ProRodeo Sports News - June 25, 2021

Bull rider Sellars nets $21,018 with victory Xtreme Performance

BY TRACY RENCK B ull rider Clayton Sellars has gold buckle dreams this season. That vision became a little clearer when he won his second Division 1 event in 2021 at the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo Xtreme Bulls June 17. Sellars left as the champion with 179 points on two head. He earned $21,018. “This means the world,” said Sellars, 23. “One, you have to have money to go, and two, it gives you another step in the ladder. We are going to keep climbing throughout the summer run, and with this win every time I take a step, I am that much higher. This is huge. “I’ve always wanted to win in Reno whether it was the Xtreme Bulls or the rodeo, and this feels great.” The Florida native arrived in Reno ninth in the PRCA | RAMWorld Standings and moved up to fifth. Sellars finished 12th in the world standings in 2019 and 2020. A big reason for Sellars’ climb in the 2021 world standings has been his success on the Xtreme Bulls Tour. He also earned $15,300 for his San Angelo (Texas) Xtreme Bulls win April 18. The Reno win was Sellars’ third career Division 1 Xtreme Bulls win. He captured the crown at the Spanish Fork (Utah) Fiesta Days Xtreme Bulls event July 20, 2020. Sellars sits atop the Xtreme Bulls standings with $49,668. “It seems like I always do well at Xtreme Bulls events, especially the big ones,” Sellars said. “It has been great and I’m thankful for every single one of them.” As the last cowboy out in the 12-man short round June 17, Sellars had a 90.5-point ride on Big Stone Rodeo Inc.’s Renegade to clinch the average victory. “I had never been on that bull and actually I had never even seen that bull before,” Sellars said. “He was wild and jittery in the box, so I thought he was going to be really fast.

“He just stacked up and bucked. He was an honest bucker. It was fairly easy, but I did have to fight for it a little bit.” Sage Kimzey finished second with 172 points on two head. Kimzey was the 2019 Reno Rodeo Xtreme Bulls champion. The 2020 Reno Xtreme Bulls and Reno Rodeo were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sellars also was victorious in the long round with an 88.5-point ride onWestern Rodeos’ Gangster. With two wins, Sellars joins Fletcher Jowers (Austin, Texas), Dustin Boquet (San Antonio) and T.J. Gray (Del Rio, Texas) as winners on the 2021 Division 1 Xtreme Bulls Tour. Sellars, a two-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier, is extremely confident after the financial boost to begin the summer run. In 2019 at the NFR, Sellars split third in Round 8 and fifth in Round 5. Last year, he was fifth in Round 1 and Round 5. “After winning the Xtreme Bulls in Reno it reminds me I have a solid shot at a world title, so I need to make everything count,” Sellars said. “I didn’t really have the success either time I went to the NFR that I was shooting for. As I get older and better, a world title becomes more real to me and more achievable. This year I can visibly see myself winning a world title. At the NFR, it’s very repetitive, so if you get down it’s only going to kick you. You have to keep your head clear and stay up. That’s what I’m going to do.” 1. Clayton Sellars, Fruitland Park, Fla.. ........ $49,668 2. Sage Kimzey, Salado, Texas....................... 42,854 3. Dustin Boquet, Bourg, La.. ........................ 22,347 4. Josh Frost, Randlett, Utah......................... 20,454 5. Roscoe Jarboe, New Plymouth, Idaho........ 20,246 6. T.J. Gray, Dairy, Ore.................................. 14,921 7. J.B. Mauney, Cotulla, Texas....................... 14,904 8. Boudreaux Campbell, Crockett, Texas. ....... 14,802 9. Trevor Kastner, Roff, Okla.......................... 13,288 10. Garrett Smith, Rexburg, Idaho................. 12,937 11. Creek Young, Fort Scott, Kan................... 12,575 12. Jordan Spears, Redding, Calif.. ............... 11,217 13. Ruger Piva, Challis, Idaho. ...................... 11,090 14. Brady Portenier, Caldwell, Idaho.............. 10,733 15. Fletcher Jowers, Waxahachie, Texas. ....... 10,716 Complete results/Page 45 PRCA XTREME BULLS 2021 TOUR STANDINGS (Unofficial as of June 22)

$36,318 The amount earned by bull rider Clayton Sellars in his two Division 1 Xtreme Bulls wins in Reno, Nev., June 17 and San Angelo, Texas, April 18. Sellars is trying to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for the third year in a row.

ProRodeo Sports News 6/25/2021

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