Sam Lewis made his first ProRodeo win count in a big way at the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo.

Lewis split the second round with Riley Webb at 7.2 seconds for $4,513, won the Finals with an 8.8-second run worth $1,932 and locked up the average with 36.3 seconds on four head to add another $9,657, totaling more than $16,000 on the week for the Resistol Rookie of the Year contender.

“I kind of had to think about it,” Lewis said. “I’ve placed a lot of places, and I was like, well I’ll be dang, it is my first ProRodeo win. It’s a good one to have as a first.”

The win didn’t just give him the boost he needed in the standings, it gave him confidence heading into the spring and summer runs. After buying his card late, Lewis knew he needed something to get rolling and San Angelo delivered.

“This helps a lot with my confidence,” Lewis said. “It gives me a chance to get into places like Calgary and just keep things going.”

Finding the spark

For Lewis, his breakthrough didn’t come from a basic change, it came from a mindset shift and a change of scenery.

The son of 11-time NFR qualifier Brent Lewis, he’s long had the talent and horsepower, but admits he hadn’t always been all-in. Hunting and life at home pulled his focus away from the practice pen.

“I’ve always been good at it, but I never really put my whole heart into it,” Lewis said. “I liked being around it, but I wasn’t all the way committed.”

That changed when he leaned on family friend Trent Walls and traveling partner Blane Cox, who helped him reset both mentally and physically.

“I told Trent I needed to get away from home and figure out how to make some money,” Lewis said. “He told me, ‘Just make it with a rope.’ I came down here with about $1,000, we started entering and it started clicking.”

Walls, who knows both Sam and his father inside and out, has played a key role in sharpening Lewis’ mental game.

“One thing he told me that stuck is stay the same person no matter the pressure,” Lewis said. “Just believe your run is good enough. He’s helped my confidence a lot.”

Handling the moment

That message showed up when it mattered most in San Angelo’s short round.

With the average wide open, Lewis knew he didn’t have to be the fastest, just clean and consistent.

“You can’t back off a barrier in a little building like that,” Lewis said. “I just tried to make the same run I can make in the practice pen and not let anything else get to me.”

Even with bigger calves that had plenty of people talking, Lewis kept his approach simple.

“Those calves, that’s part of being a cowboy,” Lewis said. “Be grateful you’ve got calves to run and just go make your run. If it don’t happen on that calf, go to the next one.”

Lewis survived a chaotic first round before dialing it in with a 7.2 to split the second round win and backing it up with a solid semifinal run to make the short round.

“My first one was kind of survival mode,” Lewis said. “Then I came back with a really good one and just slowed everything down. My third one set me up good for the short round, and then I just didn’t want to make a mistake.”

Strong backing

Lewis isn’t navigating his rookie season alone, and that may be just as important as anything he’s doing in the arena.

Between Walls, his father and traveling partner Blane Cox, he has three experienced voices to keep him steady through the ups and downs of the rodeo road.

“It’s a huge deal,” Lewis said. “There’s a lot of guys that get down on themselves out there. They know me and can get me back where I need to be.”

He’s also got horsepower behind him, led by a bay gelding he calls Thumper.

“There’s not very many horses you step on that feel like home,” Lewis said. “Thumper feels like home. He’s pretty special to me.”

Rookie race heating up

Lewis’ win drops him right into the mix of a loaded rookie race that includes names like Brody Clemons, Kyan Wilhite, Ace Reese and Colton Suther, a group he knows well.

“We’ve all grown up roping together,” Lewis said. “We’re great pals, but when we step in that arena, we ain’t pals anymore.”

The competition is part of what excites him most about the year ahead.

“I think it’ll be a heck of a race,” Lewis said. “It’s been a long time since there’s been that many contenders in one class. Those guys don’t leave much room for mistakes.”