LAS VEGAS — The Carolina Cowboys didn’t just show up to the 2025 PBR Camping World Teams Championship — they owned the dirt. Under the bright lights of T-Mobile Arena, the No. 5 seed stormed to a flawless 5-for-5 performance, defeating the No. 6 Nashville Stampede 433.25–261 to advance to the quarterfinals. It was only the third perfect game in both franchise and Teams Championship history — and it came with a heavy dose of grit, swagger and Carolina cowboy pride.
From the first gate, the Cowboys looked like a team built for the big stage. Head coach Jerome Davis has seen plenty in his career, but Friday night he knew it was special. “Opportunity knocks, and it was time. It was our turn,” Davis said. “And every guy on here has got a vision, and our vision is to be there on Sunday.”
Cooper Davis set the tone with a smooth, measured 85.75-point ride on High Caliber, the veteran’s calm presence giving Carolina exactly the kind of start it needed. But if Davis brought composure, Adriano Salgado brought fire. Climbing aboard Bam Bam, the Brazilian cowboy lit up the arena with another 85.75 — and once he made the whistle, composure had left the building.
Salgado pounded his chest, shouting as the Carolina bench erupted behind him — a jolt of adrenaline that carried the Cowboys through the rest of the game.
Then came Ghost Face — the “bounty bull,” as coach called it. Davis turned to Clay Guiton, his homegrown Carolina kid who’s never met a challenge he didn’t like. “I said, ‘Clay, I need you, man,’ and he said, ‘I’m in,’” Davis recalled with a grin. “That’s why our team is so stout,” he said. “When it’s time to step up, they just step up.” For the 20-year-old Guiton, “I can’t” isn’t in his vocabulary.
Eight seconds later, Guiton cashed in on the bounty — marking 83.75 and keeping Carolina perfect. Known for thriving when the stakes are highest — even tying the longest qualified-ride streak in PBR Teams history earlier this year — Clay G let the fiery flow fly as he grinned after the ride. “I’ve had some good luck on the tougher ones,” he said. “It worked out tonight — got the hardest one in the pen rode, and now I’ve got three more to ride.”
And because every hot streak needs a superstition, Guiton’s is the fiery flow. Guiton admitted he needed a haircut about three weeks ago, but with his momentum rolling, the scissors have stayed holstered. His unruly ginger hair now spills farther down his neck with every ride — a growing symbol of confidence that he’s in no hurry to cut short.
While Guiton brought the grit, Jess Lockwood delivered the fireworks. The two-time world champion has spent the entire season clawing his way back to true championship form after more than his fair share of setbacks — and on Friday night in Las Vegas, he found that gold-buckle feeling right on time.
The neck injury that nearly ended his career came before this PBR Teams season — a gruesome wreck that split his neck open and required 20 staples, a reattached ear and tongue, and months of recovery. But on Friday night, Lockwood looked reborn. Bursting out of the chute aboard Oyster Creek Brawler, he turned back the clock, spurring his way to a thunderous 90.25 points — his first 90-point ride of the year.
He knew what he was up against. “That bull’s kind of bad in the chute,” Lockwood said. “When you nod for him, he’s probably gonna blow up into you and start bucking before he leaves. I glued my hand in there, and I wasn’t coming out. I was finding a way to stick it on him today.”
Lockwood is finally healthy, hungry and dangerous. “This is the freshest Jess has been all year,” Jerome Davis said. “A fresh Jess Lockwood is dangerous — and I’m glad he’s on our team and not somebody else’s.”
After the ride, Lockwood made sure to give credit where it was due. “I want to give a shoutout to Shawn Scott, our sports medicine guy,” he said. “He’s as good as you can ask for, and to have him for our team, it’s a difference maker. Shawn’s held me together all year.”
Lockwood’s commitment to recovery has been as fierce as his riding. After years of injuries, he’s turned his home into a full-fledged rehab hub, equipped with a game-ready ice machine, knee attachments, red light therapy, compression systems and even a sauna. It’s a setup worthy of a world champion — and it’s paying off. The payoff was evident Friday night: healthy, sharp and riding with the kind of confidence that once made him unstoppable.
Finally, Derek Kolbaba closed the show with an 87.75-point ride on July, sealing Carolina’s flawless 5-for-5 sweep. By the time the whistle blew, the Cowboys’ bench was already in full celebration — helmets in the air, coaches hollering and Davis beaming. And in the chaos, Tiffany Davis, the heartbeat of the Cowboys, was on her feet — iPad clutched high, shouting, jumping and praising Jesus as her Cowboys delivered one of the most dominant performances in Teams Championship history.
The Stampede landed their hits — Alan de Souza (86.25 on Home Slice), Daniel Feitosa (87.5 on Toad) and Kaiden Loud (87.25 on Blue Duck) — but Carolina’s rhythm, emotion and swagger rolled too strong to be broken.
“We’re a tight-knit group of guys that want to win,” Jerome Davis said. “And we can pull a W off come Sunday. I don’t doubt that at first second.”
For Cooper Davis, it was vintage composure. For Salgado, raw fire. For Guiton, that unshakable “I can” attitude. For Lockwood, long-awaited redemption. And for Kolbaba, the steady closer who sealed perfection. Together, the Carolina Cowboys delivered the kind of statement that echoes through a season — a reminder that they still belong at the top of the mountain.
“We’ve got 15 more to ride,” Guiton said. Period. End quote.
Carolina’s perfect 433.25-point night wasn’t just a victory — it was a message. The Cowboys didn’t come to Vegas for the lights or the noise. They came for the buckle.
The Cowboys advance to face the Austin Gamblers in Saturday’s quarterfinals, joining the Missouri Thunder, Arizona Ridge Riders and the top-seeded trio of Florida Freedom, Texas Rattlers and Austin Gamblers. Vegas saw perfection on Friday night — now it’s time to see if the Cowboys can run the table again. The chase for the buckle continues tonight at 7:15 p.m. PT. The lights are bright, the bulls are rank and the PBR Teams Championship is just getting started.
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media