As of Sept. 20, 2024, Florida’s Lexi Andrews maintains her position as the leading USTRC Resistol Jr. Champion header with 58 points, but Alabama’s Tanner Banks upset the proverbial apple cart when he launched himself from last month’s No. 9 spot in the standings to this month’s No. 2 position with 47 points, decreasing Andrews’ comfortable lead and bumping the rest of the Top 5 field out of their previous positions. 

On the heels, Georgia’s Houston Childers also keeps his lead in the standings with 98 points—a new total for the month.

Leading headers

No. 1 Header: Lexi Andrews 

Even though there’s been no change to her 58 points this month, it’s worth noting that Live Oak, Florida’s Lexi Andrews, 16, maintains her lead over both the USTRC Resistol Jr. Champion race and the USTRC Cinch Ladies Standings.

No. 2 Header: Tanner Banks 

At last reporting, Tanner Banks of Opelika, Alabama, boasted 37 points, then worth the No. 9 position in the heading standings. Banks, who turned 18 in September, was new to the Top 10 that month, but his journey to the Top 5 began in June.

Banks kicked off his Resistol Jr. season with a bang when he won first place and 10 points at the North Alabama Championship #12.5 USTRC, produced by Allen’s Roping Productions. In July, he put a notable shine on his efforts at another Allen’s Roping Productions event, the Alabama Championship. There, Banks won second in the #13.5 USTRC for 9 points and took the champion title in the #12.5 USTRC for another 10 points.

When Banks hit up August’s North Alabama Championship to finish third in the #12.5 USTRC for 8 points, that gave him the leverage he needed to enter last month’s Top 10. But he earned his Top 5 stripes at the end of the month when he entered up in the #12.5 USTRC at JX2 Productions’ Tennessee Special and earned the championship title for 10 points, giving him the 47 points that now puts him in the Resistol Jr. header No. 2 spot.

Leading Heeler

No. 1 Heeler: Houston Childers

Houston Childers of Fairmount, Georgia, the champion heeler of the 2023 Resistol Jr. Champion race who also celebrated a birthday—16—in September, dark horsed the heeling standings last month when he came out of nowhere to claim the No. 1 spot with 89 points. And, now that he has the lead, it seems the Jr. veteran has no intentions of letting it go.

Childers’ point-earning path began in June when he first roped in the #12.5 USTRC at JX2 Productions’ Florida Panhandle Championships and took third for 8 points. That same month, he earned another 8 points for a third-place finish in the #10.5 USTRC at the North Alabama Championships. 

At the late July Alabama Championships, Childers scored a whopping 37 points when he took first in the #13.5 and #11.5 USTRC ropings, followed by finishing second and third in the #10.5 USTRC. In August, he finished in second place in the #13.5 USTRC at the Tunica Super Qualifier for 9 points, plus another 8 points for taking third in the #11.5 USTRC. 

Childers then roped at the North Alabama Championships, where he won the #13.5 for 10 points and took second in the #12.5 for 9 points. His 89-point coup put him at the top of the standings where he remains after roping in the #11.5 USTRC at the Tennessee Special and taking second place for 9 points. Now with his 98 points, Childers holds a 24-point lead over the No. 2 heeler.

The Top 5

Resistol Jr. Headers

This month, Tanner Banks made the only moves in the Top 5 Resistol Jr. Champion heading standings, the fallout of which is that last month’s No. 5 header, Hayden Hines, is now pushed out of the Top 5.

Otherwise, Andrews keeps her lead with 58 points, Texas’ Walker Guy falls to No. 3 with 43 points, and Texan Rance Winters and Arkansas’ Hayes Hartwick maintain their tie of 42 points, worth a battle for fourth this month.

Resistol Jr. Heelers

Behind Childers, North Carolina’s Cole Shook reclaimed a lead he once had over Alabama’s Brit Smith when he earned 7 points to bring his total to 74, worth the No. 2 position this month. Smith maintained his 69 points, falling to No. 3. 

Oklahoma’s Jaytin Harrell also maintains his 44 points to claim this month’s No. 4 spot in the standings, while fellow Okie Kale Roark, who was reported at the No. 10 spot two months ago but was bumped off the standings last month, came out swinging with 43 points to round out the Top 5 heelers this month.

2024-2025 USTRC Resistol Jr. Champion Standings

(as of 10/03/24. Go to USTRC.com for current standings.)

USTRC Resistol Jr. Leaderboard: Headers

USTRC Resistol Jr. Leaderboard: Heelers

—TRJ—