BY LUKE CREASY
Special to TwisTed Rodeo
LOVINGTON, N.M. – The Lea County Fair and Rodeo provided a vital boost for all its champions, including Stockton Graves and Creek Young, who already won the Xtreme Bulls earlier week.

“I couldn’t ask to do any better here,” said Young, who also won the bull riding title during at the rodeo with an 87-point ride Saturday night. “I had a really good bull, Tequila Worm of Pete Carr Pro Rodeo; they take that bull to the finals every year, and they’re always a lot of point on him.”

Young bumped Shane Proctor’s 85.5-point ride from Friday night to second place.

“It’s kind of a blur,” said Young, 20, of Fort Scott, Kansas. “I thinking he had me bucked off, but I just gritted it out to get the whistle. I really wanted to win both. My traveling partner, Trey Kimzey, did it in 2019, and I wanted to do the same.”

He wasn’t the only contestant to win the Lovington title on the final night of this year’s rodeo. Stockton Graves, a seven-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Alva, Oklahoma, who last made the NFR in 2011; since then, he’s focused on coaching his alma mater, Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

“I’m having one of the best years I’ve had in my career,” Graves said said after winning the steer wrestling with a 7.3 second total on two runs, edging out Chance Howard by a mere 10th of a second. The payday, which included a tie for second place in the first round with a 3.5-second run, a tie for fourth place in the second round with a 3.8. By placing in both rounds and the average, he pocketed $5,591.

“This caps it off and makes for a great week for me,” Graves said. “I’m just inching closer toward that NFR qualification.”

Graves, who sat seventh in the world standings before this week, was elated with his consistent success of this week.

“We started in Sidney, Iowa,” he said. “I was winning second up there. Then I was splitting second in the round at (Dodge City, Kansas). Then I was winning Philipsburg (Kansas), and then second in the round here (Lovington), and won the average.”

He would like to spend more time at home with his family, if possible, but he’s found success with them on the rodeo trail with him this past week. It was a nice break from being on the road and away for them for four straight weeks.

“I’d like to have one more week like this, seal the deal, and rodeo a lot less,” Graves said.

Lea County Fair and Rodeo
Lovington, N.M.
Aug. 4-7
Bareback riding: 1. Richmond Champion on Pete Carr Rodeo’s Night Bells, 88.5, $4,865; 2. (tie) Tim O’Connell and Jess Pope, 88 points, $3,243; 4. Lane McGehee, 87, $1,783; 5. (tie) Chad Rutherford, Wyatt Denny and Cole Reiner, 84, $649.

Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Luke Branquinho, 3.3 seconds, $2,057; 2. (tie) Stockton Graves and Chance Howard, 3.5, $1,655 each; 4. Wyatt Jurney, 3.6, $1,252; 5. Jacob Talley, 3.7, $984; 6. Dalton Massey, 3.8, $715; 7. Rowdy Parrott, 3.9, $447; 8. (tie) Tyler Waguespack, Tristan Martin, and Justin Shaffer, 4.0, $60 each. Second round: 1. Hunter Cure, 3.4 seconds, $2,057; 2. (tie) Trever Nelson and Bridger Anderson, 3.6, $1,655 each; 4. (tie) Clayton Tuchscherer, Stockton Graves, Kipp, Blake Knowles, 3.8, $850; 8. (tie) Clayton Hass and Chance Howard, 3.9, $89. Average leaders: 1. Stockton Graves, 7.3 seconds on two runs, $3,086, 2. Chance Howard, 7.4, $2,683; 3. (tie) Wyatt Jurney and Hunter Cure, 7.7, $2,079; 5. (tie) Justin Shaffer and Tyler Waguespack, 8.0, $1,274; 7. (tie) Tristan Martin and Blake Knowles, 8.1, $470.

Tie-down roping: First round: 1. (tie) Riley Pruitt and Caleb Smidt, 8.2 seconds, $2,443 each; 3. Marty Yates, 8.3, $1,931; 4. J.D. McCuistion, 8.5, $1,591; 5. (tie) Blane Cox and Lane Livingston, 8.6, $1,079 each; 7. (tie) Hunter Reaume, Ty Harris and Ryan Jarrett, 9.0, $265 each. Second round: 1.  Westyn Hughes, 8.1 seconds, $2,613, 2. (tie) Marcos Costa, Blake Chauvin, Cory Solomon, and Tyson Durfey, 8.2, $1,761; 6. Luke Potter, 8.3, $909; 7. (tie) Ryan Thibodeaux, and J.D. McCuistion, 8.7, $398; Average: J.D. McCuistion and Westyn Hughes, 17.2 seconds on two runs, $3,664; 3. Ryan Thibodeaux, 18.3, $2,897; 4. Ty Harris, 18.4, $2,386; 5. Marcos Costa, 18.8, $1,875, 6. Taylor Santos, 19.5, $1,363; 7. Bryson Sechrist, $852.06; 8. (tie) Luke Potter and Caleb Smidt, 20.9, $170.

Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Cody Demoss 87 points Pete Carr Rodeo’s Hollywood Knight, $4,907; 2. Leon Fountain, 85.5, $3,762; 3. Ross Griffin, $2,780; 4. Brody Cress, 83.5, $1,799; 5. Layton Green 82, $1,145; 6. Kole Ashbacher, 81.5, $818; 7. Logan Cook, 81, $654; 8. K’s Thomson, 80, $491;

Steer roping: First round: 1. (tie) Jess Tierney and Roger Branch, 11.1 seconds, $1,788 each; 3. J. Tom Fisher, 11.2, $1,282; 4. (tie) Slade Wood, Cole Patterson and Tuff Hardman, 11.3, $630 each. Second round: 1. Thomas Smith, 9.8 seconds, $1,957; 2. (tie) Neal Wood and Taylor Santos, 10.1, $1,451 each; 4. Jess Tierney, 10.5, $945; 5. Scott Snedecor, 10.6, $607; 6. Dalton Walker, 10.9, $337. Third round: 1. Scott Snedecor, 10.3 seconds, $1,957; 2. Taylor Santos, 10.6, $1,619.35; 3. Roger Branch and Cash Myers, 10.7, $1,113 each, 5. (tie) Chris Glover, Neal Wood, Cole Patterson, 11.4, $315. Average: 1. Cole Patterson, 34.3 seconds on three runs $2,935, 2. Chet Herren, 36.2, $2,429; 3. Cash Myers, 36.6, $1,923; 4. Cody Lee, 38.7, $1,417; 5. Billy Good, 39.3, $911; 6. Garrett Hale, 40.3, $506.

Ladies breakaway: First round: 1. Bethanie Shofner, 2.0 seconds, $1,192; 2. (tie) Tibba Smith and Danielle Lowman, 2.2, $883 each; 4. (tie) Erin Johnson and Kassidy Denisson, 2.3 seconds, $473 each; 6. Tomie Peterson, 2.4, $205. Second round: 1. Tibba Smith, 2.3 seconds, $457; 2. Erin Johnson, 2.4, $342; 3. Tacy Webb, 2.8; $228; 4. (tie) Nicole Baggarley and Bradi Good, 2.9, $57. Average: 1. Tibba Smith, 4.5 seconds on two runs, $1,788; 2. Erin Johnson, 4.7, $1,480; 3. Tacy Webb, 5.6, $1,171; 4. Nicole Baggerley, 5.8, $863; 5. Kassidy Dennison, 6.0, $555; 6. Kelsie Chace, 6.2, $308.

Team roping: First round: 1. Tanner Tomlinson/Patrick Smith, 4.5 seconds, $2,077; 2. (tie) Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin and Clay Tryan/Jake Long, 4.6, $1,671 each. 4. Cory Kidd V/Ryan Motes, 4.8, $1,264; 5. Wyatt Imus/Caleb Anderson, 5.0, $993; 6. Marcus Theriot/Jim Ross Cooper, 5.2, $722, 7. (tie) Jake Clay/Billie Jack Saebens, Kellan Johnson/Carson Johnson, Coy Rahlmann/Douglas Rich, 5.3, $211. Second round: 1. Tyler Wade/Trey Yates, 4.2 seconds, $2,077; 2. Cody Snow/Kirby Blankenship, 4.3, $1,806; 3. Colby Lovell/Paul Eaves, 4.4, $1,535.27; 4. (tie) Korbin Rice/Jace Davis and Cory Kidd V/Ryan Motes, 4.6, $1,29; 6. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.7, $722; 7. (tie) Jake Clay/Billie Jack Saebens, Clint Summers/Ross Ashford, and Kolton Schmidt/Wyatt Cox, 4.9 $211. Average: 1. Cory Kidd V/Ryan Motes, 9.4 seconds on two runs, $3,116; 2. Clay Tryan/Jake Long, 10.1, $2,709; 3. Jake Clay/Billie Jack Saebens, 10.2, $2,303; 4. Clint Summers/Ross Ashford, 10.3, $1,897; 5. Kellan Johnson/Carson Johnson, 10.7, $1,084; 7. Wyatt Imus/Caleb Anderson, 11.0, $677; 8. Kolton Schmidt/Wyatt Cox, 11.1, $271.

Barrel racing: 1. Katie Pascoe, 17.12 seconds, $4,772; 2. Kassie Mowry, 17.33, $3,817; 3. Nicole Driggers, 17.34, $3,102; 4. Tarryn Lee, $2,386; 5. Jill Wilson, 17.37, $1,909; 6. Dena Kirkpatrick, 17.42, $1,909; 7. Cindy Smith, 17.52, $1,193; 8. (tie) Katie Halbert and Stephanie Fryar, 17.53, $1014; 10. Shannon McReynolds, 17.55, $835; 11. Timber Allenbrand, 17.59, $716; 12. (tie) Stevi Hillman and Wenda Johnson, 17.62, $537; 14. Tyra Kane, 17.63, $358; 15. (tie) Tierra Zapalac and Katelyn Scott, $119 each.

Bull riding: 1. Creek Young 87 points on Pete Carr Rodeo’s Tequila Worm, $4,747; 2. Shane Proctor, 85.5, $3,639; 3. Trey Benton, 85, $2,690; 4. Clayton Sellars, 84.5, $1,741; 5. (tie) Ky Hamilton and Josh Frost, 83.5, $949; 7. Sage Kimzey, 83, $633; 8. Dustin Boquet, 71, $475.