PRORODEO Sports News - February 21, 2025

JAX MILLS GETS DREAM MATCHUP IN SAN ANTONIO XTREME BULLS WIN Amped Up

“I finally took what time I needed off to heal up, so my body is feeling good and it's just giving me the confidence now that I'm fully healthy.” ~ Jax Mills

By Alex Riley, Special to PRORODEO Sports News

It's a moment Jax Mills has been waiting on for quite some time. During a visit to watch the action at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge, the Magnolia, Texas, native got to see Pete Carr Pro Rodeo's Bruised Kitty. The animal looked like a bull rider's ideal matchup, leaving Mills hoping the two would cross paths. That day finally arrived Feb. 16, at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Xtreme Bulls event. Although, it wasn't apparent at first. Because Mills had tied Hector Cardona in the first round to place fourth, it was unclear who would be riding what in the finals. It wasn't until one of the event organizers clarified what was going on that Mills got really excited. "Fred (Boettcher) walked up to me and said you've got Bruised Kitty. In my mind, I told myself, 'If you ride him, you're going to win the whole deal,'" Mills said. That prediction proved to be spot on as he had an 89-point ride to hold off Luke Mackey's 87-point trip and secure the championship. Mills and Mack ey were the only two bull riders to hold on for all eight seconds in the final round. The win was the biggest result in Mills' comeback journey to start 2025. Last year, he suffered a tear in his MCL that forced him to the sidelines just after RodeoHouston in March. After two months of rest, Mills tried to return to competition but opted to step away for the final two months of the regular season because he wasn't recovered enough to compete comfortably. Mills restarted in November, finally earning some money at the San Antonio Rodeo Qualifier in Uvalde, Texas, just before Thanksgiving. He then picked up round checks in Fort Worth and San Antonio before securing $13,875 in earnings at the Xtreme Bulls at Frost Bank Center. The 20-year-old currently has a little over $17,000 in earnings in the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings. It's the turnaround Mills was hoping he'd be able to mount after taking some time off to let his body heal. Now, his only focus is to keep building momen tum. "Battling an injury that kept happening all year long and having struggles with it, I finally took what time I needed off to heal up, so my body is feeling good and it's just giving me the confidence now that I'm fully healthy," Mills

Jax Mills makes his winning 89-point ride atop Pete Carr Pro Rodeo's Brusied Kitty Feb. 16 at the San Antonio (Texas) Stock Show & Rodeo Xtreme Bulls.

PRCA Photo by Click Thompson

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