BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
The tightest bubble race in all of ProRodeo is on the heel side of the team roping and not only is it close, it’s also crowded.
Jonathan Torres currently sits No. 15 with $82,968, but behind him are three cowboys within $1,200 - Lane Mitchell, Paden Bray and Paul Eaves.
We will be zeroing in on how all four of those cowboys have performed recently below.
15. Jonathan Torres
Torres and his brother, Joshua, won the Pendleton Round-Up Short Round and ran away with the Average - taking the event title on three-head by more than three seconds. The next weekend, however, the pair only totaled $159 across four rodeos, opening the door for cowboys ranked No. 16-18.
16. Lane Mitchell
Mitchell has spent his entire summer on the bubble and after trailing the No. 15 spot by $5,000 two weeks ago, the 28-year-old is now within $150 of his first NFR qualification. Mitchell’s 11 runs of 4.5 seconds or faster this season are more than he had the previous two years combined.
17. Paden Bray
The fact that Bray is even in this position is an accomplishment in of itself. On Aug. 1, he sat No. 26 in the World Standings with a little over $45,000 to his name. Bray and partner Erich Rogers won six checks of more than $2,000 in August and banked $11,000 in the month’s final weekend alone. Bray and Rogers appear to have one final surge in them as well. Last weekend, the pair won the Poway Rodeo (California) and the Amarillo Tri-State Rodeo (Texas). Both of those wins paid more than $2,500. Bray, 23, has made the NFR each of the last two years.
18. Paul Eaves
After his furious rally to win the Gold Buckle in 2020, it’s hard to count out nine-time NFR qualifier Paul Eaves, but things haven’t gone well for him as of late. Eaves entered September No. 12 in the World Standings, but this month, he has only made two trips to the pay window and hasn’t done so since the Lewiston Roundup on Sept. 10. Still, he is only $1,200 back of the 15th spot and he’s also by far the most decorated cowboy on the bubble.
HEADERS
| RANK | NAME | EARNINGS |
| 1. | Kaleb Driggers | $227,878 |
| 2. | Clay Tryan | $144,663 |
| 3. | Andrew Ward | $124,619 |
| 4. | Coleman Proctor | $110,700 |
| 5. | Tanner Tomlinson | $106,056 |
| 6. | Dustin Egusquiza | $101,655 |
| 7. | Rhen Richard | $96,632 |
| 8. | Tyler Wade | $96,423 |
| 9. | Jr. Dees | $95,454 |
| 10. | Cody Snow | $91,843 |
| 11. | Lightning Aguilera | $90,421 |
| 12. | Riley Minor | $89,046 |
| 13. | Clay Smith | $88,218 |
| 14. | Chad Masters | $87,444 |
| 15. | Jake Orman | $84,220 |
| 16. | Derrick Begay | $82,629 |
| 17. | Cory Kidd | $82,022 |
| 18. | Aaron Tsinigine | $80,696 |
| 19. | Jake Clay | $80,332 |
| 20. | Paul David Tierney | $76,648 |
HEELERS
| RANK | NAME | EARNINGS |
| 1. | Junior Nogueira | $227,878 |
| 2. | Jake Long | $129,698 |
| 3. | Buddy Hawkins | $123,076 |
| 4. | Jade Corkill | $110,855 |
| 5. | Logan Medlin | $110,699 |
| 6. | Patrick Smith | $106,056 |
| 7. | Travis Graves | $101,655 |
| 8. | Levi Lord | $97,463 |
| 9. | Jeremy Buhler | $96,632 |
| 10. | Trey Yates | $95,011 |
| 11. | Wesley Thorp | $91,843 |
| 12. | Joseph Harrison | $89,958 |
| 13. | Brady Minor | $85,563 |
| 14. | Brye Crites | $85,563 |
| 15. | Jonathan Torres | $82,968 |
| 16. | Lane Mitchell | $82,822 |
| 17. | Paden Bray | $82,680 |
| 18. | Paul Eaves | $81,713 |
| 19. | Tanner Braden | $78,648 |
| 20. | Billie Jack Saebens | $76,465 |