Courtesy of ProRodeo
Taylor Toves, all of nine weeks into his career as a PRCA card holder, didn’t think he was going to make it into the bull riding field for the Jan. 3-5 Ram Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo, but he handled the surprise pretty well.
He won the thing.
The 19-year-old Toves, from Stephenville, won the second round at the Extraco Events Center with an 87-point ride on Stace Smith Pro Rodeos’ Ugly Duck and had 170 points on two head to win the average title over Brant Atwood by five points and earn $4,719.
“No question, this was the biggest win of my life,” Toves said. “I couldn’t be happier. It really came down to the two of us going into the final round, and when he bucked off just ahead of me I knew I had it won. I still wanted to ride that last bull, but that wasn’t to be.”
Toves had Texas Circuit earnings of $7,577 to finish 14th in the regular-season standings while competing on his permit. He filed his entry form “just in case something opened up” and he got the word he was in the field just two weeks before the rodeo.
Showing no evidence of nerves in his first circuit finals appearance, Toves had an 83-point ride in the first round to finish a point behind Atwood in second place and then had that 87-pointer in round two to get the win. It was just two points off his career-best score.
It was a win calculated to infuse momentum, confidence and needed cash to a rookie season that he hopes will take him far on the national stage.
There was certainly plenty of inspiration on display at Extraco, where Toves subdued a field that included reigning World Champion Cody Teel and the last two PRCA Bull Riding Rookies of the Year – Chandler Bownds and Trey Benton III – along with a couple of past Wrangler NFR qualifiers.
Toves and Teel competed against each other in the Texas State High School Finals Rodeo and the high school nationals a couple of years and have become good friends.
“Seeing what he has done the last couple of years does nothing but motivate you,” Toves said. “I’m planning to go as hard as I can for as long as I can this year … the checks I won here? They will certainly help me get down the road.”
The other champions at this $140,059 rodeo were bareback rider Clint Cannon (246 points on three head), steer wrestler Todd Suhn (14.5 seconds on three head), team ropers Arky Rogers and Joel Bach (17.8 seconds on three head), saddle bronc rider Sterling Crawley (246 points on three head), tie-down roper Scott Kormos (26.3 seconds on three head) and barrel racer Carlee Pierce (48.24 seconds on three runs).
All of the RTCFR winners qualify for April’s Ram National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City along with the Texas Circuit year-end champions – bareback rider Wes Stevenson, steer wrestler Suhn (the second-place finisher in the standings will advance since Suhn won the average, too), team ropers Luke Brown and Martin Lucero, saddle bronc rider Jacobs Crawley (Sterling’s elder brother), tie-down roper Adam Gray, bull rider Benton and barrel racer Pierce.
Tony Reina, who won the three-head average in Waco with a time of 36.9 seconds, and Vin Fisher Jr., who was the year-end champion for the third consecutive year, will both compete in the National Circuit Finals Steer Roping this spring.
Waco, Tx, Jan. 3-5
All-around cowboy: Caleb Smidt, $726, team roping and tie-down roping.
Bareback riding: First round: 1. Evan Jayne, 82 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Island Girl, $1,452; 2. (tie) Rich Champion and Wes Stevenson, 81, $908 each; 4. (tie) Heath Ford and Chris Harris, 79, $182 each. Second round: 1. Clint Cannon, 87 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Termite, $1,452; 2. Chad Rutherford, 82, $1,089; 3. Steven Anding, 81, $726; 4. Chris Harris, 78, $363. Third round: 1. (tie) Steven Anding, on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Dirty Jacket, and Chris Harris, on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Collins Pride, 87 points, $1,271 each; 3. Chad Rutherford, 84, $726; 4. (tie) Clint Cannon, Wes Stevenson and Rich Champion, 83, $121 each. Average: 1. Clint Cannon, 246 points on three head, $2,178; 2. (tie) Steven Anding and Chris Harris, 244, $1,361 each; 4. Chad Rutherford, 238, $545.
Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Justin Blaine Davis, 4.3 seconds, $1,452; 2. Chance Campbell, 5.1, $1,089; 3. (tie) Clayton Hass and Todd Suhn, 5.3, $545 each. Second round: 1. Zack Cobb, 4.5 seconds, $1,452; 2. Todd Suhn, 4.8, $1,089; 3. Austin Courmier, 5.0, $726; 4. Chance Campbell, 5.1, $363. Third round: 1. K.C. Jones, 4.2 seconds, $1,452; 2. Ben Shofner, 4.3, $1,089; 3. Todd Suhn, 4.4, $726; 4. Justin Blaine Davis, 5.3. Average: 1. Todd Suhn, 14.5 seconds on three head, $2,178; 2. Zack Cobb, 15.8, $1,634; 3. Justin Blaine Davis, 16.1, $1,089; 4. Clayton Hass, 16.2, $545.
Team roping: First round: 1. Tyler Wade/Kinney Harrell, 4.5 seconds, $1,452 each; 2. Arky Rogers/Joel Bach, 5.0, $1,089; 3. Caleb Smidt/Ryan Motes, 5.4, $726; 4. Quisto Lopez/Jarrett Guitterez, 5.8, $363. Second round: 1. Quincy Kueckelhan/Twister Cain, 4.3 seconds, $1,452 each; 2. Luke Brown/Martin Lucero, 4.5, $1,089; 3. Clay Tryan/Travis Graves, 4.9, $726; 4. Tate Kirchenschlager/Dakota Kirchenschlager, 5.2, $363. Third round: 1. Quisto Lopez/Jarrett Gutierrez, 4.3 seconds, $1,452 each; 2. Arky Rogers/Joel Bach, 6.2, $1,089; 3. Quincy Kueckelhan/Twister Cain, 6.6, $726; 4. Shane Philipp/John Philipp, 8.5, $363. Average: 1. Arky Rogers/Joel Bach, 17.8 seconds on three head, $2,178 each; 2. Shane Philipp/John Philipp, 20.5, $1,634; 3. Quincy Kueckelhan/Twister Cain, 22.6, $1,089; 4. Luke Brown/Martin Lucero, 26.4, $545.
Saddle bronc riding: First round: 1. Bradley Harter, 83 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Couch Jumper, $1,452; 2. Isaac Diaz, 81, $1,089; 3. Sam Spreadborough, 80, $726; 4. Jacobs Crawley, 79, $363. Second round: 1. Travis Edwards, 82 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Sweet Emotion, $1,452; 2. (tie) Sterling Crawley and Ty Atchison, 81, $908 each; 4. Dean Wadsworth, 79, $363. Third round: 1. Sterling Crawley, 87 points on Andrews Rodeo’s Firelane, $1,452; 2. Isaac Diaz, 85, $1,089; 3. Bradley Harter, 80, $726; 4. Jacobs Crawley, 79, $363. Average: 1. Sterling Crawley, 246 points on three head, $2,178; 2. (tie) Isaac Diaz, Jacobs Crawley and Ty Atchison, 234, $1,089 each.
Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Scott Kormos, 7.8 seconds, $1,452; 2. Adam Gray, 8.0, $1,089; 3. Houston Hutto, 9.4, $726; 4. Ryan Thibodeaux, 9.9, $363. Second round: 1. Ryan Thibodeaux, 8.5 seconds, $1,452; 2. (tie) Houston Hutto and Blake Huckabee, 8.8, $908 each; 4. Sterling Smith, 9.9, $363. Third round: 1. (tie) Justin Maass and Scott Kormos, 8.0 seconds, $1,271 each; 3. Houston Hutto, 8.3, $726; 4. Adam Gray, 8.7, $363. Average: 1. Scott Kormos, 26.3 seconds on three head, $2,178; 2. Houston Hutto, 26.5, $1,634; 3. (tie) Ryan Thibodeaux and Adam Gray, 28.5, $817 each.
Barrel racing: First round: 1. Carlee Pierce, 15.95 seconds, $1,452; 2. Mary Walker, 16.24, $1,089; 3. Emily Efurd, 16.37, $726; 4. Karen Little, 16.55, $363. Second round: 1. Mary Walker, 16.09 seconds, $1,452; 2. Carlee Pierce, 16.40, $1,089; 3. Kenna Squires, 16.43, $726; 4. Brittany Pozzi, 16.45, $363. Third round: 1. Carlee Pierce, 15.89 seconds, $1,452; 2. Brittany Pozzi, 16.11, $1,089; 3. Mary Walker, 16.17, $726; 4. Kenna Squires, 16.21, $363. Average: 1. Carlee Pierce, 48.24 seconds on three runs, $2,178; 2. Mary Walker, 48.50, $1,634; 3. Brittany Pozzi, 49.55, $1,089; 4. Karen Little, 49.91, $545.
Steer roping: First round: 1. Kim Ziegelgruber, 10.3 seconds, $832; 2. Shane Suggs, 10.8, $624; 3. J. Tom Fisher, 12.1, $416; 4. Vin Fisher Jr., 12.7, $208. Second round: 1. J. Tom Fisher, 10.6 seconds, $832; 2. Landon McClaugherty, 11.1, $624; 3. Kim Ziegelgruber, 11.5, $416; 4. Tony Reina, 12.9, $208. Third round: 1. Tony Reina, 10.6 seconds, $832; 2. Trevor Brazile, 10.9, $624; 3. Vin Fisher Jr., 12.3, $416; 4. Walter Priestly, 12.4, $208. Average: 1. Tony Reina, 36.9 seconds on three head, $1,249; 2. Landon McClaugherty, 38.5, $937; 3. Vin Fisher Jr., 40.4, $624; 4. Kim Ziegelgruber, 41.9, $312.
Bull riding: First round: 1. Brant Atwood, 84 points on Do or Die Pro Rodeo’s Alligator Roll, $1,452; 2. Taylor Toves, 83, $1,089; 3. Dalton Votaw, 77, $726; 4. Cameron Bland, 71, $363. Second round: 1. Taylor Toves, 87 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeos’ Ugly Duck, $1,452; 2. Shane Semien, 83, $1,089; 3. Brant Atwood, 81, $726; 4. Cody Teel, 80, $383. Third round: 1. Chandler Bownds, 87 points on Carr Pro Rodeo’s Private Eyes, $1,452; 2. Cody Rostockyj, 85, $1,089; 3. Luke Haught, 84, $726; 4. Cooper Davis, 75, $363. Average: 1. Taylor Toves, 170 points on two head, $2,178; 2. Brant Atwood, 165, $1,634; 3. Cameron Bland, 133, $1,089; 4. Chandler Bownds, 87, $545.
Total payoff: $140,059. Stock contractors: Andrews Rodeo, Carr Pro Rodeo, Do or Die Pro Rodeo, Lancaster & Pickett, Pro Rodeos Inc., Rafter G Rodeo, Stace Smith Pro Rodeos and Wild Card. Rodeo secretary: Mikey Jo Duggan. Officials: Mike Todd, Travis Howe and Kenny Heman. Timers: Brenda Crowder and Sandy Gwatney. Announcers: Mike Mathis and T.C. Long. Bullfighters: Cody Webster and Kenny Bergeron. Clown/barrelman: Cody Sosebee. Flankman: Various. Chute boss: Jimmy Adams and Waco committee. Pickup men: Josh Edwards and Jason Bottoms. Livestock superintendents: Jim Gay and Sammy Andrews. Photographer: James Phifer.
Arky Rogers and Joel Bach were 17.3 on three head and claimed the Texas Circuit team roping title. (Photo by PhiferRodeobum.com)
