Will Lummus Makes it Three-Consecutive Wins in Sheridan, Wyo.
By: Brady Renck
Rodeo is weird. There are times that a cowboy walks into an arena and wonders if someone is poking a voodoo doll of his likeness. Nothing goes right, from a horse, a rope a saddle, a silly mistake. Then the clouds lift, and upside down becomes right side up.
Welcome to Will Lummus’ experience at the Sheridan WYO Rodeo. The steer wrestler could not place forever, but now it has become a favorite stop. The decorated cowboy clocked 9.4 seconds on two head, claiming his third straight title at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds.
“Yeah, that was a three-peat. Sheridan has been really good to me. It’s funny because I don’t know what changed,” said Lummus, who pocketed $4,255 for the title. “I had never won a dollar there. I liked going but didn’t have much luck. It’s definitely different now.”
Lummus, 31, put himself in position for a victory by finishing fifth in the first round with a time of 4.7 seconds, earning $1,357. Consistency proved the key in his second attempt. He delivered another 4.7 second mark for $1,912. The mirrored scores were good enough to hold off a talented field, including Cody Devers (9.5).
“Oh man, it was really about drawing well. We ran these steers in Red Lodge (in Montana). So, the main thing was drawing two honest animals,” Lummus said. “And that really helped.”
Lummus is always a contender when he rides Benz. Watch them compete and the synchronicity is real.
“I think we trust each other. That’s the key,” Lummus said. “And he gets out there so well and smooth that I can get the steer’s head before my feet hit the ground. I really love riding him. He always does his job.”
Lummus bought his PRCA card in 2012, and he has done well avoiding injuries. Heck, as a licensed physical therapist he helps keep other bulldoggers healthy on occasion. His resume widens eyes. This year alone he’s flirting with double-figure victories. He is a five-time qualifier at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. In 2022, he finished second in the world standings for the second-straight year, earning a career-high $266,188.
All this is to say he’s really good. But there is one thing missing.
“Anymore, I am out here competing to win the gold buckle (in Las Vegas). I feel like I have had a great career, and I would be able to walk away proud of what I’ve done,” Lummus said. “But every cowboy’s dream is to win the buckle. I have been really close now a couple of times. So, yeah, it’s always in the back of my mind.”
Other winners at the Playoff Series rodeo were all-around cowboy Caleb Smidt ($10,765, tie-down roping, team roping); bareback rider Cole Reiner (88.5 points on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Land of Fancy); team ropers Erich Rogers/Paul Eaves (12.0 seconds on two head); saddle bronc rider Q McWhorter (90 points on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Black Tie); tie-down roper Caleb Smidt (16.6 seconds on two head); barrel racing Lisa Lockhart (17.21 seconds); steer roper Martin Poindexter (52.9 seconds on four head); and bull riders Ky Hamilton (89.5 points on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Total Air); T Parker (89.5 points on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Arctic Assassin); Fulton Rutland (89.5 points on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Time Served).
Courtesy of PRCA