Earlier this month, a 14-year-old Montana teenager used his ranching skills for an incredible rescue, using a lasso to pull a drowning man from the fast-moving Yellowstone River.

Jory Thomas was camping with his family when a raft and paddleboard collided with a bridge pillar, sending four people into the water. While three made it to shore, one man was left drifting downstream while clinging to a cooler.

Jory sprang into action. He ran along the riverbank with a 12-foot lariat — a rodeo rope he brought to the campground to get some extra practice. Every day for months, he had been roping cattle dummies. All that hard work paid off as Jory threw his lariat and snagged the man on his very first attempt. He then hauled the swimmer through chest-deep water to safety, where first responders took over.

His grandmother, Sandy Thomas, was thrilled everyone was safe after the adventure — but wasn't surprised that Jory stepped up without hesitation. As she explained, "His first instinct always is to help other people. He's always been that way. The whole community is proud of him. We've had a lot of feedback, but that's Jory. He's always there to help somebody else.”