LAS VEGAS – With every run he made in the Thomas & Mack Center, Riley Duvall earned some valuable lessons.
That training paid off to the tune of $67,926 over 10 nights in the Nevada desert, where he placed in four Wrangler National Finals Rodeo go-rounds and moved up five spots to eighth in the world standings.
![Riley Duvall](http://twistedrodeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/RileyDuvall.jpg)
“I learned everything about the NFR this week,” said Duvall, 24, of Checotah, Okla. “With 10 head and it paying $26,000 a night, you can’t let yesterday bother you. It took me three or four rounds to forget about that and just go on to the next one.”
He earned at least a tie in two go-rounds, sharing the sixth-round victory with eventual world champion Tyler Waguespack and NFR veteran Billy Bugenig; he won the ninth round outright. He downed his steer in 4.2 seconds to finish in a four-way tie for third place Saturday on the final night of the season.
“I had a good steer,” he said of his run, which was worth $9,413. “I felt like I should’ve been faster. I rushed him on the ground, but I’ve gotten two checks in the last two rounds, so I have a little confidence heading into next year.”
“I guess I placed in four of the last six (rounds), so that was alright.”
It wasn’t the first time Duvall had backed into the timed-event box inside the Thomas & Mack, the home of the NFR since 1985. He has been a hazer – the mounted rider who helps keep the animal running in a straight line during steer wrestling – on two occasions.
“This was a lot different from hazing, but I’ve got some confidence going into next year,” Duvall said. “I finished strong, so I’m pumped.”
He should be.