buckles is as tight as any at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge.
As the battle heats up, header Coleman Proctor and heeler Logan Medlin set themselves up for success with a 3.8-second run to win Round 9 and bring 17,158 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center to their feet.
It marked their second round win in the last three days and sent them to the pay window for the fourth straight night. They won Round 7 with a 3.5-second time.
“It’s been fun all week and something we’ve enjoyed,” Proctor said. “Like I said before, we’re a fourth quarter team. And when it gets down here to pressure cooker time, there’s nobody else I want in my foxhole than Logan Medlin, and he’s showing you why.”
The run paid out $33,687, bumping Proctor to the No. 2 spot in the PRCA | RAM World Standings for headers and Medlin to the No. 3 hole for heelers. They sit fourth in the NFR Average at 28.5 seconds on seven head and have earned $140,945 over nine rounds.
Proctor is projected to win the world in the ‘What If Standings’ and Medlin is projected to finish second for heelers. But if this week’s NFR has proved anything, nothing will be clear until the end of Round 10.
“We’re fortunate to be in this situation,” Medlin said. “This is the first time that we’ve been this far into the week and still had something to rope for. I’m just trying to do my job.
“Coleman’s done such a great job all week, which has made my job very easy. I’m trying to do my part and finish the deal.”
Proctor said their team dynamic sets them up perfectly to make meaningful runs in crunch time.
“You guys see us at our highest when we’re celebrating,” Proctor said. “We brought in a lot of enthusiasm, and I think that sure helped this week.
“But what’s important is when I missed round three, the first call I made was to my partner, and he was building me right back up.”
The round win also positioned Proctor atop the all-around race with $326,648. Tie-down roper Shad Mayfield is second at $294,724. Proctor is aiming to win his first career PRCA World Championship.