As of June 24, 2024, the race for the 2024 Resistol Jr. Champion title proved well on its way with Missouri’s Wyatt Walker and North Carolina’s Cole Shook in the standings lead with 40 and 33 points, respectively, giving them a narrow but important lead over the rest of the pack.
Current Resistol Jr. Leaders
Walker Wyatt
Entering the race out of Diamond, Missouri, switchender Wyatt Walker, 12, secured his spot at No. 1 in the heading standings in May, first competing in the Missouri Classic early in the month, followed by the Heart of the Ozarks Championship a few weeks later.
At the Missouri Classic on May 3, Walker earned two fourth-place finishes worth 7 points each in both the #10.5 USTRC and the #8.5 USTRC, giving him a 14-point foundation by the time he entered up at Heart of the Ozarks. There, the young header hit his stride and took second place, worth 9 points, in the #11.5 USTRC and the #10.5 USTRC. Then, he finished the event in third place in the #9.5 USTRC for an additional 8 points. And that was just in the heading.
Walker has also established himself a spot on the heeling side of the standings at No. 18, which he shares with Kase Key from Stephenville, Texas, who also has 12 points, the whole of which Walker earned with a second-place and eighth-place finish in the #8.5 USTRC at the Missouri Classic.
Cole Shook
From Leicester, North Carolina, Cole Shook, 14, went to work at the Virginia Championships in early June. There, he earned the entirety of his standings-leading 33 points by taking second and sixth pace in the #9.5 USTRC, worth 9 and 5 points, respectively.
Then, Shook did double duty in the #7.5 USTRC, too, claiming the champion and reserve champion titles for 10 and 9 points, respectively.
The Top 5
Headers
The rest of the Top 5 Resistol Jr. headers are in close pursuit behind Walker, who has a 2-point lead over No. 2 header
Gage Hines of Dilley, Texas. Hines also maintains a 2-point lead over No. 3 header Pecos Patton roping out of Shallowater, Texas, with a total of 36 points in the standings.
Patton possesses a somewhat more comfortable 5-point lead over No. 4 header Lexi Andrews of Live Oak, Florida, who, with her 31 points, leads No. 5 header Ryder Volf of Stephenville, Texas, by 3 points.
Heelers
Behind Shook, the Resistol Jr. heeling standings stack up quickly and closely, with No. 2 heeler Cooper Brittain from Rockwall, Texas, just a single point behind Shook’s 33 points.
From Ingalls, Kansas, Jhett Vanderhamm takes the No. 3 spot with 29 points, which gives him a 2-point lead over No. 4 heeler Brit Smith of Atmore, Alabama. Smith also holds a 2-point lead over a tie at No. 5, shared by Sterling City, Texas’ Pason Patton and Holt, Missouri’s Blaine Gray with 25 points each.
2024-2025 USTRC Resistol Jr. Leaders
(as of 6/26/24. Go to USTRC.com for current standings.)
| HEADERS | POINTS | HOMETOWN |
|---|---|---|
| Wyatt Walker | 40 | Diamond, Missouri |
| Gage Hines | 38 | Dilley, Texas |
| Pecos Patton | 36 | Shallowater, Texas |
| Lexi Andrews | 31 | Live Oak, Florida |
| Ryder Volf | 28 | Stephenville, Texas |
| Rance Winters | 27 | Stephenville, Texas |
| Carter Glass | 27 | Sterling City, Texas |
| Kolter Jackson | 25 | Stephenville, Texas |
| Gregory Mitchell | 22 | Adairsville, Georgia |
| Zydon Ballard | 21 | Berryville, Arkansas |
| HEELERS | POINTS | HOMETOWN |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cole Shook | 33 | Leicester, North Carolina |
| 2. Cooper Brittain | 32 | Rockwall, Texas |
| 3. Jhett Vanderhamm | 29 | Inglalls, Kansas |
| 4. Brit Smith | 27 | Atmore, Alabama |
| 5. Pason Patton | 25 | Sterling City, Texas |
| 5. Blaine Gray | 25 | Holt, Missouri |
| 7. Grady Green | 20 | Cherry Valley, Illinois |
| 8. Wyatt J Howell | 19 | Millsap, Texas |
| 8. Hagen Wright | 19 | Lipan, Texas |
| 10. Owen Littau | 18 | Newport, Nebraska |
Current USTRC or Key Card/Key Card Max membership is required to participate in the Resistol Junior Champion Program. Earned points begin counting at time of membership purchase thru the NFTR’s last shootout event. The season begins the Monday after the last USTRC NFTR event and ends the last day of the next USTRC NFTR event.
Ropers must enter at least one Shootout division in the USTRC NFTR to be eligible. The award will be announced at the end of the USTRC National Finals of Team Roping event.
—TRJ—
