Sellars is Moving on Up

Florida cowboy climbs standings with San Angelo X Bulls win

SAN ANGELO, Texas – In a matter of minutes, Clayton Sellars shot up seven spots to sixth in the bull riding world standings?

How does that happen so quickly? The key ingredient was riding two bulls en route to his title at the San Angelo Xtreme Bulls on Sunday afternoon in Foster Communications Coliseum. As the only cowboy in the mix to do so, he pocketed $15,217 and pushed his season earnings to $32,704.

“This means I’ve got a good start going into the meat of the summer run, and I have all the confidence in the world,” said Sellars, a two-time National Rodeo Finals qualifier from Fruitland Park, Florida. “It means a lot to win a big deal like this.”

Only six men earned qualified rides in the first go-round, and Sellars was the only cowboy to cover eight seconds in the championship round, matching moves with Stockyards Rodeo’s Soy El Fuego for 91 points. For that feat alone, he collected $7,144.

In the opening round, he rode Rafter H Rodeo’s Shagga for 89.5 points to finish second, just a half point behind Laramie Mosley’s round-winning ride on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Royal Reel.

With the title and the big bucks, Sellars also moved to the lead in the PRCA’s Xtreme Bulls standings.

“Moving up in the world standings is always a plus,” he said. “You want to climb in the standings all the time, but I really don’t like to pay attention to the standings until it’s all over.

“It’s super important to do well at these events, especially the Division I bull ridings like this. The top bull riders are going to enter them, so to win is a really big deal. When you have the opportunity to do it on a big stage, it’s crucial.”

The bulls were especially tough during Sunday’s event. Of the 30 cowboys who competed in the first round, only six had qualified rides. Of the 10 in the short-round, only Sellars managed to hang on. That equates to just 18 percent of the bulls being ridden.

“There were a lot of tough bulls,” Sellars said. “I think this is one of the toughest pens of bulls we get every year.”

Five stock contractors had their best animals inside the coliseum for the one-day event, and that added up to some spectacular bucking action.

For his part, Sellars rode three bulls while in San Angelo, scoring 81 points on the opening weekend. Covering three in a row is big in bull riding, where the animal wins most of the time.

“My job is to stay on the bulls I get,” he said. “When you do it, it means you’re doing your job and doing it well. Momentum is important, but it’s not the whole factor. Bull riding is a big mental game, so it definitely helps. When you have something like that building your confidence, it helps a guy moving forward.”

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San Angelo Xtreme Bulls
April 18

First round: 1. Laramie Mosley, 90 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Royal Reel, $3,340; 2. Clayton Sellars, 89.5, $2,590; 3. Dustin Boquet, 86.5, $1,947; 4. Maverick Potter, 84, $1,304; 5. Levi Gray, 81.5, $875; 6. Garrett Smith, 80.5, $681. Championship round: 1. Clayton Sellars, 91 points on Stockyards Rodeo’s Soy El Fuego, $7,144; no other qualified rides. Average: 1. Clayton Sellars, 180.5 points on two rides, $5,483; 2. Laramie Mosley, 90 points on one ride, $4,233; 3. Dustin Boquet, 86.5, $2,161; 4. Maverick Potter, 84, $2,090; 5. Levi Gray, 81.5, $1,375; 6. Garrett Smith, 80.5, $1,018.

Courtesy of twisTEDrodeo.com