SAN ANGELO, Texas – Clayton Biglow grew up on a ranch in northern California, and he’s known since Day 1 that he was going to be a cowboy.
He dreamed of being a world champion, just like every other little boy who was raised around rodeo. He fulfilled it in 2019, winning the bareback riding world championship. Now, he has his eyes set on his second straight gold buckle.
He took a move toward that Thursday night during the 10th performance of the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo. He rode Northcott Macza’s Time Machine for 84 points to move into a four-way tie for eighth place in the opening round. It was worth a bit of money ($93), but the reward comes by qualifying for Friday’s championship round at Foster Communications Coliseum.
A year ago, he scored 85 points to finish in a tie for fourth in the first round, then posted an 89.5-point ride to finish runner-up in the short round and third place in the average. In all, he left west Texas with just shy of $5,000.
He stands a good chance to do that again. San Angelo’s final round is well known for big rides and big scores, and it’s a big deal to the rodeo-savvy crowd that packs into the coliseum each night. Biglow knows what it means to post big scores.
In 2018, he set the National Finals Rodeo record with a 93-point ride on the fifth night. This past December, he matched it on the final night of the 2019 season. With that, he earned $243,891 over 10 nights in Las Vegas, winning the RAM Top Gun award for having earned the most money over that stretch while also claiming the NFR average title (and breaking the record) and world title.
At just 25 years of age, the Clements, California, bronc buster finished the season with $425,843. Of course, much of that came in the Nevada desert, where he won four go-rounds outright and was part of a three-way tie in another. Only bull rider Sage Kimzey, now a six-time world champion, earned more money in ProRodeo than Biglow did last year.
It was the fourth straight NFR appearance for Biglow, who was the 2016 Bareback Riding Resistol Rookie of the Year. He is a second-generation hand, following in the footsteps of his father, Russ, who rode bareback horses and competed in team roping.
Now, he hopes to add more San Angelo cash to his pockets Friday night.
San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo
Jan. 30-Feb. 14
Bareback riding: First round: 1. Kody Lamb, 88 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Hometown Girl, $3,727; 2. Leighton Berry, 87.5, $2,857; 3. Austin Foss, 87, $2,112; 4. Tim O’Connell, 86, $1,366; 5. (tie) Richmond Champion and Taylor Broussard, 85, $745 each; 7. Tyler Berghuis, 84.5, $497; 8. (tie) Tilden Hooper, Chad Rutherford, Clayton Biglow and Jamie Howlett, 84, $93 each; 12. (tie) Bill Tutor and Cauy Pool, 83.5.
Steer wrestling: First round: 1. Ty Erickson, 3.8 seconds, $3,284; 2. Taz Olson, 3.9, $2,855; 3. (tie) Stockton Graves and Sterling Humphry, 4.1, $2,213 each; 5. (tie) Tait Kvistad and Dalton Massey, 4.3, $1,356 each; 7. (tie) Ryan McKay Nettle and Jacob Talley, 4.4, $500 each. Second round: 1. (tie) Cameron Morman and Matt Reeves, 3.9 seconds, $3,070 each; 3. (tie) Cade Staton and Chance Howard, 4.0, $2,213 each; 5. (tie) Dakota Eldridge and Tanner Brunner, 4.1, $1,356 each; 7. Jesse Brown, 4.2, $714; 8. (tie) Luke Branquinho, Sterling Lambert and Cade Goodman, 4.3, $95 each. Average leaders: 1. Matt Reeves, 8.7 seconds on two runs; 2. (tie) Tait Kvistad, Dalton Massey and Jacob Talley, 8.9; 5. Tanner Brunner, 9.2; 6. Cade Staton, 9.3; 7. (tie) Josh Clark and Cody Harmon, 9.4; 9. Ty Erickson, 9.6; 10. (tie) Taz Olson, Bridger Anderson and Jule Hazen, 9.7.
Team roping: First round: 1. Spencer Mitchell/Cesar de la Cruz, 3.7 seconds, $3,742; 2. (tie) Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira and Clay Smith/Jade Corkill, 3.8, $3,010 each; 4. (tie) Laramie Allen/Whit Kitchens and Colton Campbell/Jordan Ketscher, 3.9, $2,034 each; 6. Reno Cash Stoebner/Colton Brittain, 4.1, $1,302; 7. Tanner Tomlinson/Coleby Payne, 4.2, $813; 8. (tie) Aaron Tsinigine/Kyle Lockett and Manny Equsquiza Jr./York Gill, 4.3, $163. Second round: 1. Jaxon Tucker/Jake Clay, 3.5 seconds, $2,742; 2. Dustin Eguesquiza/Travis Graves, 3.7, $3,254; 3. (tie) Erich Rogers/Paden Bray and Lane Ivy/Dillon Wingereid, 3.8, $2,522 each; 5. (tie) Dawson Graham/Dillon Graham and Clint Summers/Douglas Rich, 3.9, $1,546 each; 7. Trey Blackmore/Kory Bramwell, 4.0, $813; 8. (tie) Dale Martin Jr./Garrett McQueen and Jake Orman/Daniel Braman, 4.3, $163 each. Average leaders: 1. (tie) Clay Smith/Jade Corkill and Laramie Allen/Whit Kitchens, 8.3; 3. Aaron Tsinigine/Kyle Lockett, 8.9; 4. Manny Equsquiza Jr./York Gill, 9.1; 5. Colton Campbell/Jordan Ketscher, 9.3; 6. Spencer Mitchell/Cesar de la Cruz, 9.9; 7. Cory Smothers/Brandon Gonzales, 10.0; 8. (tie) Brenten Hall/Chase Tryan and Kolton Schmidt/Hunter Koch, 10.4; 10. Wyatt Imus/Joseph Harrison, 10.5; 11. Blake Hirdes/Wyatt Hansen, 11.2; 12. Jaguar Terrill/Travis Woodard, 11.8.
Saddle bronc riding: First round: 1. Zeke Thurston, 90 points on Hampton Pro Rodeo’s Rising Tide, $3,494; 2. Jacobs Crawley, 88, $2,679; 3. Carter Elshere, 85.5, $1,980; 4. Cody DeMoss, 85, $1,281; 5. Jesse Wright, 84.5, $815; 6. (tie) Allen Boore, Rusty Wright and Kolby Wanchuk, 84, $466 each; 9. (tie) Tegan Smith, Spencer Wright and Garrett Buckley, 83.5; 11. Leon Fountain, 83.
Tie-down roping: First round: 1. Lane Livingston, 7.2 seconds $4,899; 2. Shad Mayfield, 7.4, $4,260; 3. (tie) Caleb Smidt and Bryson Sechrist, 7.5, $3,301 each; 5. L.D. Meier, 7.7, $2,343; 6. (tie) Blane Cox and Marcos Costa, 7.8, $1,384 each; 8. Bo Pickett, 7.9, $426. Second round: 1. Justin Smith, 7.0 seconds, $4,899; 2. Marty Yates, 7.1, $4,260; 3. (tie) Riley Pruitt and Ike Fontenot, 7.4, $3,301 each; 5. Cooper Martin, 7.5, $2,343; 6. (tie) Kincade Henry and Cory Solomon, 7.6, $1,384 each; 8. (tie) Blane Cox and Lucas Potter, 7.8, $213 each. Average leaders: 1. Blane Cox, 15.6 seconds on two runs; 2. Caleb Smidt, 16.0; 3. (tie) Dakota Felton and Kincade Cullen Henry, 15.4; 5. (tie) Cooper Martin and Sterling Smith, 16.6; 7. Reid H. Zapalac, 16.7; 8. Jake Pratt, 16.8; 9. (tie) Bryson Sechrist and Stetson Vest,16,9; 11. Ty Harris, 17.0.
Barrel racing: Second round: 1. Tiany Schuster, 14.05 seconds, $4,414; 2.Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 14.10, $3,784; 3. Shannon McReynolds, 14.20, $3,153; 4. Kim Schulze, 14.24, $2,733; 5. (tie) Haley Wolfe and Ivy Conrado-Saebens, 14.26, $1,892 each; 7. (tie) Kathy Grimes and Lindsay Sears, 14.27, $1,051 each; 9. (tie) Lexie Goss, Randee Prindle and Bristan Kennedy, 14.30, $350 each. Average leaders: 1. Wenda johnson, 30.16 seconds; 2. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 30.22; 3. Shannon McReynolds, 30.32; 4. (tie) Tiany Schuster and Shelley Morgan, 30.35; 6. Kim Schulze, 30.36; 7. Bristan Kennedy, 30.37; 8. (tie) Kenna Squires and Emily Efurd, 30.42; 10. Randee Prindle, 30.46; 11. Ryan Pedone, 30.47; 12. Lexie Goss, 30.48.
Bull riding: First round: 1. Stetson Wright, 89 points on Rafter H Rodeo Livestock’s Bet On Black, $3,466; 2. Bayle Worden, 88.5, $2,657; 3. Elliot Jacoby, 86.5, $1,964; 4. Tim Bingham, 84.5, $1,271; 5. (tie) Parker McCown, Boudreaux Campbell and Ty Wallace, 84, $616 each; 8. Jeston Mead, 83.5, $347; 9. (tie) Trey Benton and Scottie Knapp, 82.5; 11. (tie) Brody Yeary and Jeff Askey, 82.