Conley Kleinhans and Brant Cookston sealed the deal on their Junior Heading and Heeling world championships in the WCJR Championship Round Saturday, July 27, 2024.

Kleinhans and Cookston stopped the clock with an 8.66-second run to win the Junior Heading and Heeling world championships, as well as $6,000 a man in a Championship Round plagued by misses.

“It meant a lot to me because we were the last team out and watched everybody miss,” Cookston said. “There wasn’t a lot of pressure, but there was a lot of pressure, just having to go and catch that steer. And I felt good about it, being the only team to catch.”

Cookston’s lead in the standings seeded him into the Championship Round, but the team decided to enter the Qualifying Round to get some runs in first. They had some tough luck there, so being seeded into the Championship Round was a game-changer.

“It made a big difference being already in there and not having to go through all those long rounds,” said Cookston, of Trinidad, Texas. “We didn’t have to make a whole lot of good runs like that. Just coming in and only having to make one.”

As the Championship Round unfolded, Kleinhans, 18, and Cookston, 16, changed their approach.

“The game plan at first was to try to be as fast as we can on whatever steer we had,” Cookston explained. “Then we watched it all fall apart, and before we rode in the box, Conley got my attention and just told me to catch him.”

Safetying up paid offfor Kleinhans who won his second straight world championship and for Cookston who took home his first. 

Regarding next moves, Cookston noted the WCJR age limits and their impacts on his immediate plans.

“I’m going to have to find a new header first,” Cookston said with a laugh. “Conley’s too old now, but I’m going to find me another header and I’m sure we’ll go at it pretty hard. Keep the ball rolling.”