Heartbreak and Triumph Collide in Team Roping Round 10 at 2025 NFR

Last-minute heartbreak strikes for Schmidt and Torres while others achieve dreams.

Jake Long | Nathan Meyer Photography

The 2025 NFR team roping has been a battle since Round No. 1. Records were broken, and the standings shifted on a nightly basis. The world title race came all the way down to the wire.

Andrew Ward and Jake Long came into the round sitting No. 5 and No. 4 in the world standings, respectively. The pair stopped the clock at 3.9 seconds to split the round win, win the average title and win the world title. Ward and Long placed in eight of the 10 rounds and finished with an aggregate time of 44.0 seconds on nine steers, a full 5.7 seconds ahead of second place.

Ward and Long split Round 10 with Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira. The former world champions hit a few snags during the finals but finished strong, finishing No. 3 in the average race for a massive payday.

Dawson Graham and Dillon Graham finished their first NFR on a high note with a bit of help from the team roping gods. Dawson Graham almost missed on the head side, but managed to fish his loop on. His brother followed with a quick heel shot, and the pair clutched a 6th-place check.

Andrew Ward and Jake Long | PRCA File Photo by Lara St Jacques

A Heartbreaking End for Schmidt and Torres

The projected world champions, Kolton Schmidt and Jonathan Torres, had a commanding lead coming into Round 10. The team dominated at the finals, and they only had to be 11.0 seconds on their last steer to win the average and likely the world title.

As the last team out, Schmidt and Torres' steer ducked his head right as Schmidt threw, and he missed, resulting in a no time.

Though the finals didn't end the way this team wanted, they still had a historic run. Schmidt came into the finals as the No. 14 man in the world, and Torres was No. 15 on the heeling side. Had they won the world title, Schmidt and Torres would be the first team since 1990 to come from the back of the pack and win the world.

Round 10 Results

1. Andrew Ward/ Jake Long - 3.9
1. Kaleb Driggers/ Junior Nogueira - 3.9
3. Derrick Begay/ Colter Todd - 4.2
3. Clint Summers/Jade Corkill - 4.2
5. Clay Smith/ Coleby Payne - 4.3
6. Dawson Graham/ Dillon Graham - 6.6
7. Jake Smith/ Douglas Rich - 9.2
8. Riley Minor/ Brady Minor - 14.2
9. Lightning Aguilera/ Kaden Profili - 14.4
(No other qualified times)

Final Average Results

1. Andrew Ward/ Jake Long - 44.0/9
2. Clint Summers/ Jade Corkill - 49.7/9
3. Kaleb Driggers/ Junior Nogueira - 53.5/9
4. Kolton Schmidt/ Jonathan Torres - 33.0/8
5. Derrick Begay/ Colter Todd - 56.6/8
6. Lightning Aguilera/ Kaden Profili - 43.1/7
7. Riley Minor/ Brady Minor - 48.0/7
8. Dawson Graham/ Dillon Graham - 31.2/6
9. Cyle Denison/ Lane Mitchell - 34.2/6
10. Tanner Tomlinson/ Travis Graves - 36.3/6

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