Eduardo Aparecido (Gouvelandia, Brazil) recorded an event-high 91.45 points on Freedom Fighter – the game’s only score – to put the Ridge Riders in front for good during Friday’s finale. The veteran cowboy improved to 2-for-2 on the opening night of PBR Teams’ playoffs and 12-for-14 all-time competing in his PBR Teams postseason career.

“This was a very bad win. We have to get better here if we’re going to beat a team like Missouri. We know we have to ride three or four bulls, so we have some work to do, but we’re super excited to move on. That’s exactly what we came here to do,” Arizona Ridge Riders Head Coach Colby Yates said on the Paramount+ broadcast.

“We knew this was going to be an uphill feat, but when you’ve got guys like Eduardo Aparecido, he doesn’t care. None of that bothers him. He’s always cool, calm and poised. That’s why he’s the leader of our team and captain of our team. Everybody feeds off that.”

Marco Rizzo (Quitman, Georgia) bested Hoobastank for 89.75 points as New York’s leadoff rider, while Maikon Calixton Rocha (Orindiúva, Brazil) matched The Heat’s every move in the second, scored a career-high 90.60 points in the second to generate momentum for Kansas City. However, neither ride was good enough to top Aparecido’s game-winning effort.

Arizona now prepares to take on the No. 1 Missouri Thunder Saturday.

The Ridge Riders began the night by defeating the No. 9 Florida Freedom and No. 10 Oklahoma Wildcatters in the Ride-In Game. The 2026 playoffs’ opening game was highlighted by an electric second frame which featured three-straight conversions: qualified rides from Eduardo Aparecido, Kaiden Loud (Kaufman, Texas) and Austin Richardson (Dallas, Texas), who recorded respective 89.75, 90.25 and 91.35-point scores. However, only Arizona’s momentum continued with rides through the third and fourth, as Alex Cerqueira (Iguatemi, Brazil) topped Magic Burner for 88.45 points before Cody Jesus (Window Rock, Arizona) went the distance aboard Tapatio (79.35) to advance Arizona to Friday’s Last Chance Game.

João Lucas Campos (Porto Feliz, Brazil) bested Spade for 89.65 points in the third to complete Florida’s two-ride showing, while Winy dos Santos (Loanda, Brazil) scored 83.90 points Mike’s Motive (83.90) to round out Oklahoma’s 2-for-5 showcase as the Wildcatters and Freedom were eliminated from competition.

The No. 4 Carolina Cowboys rode a bull in the opening and closing frames to edge the No. 7 New York Mavericks by one ride score during Friday’s second showdown, 178.65-89.25. Bob Mitchell (Steelville, Missouri) began the game with an immediate conversion atop Rhino USA Mouse Trap (89.25) to establish an early lead for the Mavericks. But Thiago Salgado (Naviraí, Brazil) instantly answered with an 89.75-point trip on Humdinger to put the Cowboys in front by half of a point in the bottom of the first. With the game in hand after Mauricio Gulla Moreira (Gaviao Peixoto, Brazil) bucked off Jameson in the top of the fifth, Adriano Salgado (Batatais, Brazil), brother to Thiago, recorded Carolina’s second conversion in the bottom of the fifth, scored 88.90 points on Time Traveler, and the Cowboys advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinals while the Mavericks headed to the Last Chance Game. Carolina plays the No. 3 Nashville Stampede Saturday.

In an electric game which featured four 90-point rides and seven qualified rides, the No. 5 Texas Rattlers rode four bulls to defeat the No. 6 Kansas City Outlaws and draw a Saturday night showdown against their in-state rival No. 2 Austin Gamblers.

Maikon Calixton Rocha (Orindiúva, Brazil) got the Outlaws on the board in the top of the second. The Brazilian matched Rock ‘n Roll step-for-step to net 88.50 points for Kansas City. However, Daniel Keeping (Montague, Texas) reclaimed the lead for the Rattlers during the game’s next out, scored an epic 90.50 points on Money Hustler for his sixth 90-pointer of the season. Lucas Divino (Nova Crixas, Brazil) followed up the elite mark with his own 90, marked 90.05 points on Cherry Shot to move Texas in front 92.05 points in the bottom of the third. Kansas City’s rookie standout Hayden Welsh (Gillette, Wyoming) reduced his team’s deficit to a mere 1.3 points in the fourth, as he went the distance atop Ghost Face for a flashy 90.75 points, the game’s third 90-point performance. Brady Fielder (Clermont, Australia) provided Texas some breathing room in the bottom of the fourth following his 89.35-point dance with Train Robber.

Kansas City’s Bruno Carvalho (Alvares Florence, Brazil) rounded out the high-scoring performance with a fourth 90, scored 90.25 points during his re-ride attempt on The HONDO, but his ride fell .4 points short of tying Texas, giving the win to the Rattlers. To punctuate the win, veteran João Ricardo Vieira (Itatinga, Brazil) solidifying the Rattlers’ 4-for-5 showcase by going the distance aboard Tecovas Triple Aught for 88.15 points to conclude the 358.05-269.50 victory for Texas.

The 2026 PBR Teams Championship continues Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7:45 p.m. EST. All four of Saturday’s games will air live at 8 p.m. EST on the CW. Tickets are available to purchase at ticketmaster.com and PBR.com.

November 7 Game Schedule

Quarterfinal matchups for Day 2 of the 2026 PBR Teams Championship are below, to be followed by the tournament’s final Last Chance Game:

Game 1: No. 4 Carolina Cowboys vs. No. 3 Nashville Stampede
Game 2: No. 5 Texas Rattlers vs. No. 2 Austin Gamblers
Game 3: No. 8 Arizona Ridge Riders vs. No. 1 Missouri Thunder
Game 4: Last Chance Game

Game 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada — Nov. 6, 2026

Oklahoma Wildcatters 2-for-5 | 174.15 pts
Eduardo Matos BO Little Rip (7.73); Kaiden Loud 90.25 (Dana White’s Playmate); Jack Mitchell BO Boomtown (3.17); Winy dos Santos NS (I’m a Hostage), RR taken, 83.90 (Mike’s Motive); Kase Hitt BO Big Black (6.90)

Florida Freedom 2-for-5 | 181.00 pts
Luciano De Castro BO Cherry Chew (7.51); Austin Richardson 91.35 (Woody); João Lucas Campos 89.65 (Spade); Vinicius Rodrigues Pereira BO Buck Nasty (2.11); John Crimber BO Kamikaze (2.77)

Arizona Ridge Riders 3-for-5 | 257.55 pts
Everton Natan da Silva BO Moose (3.48); Eduardo Aparecido 89.75 (Bowser); Alex Cerqueira 88.45 (Magic Burner); Cody Jesus 79.35 (Tapatio); Nick Tetz BO Fire Fight (2.24)

Game 2 – Las Vegas, Nevada — Nov. 6, 2026

New York Mavericks 1-for-5 | 89.25 pts
Bob Mitchell 89.25 (Rhino USA Mouse Trap); Hudson Bolton BO Bruise Whacked (4.17); Marco Rizzo BO Joker (3.47); Leonardo Castro BO Slick Rick (6.29); Mauricio Gulla Moreira BO Jameson (2.92)

Carolina Cowboys 2-for-5 | 178.65 pts
Thiago Salgado 89.75 (Humdinger); Guilherme Valleiras BO Chicken In Black (7.32); Clay Guiton BO The Paint (3.05); Jess Lockwood BO Holy Shift (6.26); Adriano Salgado 88.90 (Time Traveler)

Game 3 – Las Vegas, Nevada — Nov. 6, 2026

Kansas City Outlaws 3-for-5 | 269.50 pts
Sandro Batista BO Tomcat (2.49); Maikon Calixton Rocha 88.50 (Rock ‘n Roll); Bruno Carvalho BO Ugly This (6.32), RR taken, 90.25 (The HONDO); Hayden Welsh 90.75 (Ghost Face); Cassio Dias BO EmmDee (1.43)

Texas Rattlers 4-for-5 | 358.05 pts
Jadon Hayes BO Corriente (3.86); Daniel Keeping 90.50 (Money Hustler); Lucas Divino 90.05 (Cherry Shot); Brady Fielder 89.35 (Train Robber); João Ricardo Vieira 88.15 (Tecovas Triple Aught)

Game 4 – Las Vegas, Nevada — Nov. 6, 2026

New York Mavericks 1-for-5 | 89.75 pts
Marco Rizzo 89.75 (Hoobastank); Hudson Bolton BO Coach (7.93); Bob Mitchell BO Jeffery D (4.85); Leonardo Castro BO Irish Car Bomb (5.22); Mauricio Gulla Moreira BO War Wagon (3.19)

Arizona Ridge Riders 1-for-5 | 91.45 pts
Everton Natan da Silva BO Jailer (4.00); Eduardo Aparecido 91.45 (Freedom Fighter); Wingson Henrique da Silva BO Moonlight Graham (3.67), RR taken, subbed in Nick Tetz BO Tijuana Two-Step (3.79); Elizmar Jeremias BO Margin of Error (4.50); Alex Cerqueira BO Easy Come, Easy Go (2.53)

Kansas City Outlaws 1-for-5 | 90.60 pts
Sandro Batista BO CID’s Kid (6.20); Maikon Calixton Rocha 90.60 (The Heat); Cassio Dias BO Wicked Intentions (5.30); Eric Henrique Domingos BO Show Me Dollars (4.75); Hayden Welsh BO R Watson (5.91)

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media