For team roping heeler Trey Yates, the 2025 season was about more than the wins and paychecks — it was about trusting the process and keeping his sights set on his goals. From the first run of the 2025 PRCA season in October 2024 to the last steer of the regular season, the Pueblo, Colorado, native kept his focus on one goal: return to Las Vegas.
Unwavering through the highs and lows of the PRCA season, Yates stayed true to that plan — qualifying for his fourth National Finals Rodeo (NFR) and earning the Mountain States Circuit title along the way.
“I’ve learned a lot about life over the past few years,” Yates said. “I’ve learned to not lose hope.”
That lesson carried him through one of the most competitive seasons of his career. Teaming up with 16-time NFR qualifier Luke Brown, Yates found himself in the heart of the bubble race as the regular season wound down. The pair’s clutch first-round win at the Cinch Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, sealed their NFR fate in dramatic fashion.
“With help from my friends and family, I made a plan early in the year to make the NFR and never veered from that plan,” Yates said. “Roping with Luke, who’s so experienced and has been in this situation several times before, really helped too.”
It was trust in himself, in his partner, and in the plan that carried Yates through the pressure of the final weeks.
“I knew we could get our share in Pendleton, then make Sioux Falls and have a good chance at making the NFR,” he said. “I just had to trust in our plan and in Luke’s ability, and mine, and that’s what helped us prevail.”
The defining moment came with one steer. Yates remembers looking at the draw and telling his dad, “We’re going to rope this steer, win the round, and it’ll be a done deal.”
“I knew I could trust Luke to do his job,” he said. “It would come down to me — if we were going to make the NFR or not. I think it all comes with experience and confidence.”
That confidence has been hard-earned over the years. The 2018 NFR average champion has weathered his share of ups and downs since his first trip to Las Vegas, but through it all, he’s looked to the people around him for mentorship and support.
“Sponsors–that are like family, and friendships mean everything,” Yates said. “I wouldn’t be where I am without the people in my corner.”
One of those people is Garrett Tonozzi, a two-time NFR qualifier and close friend and mentor who joined Yates for the Mountain States Circuit Finals. Together, they turned in a dominant performance, earning a check in every round and capturing the coveted aggregate championship.
“Garrett is a good friend and mentor of mine,” Yates said. “He’s an exceptional header — he’s made it to the NFR a few times and is just a good person. I had a plan to have a good circuit finals, and Garrett headed exceptionally. I heeled okay, and we finished strong; it turned out really well for us.”
Yates and Tonozzi each earned a total $8,100 at the circuit finals, starting their 2026 campaigns on a strong note. But beyond the numbers, Yates values the lessons Tonozzi has shared along the way.
“I give Garrett a lot of credit for my success this summer,” Yates said. “I’d ask him a lot of questions when we roped together and send him videos of my runs. He’s a motivator. He was one of the first to text me when Luke and I won the round in Sioux Falls. He’s taught me to enjoy the process and trust that it will all work out. He tells me to ‘have fun and just do my job.’”
With $123,303 won in the 2025 regular season, Yates will look toward his fourth NFR, backing into the coveted Thomas & Mack Center boxes aboard his trusty mount Dude — the same horse he’s ridden at all three of his previous NFR appearances, including his 2018 average title win.
Before the bright lights of Sin City come calling, Yates and Brown will spend their days in the practice pen, ready for when the chutes crack open in the Thomas & Mack Center once again.