Colton Charleston and Dawson Mathis took two different routes to a world title, but both came out successful at the World Championship Junior Rodeo in their respective age divisions, proving there is no truly easy way to the top.

Youth Division: Charleston Backs Up the Favorite Tag

Colton Charleston of Carthage, Missouri, rode into the WCJR already seeded on the leaderboard, carrying momentum from a big win at the National Junior High Finals Rodeo weeks earlier.

14-year-old Charleston backed it up in Guthrie, winning the semi-final round outright with a 9.59 before finishing second in the finals with an 8.98—good enough for the two-run aggregate at 18.57 and a $2,586 payday and the division title.

“It felt pretty good,” Charleston said of the setup. “It was a pretty good setup. The calves were good.”

He credits some of that consistency to his horse, Batman.

“I was riding Batman, the yellow horse—same horse I rode at nationals,” Charleston said. “He’s about 16. We raised him. He’s been great to us.”

“He just fits me really good,” he said. “He’s really easy to rope on. My cousin rides him a little. My brother used to ride him. My sister rides him, too. He does the same thing every time.”

Staying sharp on the road, away from his own practice pen, comes down to routine.

“I just try to keep my mind right,” Charleston said. “Follow the process and keep roping.”

He’s not big on superstition.

 “I try to rope the dummy. That’s about it,” he said. “Not really superstitious.”

As for the winnings?

“Save it,” he said.

Junior Division: Mathis Grinds His Way to the Top

Dawson Mathis, 18, of Amistad, New Mexico, took the harder road. He came up through the Last Chance Qualifiers, punching his ticket to the semi-finals in the second round as a clear underdog being No. 12 on the callback sheet.

Mathis made it count, running a 9.72 in the semi-finals and following it with a 7.89 to finish second in the finals—the two-run aggregate, 17.61, was good enough for the world title and a $4,811 payout.

Mathis rode a horse named Kona for the win.

Mathis had good things to say about the competition too, crediting the stock contractor—the same one Charleston praised in the youth division.

“They’ve been great,” Mathis said of the calves. “These are some of the best cattle I’ve seen in a long time, and especially with how high cattle are, it’s really good to see really good cattle here.”