Oklahoma Freedom (3-4) Finish Third at PBR Team Series Event in Anaheim, California After Breakout Weekend
Oklahoma Freedom (3-4) Finish Third at PBR Team Series Event in Anaheim, California After Breakout Weekend
Photos (Courtesy Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media): Click here to download.
B-Roll (Courtesy PBR): Click here to download.
ANAHEIM, Calif. – At the third regular-season PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Team Series event in Anaheim, California, the second and final neutral site event, the Oklahoma Freedom finished third.
During the opening night of competition in California, backed by crucial rides from veteran Derek Kolbaba and young gun Casey Roberts, the Freedom defeated the Ariat Texas Rattlers 175.74-86.
Ready to ride the winning momentum into Saturday’s final game, the Freedom next squared off against the Nashville Stampede.
Remaining red hot, the Freedom delivered their second win of the weekend, narrowly beating the Nashville team 87.75-85.
As one of three rosters to go a perfect 2-0 in game play, the Freedom entered the bonus round tied for first alongside the Austin Gamblers and Missouri Thunder.
In the crucial tiebreak scenario, Freedom Head Coach Cord McCoy matched Kolbaba with Concho (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls).
The pairing, however, did not prove fruitful for the Freedom, as Kolbaba came down in a swift 1.9 seconds. Kolbaba’s effort was the seventh best of the bonus round, beating only the Arizona Ridge Riders, earning his team just 2 bonus points.
As a result, the Freedom concluded the weekend third in the overall event.
The Oklahoma Freedom are now fifth in the regular season standings, having gone 3-4 in game play, amassing 12 bonus round points.
PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer replays of all the PBR Team Series action from Anaheim. Click here for the latest programming schedule.
The PBR Team Series will next travel to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, for the second team hosted homestand of the 2022 PBR Team Series Season. The Nashville Stampede will host Stampede Days Aug. 19-21. The event will be on Friday, August 19 at 7:45 p.m. CT, Saturday, August 20 at 6:45 p.m. CT and Sunday, August 21 at 12:15 p.m. CT.
During the opening night of competition in Tennessee on August 19, the Oklahoma Freedom will play the Kansas City Outlaws.
The Oklahoma Freedom are based at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where they will host their inaugural homestand, Freedom Fest, on Sept. 16-18.
For more information about Oklahoma Freedom, visit https://pbr.com/teams/freedom/, Oklahoma Freedom on Facebook, @OK_Freedom_ on Instagram, or @OKfreedom_ on Twitter.
ANAHEIM TEAM STANDINGS:
Here are the final Team standings for the Anaheim PBR Team Series event:
- Austin Gamblers, 2-0-0-7
- Missouri Thunder, 2-0-0-4
- Oklahoma Freedom, 2-0-0-2
- Kansas City Outlaws, 1-1-0-6
- Ariat Texas Rattlers, 1-1-0-5
- Carolina Cowboys, 0-2-0-8
- Nashville Stampede, 0-2-0-3
- Arizona Ridge Riders, 0-2-0-1
PBR TEAM SERIES SEASON STANDINGS:
Here are the current Team standings for the regular season after the conclusion of competition for the PBR Team Series event in Anaheim:
- Missouri Thunder, 6-1-0-12
- Austin Gamblers, 4-3-0-18
- Arizona Ridge Riders, 4-3-0-10
- Carolina Cowboys, 3-4-0-24
- Oklahoma Freedom, 3-4-0-12
- Nashville Stampede, 2-5-0-12
- Ariat Texas Rattlers, 2-5-0-11
- Kansas City Outlaws, 2-5-0-9
GAME RECAP – OKLAHOMA FREEDOM VS. NASHVILLE STAMPEDE:
Oklahoma Freedom Hits Stride with Second Game Win in Anaheim Against Nashville Stampede
Oklahoma Freedom: 87.75
Nashville Stampede: 85
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Propelled by a reinvigorated Derek Kolbaba (Walla Walla, Washington), the Oklahoma Freedom are heating up while the Nashville Stampede continue to look for answers after dropping Saturday’s game. In a repeat pairing from Friday night, Kolbaba started the showdown matched up with Navajo Joe (M Rafter E Bucking Bills/T-Ray Bulls) to earn another 87.75-point score on the powerful bovine. Nashville’s first-round draft pick, 2018 PBR World Champion Kaique Pacheco (Itatiba, Brazil), was stone-faced as Buck Wild (4B Bucking Bulls) bested the Brazilian star in 5.3 seconds. With the bulls dominating in each of the next four outs, Thiago Salgado (Navira, Brazil) knew that his score could tie the game or move the Stampede to the lead as he climbed aboard Next Strand(Young Cattle/ Jack and Dot Verbois/ D&H Cattle). With his entire team cheering him on, Salgado reached the requisite 8, scored 85 points and inching the Stampede within 2.75 points of the lead. As the game came to a close, Freedom young gun Casey Roberts (Munford, Alabama) and Nashville’s Joao Henrique Lucas (Bastos, Brazil) were locked into game-defining outs. First to leave the chutes was Roberts, coming into the game 3-for-6 on the season, matched up against Bueno (Yount Bucking Bulls, LLC.). The 20-year-old rider showed incredible effort but was dispatched in 3.7 seconds. Matched with Big Heart (Leffew Bucking Bulls), Lucas, with the chance to score a walk-off ride to win the game for his team, clung to his opponent but hit the dirt at 5.67 seconds – confirming the Freedom’s (3-4) win against the Stampede (2-5).
“These guys are like butter – they are on a roll,” said Oklahoma Freedom Head Coach Cord McCoy. “I am really excited about the team; this is our first run to go 2-0 and we are going to see if we can finish it up in the bonus round. There is a handful of really good bulls in there so we are going to see if we can get the big win”
“Right now we are about 60% of where we want to be,” said Freedom General Manger Brandon Bates. “We are dealing with the same challenges that everyone else is dealing with regarding the injuries, but we are using the tools that we have. I am going to give a couple of my stars a week off [in Nashville] to be healed up. I think that when we get to Austin we will be as powerful as there is in the league, and I expect us from that point on to go undefeated.”
ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA FREEDOM:
The Oklahoma Freedom are based at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, joining team tenants including the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, and their G League affiliate Oklahoma City Blue, where the team will hold its inaugural Oklahoma Freedom Fest homestand September 16-18, 2022, the 8th regular season event of the 10-event PBR Team Series 2022 regular season. The Freedom are coached by Oklahoma native Cord McCoy, a former bull rider and four-time qualifier for PBR World Finals. Under the leadership of General Manager Brandon Bates, the team is operated by Prodigal, a full-service sports and entertainment agency based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The senior staff at Prodigal has more than 100 years of experience managing sport and entertainment events and teams. PBR and Prodigal have a longstanding relationship dating to 2007, partnering annually on Unleash The Beast events in the Sooner State.
ABOUT THE PBR (PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDERS) TEAM SERIES:
The PBR Team Series is an elite new league that will feature the world’s top bull riders competing on teams in five-on-five bull riding games during an 11-event season beginning in July and culminating in a team championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas November 4-6. During the 2022 season, each of the eight teams representing teams in Austin, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Glendale, AZ; Kansas City, MO; Nashville, TN; Oklahoma City, OK; Ridgedale, MO; and Winston-Salem, NC will host a three-day homestand. There will also be neutral site games in Cheyenne, WY and Anaheim, CA. To determine team rosters, the league held a rider draft on May 23 prior to start of the 2022 season among any bull riders who have declared for the draft during a league eligibility window. The PBR Team Series builds on the existing structure of professional bull riding with the same basic rules for judging and scoring qualified 8-second bull rides. Events will be staged in a tournament-style format with all teams competing in head-to-head matchups against a different opponent each day. Each game will feature five riders per team squaring off against another team. Full team rosters will be comprised of seven riders on the core roster and three practice squad members. The team with the highest aggregate score of qualified rides among its riders will be declared the winner of each game. The event winner will be the team with the most game wins across an event, with a special bonus round designed as a tie-breaker to determine final event standings. All PBR Team Series events will be carried on either the CBS Television Network, streaming live on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, or RidePass on Pluto TV.
Kacie Albert
O: (212) 774-6762
M: (908) 343-3348
From: Kacie Albert
Sent: Saturday, August 13, 2022 3:58 PM
To: Kacie Albert <Kacie.Albert@img.com>
Subject: Oklahoma Freedom Defeats Ariat Texas Rattlers Backed by Crucial Rides from Derek Kolbaba and Casey Roberts
Oklahoma Freedom Defeats Ariat Texas Rattlers Backed by Crucial Rides from Derek Kolbaba and Casey Roberts
Oklahoma Freedom: 174.75
Ariat Texas Rattlers: 86
Photos (Courtesy Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media): Click here to download.
B-Roll (Courtesy PBR): Click here to download.
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Sandwiching the five outs with qualified rides from a veteran and a newcomer, the Oklahoma Freedom won their second game of the 2022 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Team Series season on Friday night by upsetting the Ariat Texas Rattlers, 174.75-86.
“Bull riding is about momentum and confidence and right now the Oklahoma Freedom has both,” said Oklahoma’sDerek Kolbaba. “At the end of the day, it’s keeping it simple — keep your mind in the middle and make the whistle.”
The Freedom’s rides in the first and fifth frames were recorded by second-round draft pick Kolbaba (Walla Walla, Washington) and teammate Casey Roberts (Munford, Alabama). After a game-opening buck off by the Rattlers’Cody Jesus (Window Rock, Arizona), Kolbaba matched up with Navajo Joe (M Rafter E Bucking Bills/T-Ray Bulls) for an 87.75-point, game-high score. With the scoreboard remaining unchanged throughout the second, third and fourth frames, the Rattlers’ Brady Oleson (Blackfoot, Idaho) and Freedom’s Roberts were locked into potentially game-defining outs. First to leave the chutes was Oleson, making his debut for the Rattlers following an injury, matched up Wild Goose (M Rafter E Bucking Bulls). In a must-ride situation, the 26-year-old rider kept his team from a no-score night, showing incredible effort in hanging onto the powerful animal athlete for 86 points. However, the gutsy ride fell 1.75 points short of tying the game. Matched up with Not Today (Nancy Haverty/ Clay Stuve/ Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger) by Head Coach Cord McCoy, 20-year-old Roberts delivered an 87-point score to add to the Freedom’s margin of victory against the Rattlers, cementing a 174.75-86 final. The Oklahoma Freedom (2-4) will look to continue their momentum Saturday when they take on the Nashville Stampede (2-4), while the Ariat Texas Rattlers (1-5) will look to make up lost ground, when they face the Arizona Ridge Riders (4-2).
The PBR Team Series event in Anaheim, California, concludes Saturday, August 13 at 6:45 p.m. PT.
On Sunday, August 14 at 1:30 p.m. ET, check your local listings, CBS Television Network will broadcast the Bonus Round from the PBR Team Series event in Anaheim, California as part of the CBS Game of the Week telecast.
PBR RidePass on PlutoTV will exclusively broadcast LIVE the remainder of the games for the PBR Team Series event in Anaheim, California, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 13. PBR RidePass on Pluto TV will offer replays of all the PBR Team Series action from Anaheim. Click here for the latest programming schedule.
ANAHEIM TEAM STANDINGS:
Here are the current Team standings for the Anaheim PBR Team Series event after the opening day of competition:
- Austin Gamblers, 1-0-0
- Oklahoma Freedom, 1-0-0
- Missouri Thunder, 1-0-0
- Kansas City Outlaws, 1-0-0
- Nashville Stampede, 0-1-0
- Ariat Texas Rattlers, 0-1-0
- Arizona Ridge Riders, 0-1-0
- Carolina Cowboys, 0-1-0
PBR TEAM SERIES SEASON STANDINGS:
Here are the current Team standings for the regular season after the opening day of competition in Anaheim:
- Missouri Thunder, 5-1-0
- Arizona Ridge Riders, 4-2-0
- Carolina Cowboys, 3-3-0
- Austin Gamblers, 3-3-0
- Oklahoma Freedom, 2-4-0
- Nashville Stampede, 2-4-0
- Kansas City Outlaws, 2-4-0
- Ariat Texas Rattlers, 1-5-0
SATURDAY, AUGUST 13 GAME SCHEDULE:
Here are the game matchups for the second day of action in Anaheim:
Kansas City Outlaws @ Austin Gamblers
Oklahoma Freedom @ Nashville Stampede
Arizona Ridge Riders @ Ariat Texas Rattlers
Missouri Thunder @ Carolina Cowboys
ENGAGE WITH THE FREEDOM:
For more information about Oklahoma Freedom, visit https://pbr.com/teams/freedom/, Oklahoma Freedom on Facebook, @OK_Freedom_ on Instagram, or @OKfreedom_ on Twitter.
ASSETS & INTERVIEWS:
Following each game, photo and video assets of the Oklahoma Freedom will be made available. Remote interviews with team leadership, including Head Coach Cord McCoy, and competing riders will also be made available upon request.
ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA FREEDOM:
The Oklahoma Freedom are based at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, joining team tenants including the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, and their G League affiliate Oklahoma City Blue, where the team will hold its inaugural Oklahoma Freedom Fest homestand September 16-18, 2022, the 8th regular season event of the 10-event PBR Team Series 2022 regular season. The Freedom are coached by Oklahoma native Cord McCoy, a former bull rider and four-time qualifier for PBR World Finals. Under the leadership of General Manager Brandon Bates, the team is operated by Prodigal, a full-service sports and entertainment agency based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The senior staff at Prodigal has more than 100 years of experience managing sport and entertainment events and teams. PBR and Prodigal have a longstanding relationship dating to 2007, partnering annually on Unleash The Beast events in the Sooner State.
ABOUT THE PBR (PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDERS) TEAM SERIES:
The PBR Team Series is an elite new league that will feature the world’s top bull riders competing on teams in five-on-five bull riding games during an 11-event season beginning in July and culminating in a team championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas November 4-6. During the 2022 season, each of the eight teams representing teams in Austin, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Glendale, AZ; Kansas City, MO; Nashville, TN; Oklahoma City, OK; Ridgedale, MO; and Winston-Salem, NC will host a three-day homestand. There will also be neutral site games in Cheyenne, WY and Anaheim, CA. To determine team rosters, the league held a rider draft on May 23 prior to start of the 2022 season among any bull riders who have declared for the draft during a league eligibility window. The PBR Team Series builds on the existing structure of professional bull riding with the same basic rules for judging and scoring qualified 8-second bull rides. Events will be staged in a tournament-style format with all teams competing in head-to-head matchups against a different opponent each day. Each game will feature five riders per team squaring off against another team. Full team rosters will be comprised of seven riders on the core roster and three practice squad members. The team with the highest aggregate score of qualified rides among its riders will be declared the winner of each game. The event winner will be the team with the most game wins across an event, with a special bonus round designed as a tie-breaker to determine final event standings. All PBR Team Series events will be carried on either the CBS Television Network, streaming live on Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, or RidePass on PlutoTV.
