BISMARCK, N.D. – Jess Lockwood ripped off the white safety bandage wrapped around his head and fiercely threw it down onto the dirt-covered floor of the Bismarck Civic Center late Saturday night.

Sweat and blood slowly trickled down the back of his neck as he intently warmed his bull rope in preparation to face 2012 World Champion Bull Asteroid.

Lockwood had just been dropped by Jack Daniel’s After Party during the championship round of the 16th annual Dakota Community Bank and Trust BlueDEF Tour event, presented by Cooper Tires, and had sustained a slight cut on the back of his head.

The blood and sweat congealed into a darkish, red muddy substance as it blended with the left over dirt coated onto his neck. Lockwood’s father, Ed, looked on as calmly as any parent could in the situation.

His 18-year-old son had wiped the back of his neck with his black riding shirt and confidently jumped onto the back of the bucking chutes with a little hop in his step despite aggravating his partially torn right MCL minutes earlier against After Party.

There was no doubt in Jess’ mind that he was going to get on Asteroid Lockwood told himself.

“I am getting on him even with a broken leg if I have too,” the younger Lockwood thought.

Yet as Lockwood headed toward the bucking chutes, the couple of thousands of fans in attendance whispered sympathies to each other as the announcement was made that Lockwood would get on Asteroid in the bonus round.

They would have completely understood if the recent high school graduate decided not to get on Asteroid because of his injuries.

Lockwood had already won Round 1 with a career-high 93-points on Siouxper Stinger, and a night earlier he had become the second man to ever ride Crossfire with his sensational 92-point ride. Still, he was clearly battered and beaten as he stepped atop the back of the bucking chutes with Asteroid patiently waiting.

Lockwood didn’t want anyone’s sympathy. He wanted to become the fifth rider to successfully cover Asteroid in his five-plus-year career.

“I have looked up to that bull ever since I was a little,” he said. “You couldn’t turn down that offer.”

Earlier in the night, Lockwood reminisced about watching two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney ride Asteroid for 93.5 points at the 2012 Built Ford Tough Series event in San Antonio.

Lockwood was 14 years old at the time.

The Volborg, Montana, bull rider knew heading into this weekend that this could be one of the only chances he will ever have to get on one of the PBR’s legendary bulls.

“He was the best with Bushwacker,” Lockwood recalled. “He beat Bushwacker and that was pretty astounding. He is one of the all-time legends ever. It would be an honor to get on him. Heck, I didn’t even get to watch Bushwacker buck in person.”

The only problem was Asteroid was in no way ready to give any sympathy to the PBR rookie sensation.

Reigning Stock Contractor of the Year Chad Berger’s bovine shoved his nose and face around inside the bucking chute, whipping his slobber up into the air as Lockwood took a deep breath and nodded for the gate.

Then it was all over.

The ovation for Lockwood’s fortitude and perseverance quickly got replaced by stunned silence as Asteroid went old school and ripped Lockwood down over the front end in a blistering 1.78 seconds.

For one night, Asteroid tried to once again be the Asteroid that gave three-time World Champion Bull Bushwacker a run for his money year after year and a bull that left Lockwood star struck as a young bull riding fan.

“That was as good of a trip as he had since I owned him,” Berger said proudly. “If he can keep doing that we can get in contention for the running. He was great tonight. People are always trying to compare him to the trips he had when he was young, but he has had bunch of trips all throughout his career like he had tonight. Now they just want to pick around and pick around and not say he was good. That bull was as good as any bull in the PBR tonight.”

Lockwood said, “Yeah, I looked like a rag doll on him. It went quick. That is for damn sure.”

Lockwood was not ready to point at any injuries as an excuse either, but he did say he would contemplate taking some time to heal up for the 2016 National High School Rodeo Finals on July 17-23 in Gillette, Wyoming.

“I better be smart and take a lot of the summer off until the high school finals,” Lockwood said. “I am pretty banged up, but I don’t know. We will see. I am feeling alright. I took a hit there (against After Party). You are supposed to be a cowboy and ride the next one.”

The 46.5-point bull score was a season-high for Asteroid, but it won’t factor into the official rankings for the World Champion Bull race because Bismarck was a non-BFTS event.

It was Asteroid’s seventh consecutive buckoff this season and his fifth in under 5 seconds. He is averaging 43.67 points per out on the BFTS.

The out may help Asteroid’s case at earning a wild card bid into the World Champion Bull race from the Executive Competition Committee come season’s end if the bovine athlete can build off his Bismarck performance, but Asteroid hasn’t looked like his old self for the majority of the season.

Asteroid was previously marked 44.25 points for bucking off Eduardo Aparecido in 3.93 seconds at Last Cowboy Standing.

Berger has made it a priority this year to try and increase the 9-year-old’s strength in his back.

“He has built a little more muscle across his back,” Berger said. “That is where his issues are, in his back. We built a lot of muscle around it. That has helped him a lot.”

The buckoff capped off a night filled with 90-point highlights.

There were a total of five 90-point rides, including Chase Outlaw’s 90.5-point winning ride on Modified Clyde.  Cooper Davis won the championship round with a 92.5-point effort on Beaver Creek Beau. He is only the fifth rider to have ever ridden Beaver Creek Beau.

Lockwood earned the bonus round matchup against Asteroid because he had won the most money over the course of the two BlueDEF Tour events this weekend.

Despite the buckoff, Berger said Lockwood should by no means be ashamed of the effort he put forth on Saturday night.

“This guy has guts and is fearless,” Berger concluded. “That is one of the most talented young men to come along in a long time. Hats off to Jess.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko