Missouri header Wyatt Walker maintained his lead in the USTRC Resistol Jr. race by a narrow margin. Meanwhile, North Carolina heeler Cole Shook is still in the No. 1 position, but he now shares the spot with Alabama’s Brit Smith.
The Leaders
Walker Wyatt — No. 1 Header
This month, Diamond, Missouri, switchender Wyatt Walker, 12, maintained his top spot in the heading with 40 points.
Cole Shook — No. 1 Heeler (tie)
Leicester, North Carolina’s Cole Shook, 14, led with 33 points at last reporting, and he’s now added another 21 points. The 54 points are worth the No. 1 position, but in a tie.
Shook roped at June’s South Carolina Championships, where he finished in third place in the #9.5, worth a gain of 8 points in the standings. Then, in the #8.5, he finished in both the fourth and fifth holes to earn 7 and 6 points, respectively.
Brit Smith — No. 1 Heeler (tie)
At last reporting, Brit Smith of Atmore, Alabama, was in the No. 4 position with 27 points earned in the heeling standings. Those 27 points were earned in the first half of June, starting with a second-place win in the #12.5 for 9 points at the Florida Panhandle Championship. Two weeks later, Smith secured two more reserve titles at 9 points each in the #11.5 and #9.5 at the North Alabama Championships.
To make his moves for the lead, Smith, 17, roped at the South Carolina Championships and captured first-place finishes in both the #12.5 and #10.5 ropings for an additional 20 points. He also seized the fourth hole in the #10.5, worth 7 points and a tie for first place this month.
The Top 5
Headers
Behind Walker, Shawnee Murphy of Melrose, Iowa, earned a whopping 38 points to tie Gage Hines for second place—a position Hines has maintained since last reporting. Pecos Patton also maintains his 36 points but falls in the standings one hole to No. 4. The Top 5’s other newcomer is Ames, Oklahoma’s Tripp Suit who edged into the position with 32 points—just a single point ahead of last month’s No. 5 header, Lexi Andrews.
Heelers
With Shook and Smith in a tie for first with 54 points, Choctaw, Oklahoma’s Jaytin Harrell comes in at No. 3 with 44 points. Cooper Britain keeps his 32 points, but falls from the No. 2 spot in the standings to fourth place. Final Top 5 newcomer for the month is Wesson Parker of Marlow, Oklahoma, with 30 points.
2024-2025 USTRC Resistol Jr. Champion Standings
(as of 7/24/24. Go to USTRC.com for current standings.)
USTRC Resistol Jr. Standings: Headers
| Name | Points | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| Wyatt Walker | 40 | Diamond, Missouri |
| Gage Hines | 38 | Dilley, Texas |
| Shawnee Murphy | 38 | Melrose, Iowa |
| Pecos Patton | 36 | Shallowater, Texas |
| Tripp Suit | 32 | Ames, Oklahoma |
| Lexi Andrews | 31 | Live Oak, Florida |
| Ryder Volf | 28 | Stephenville, Texas |
| Rance Winters | 27 | Stephenville, Texas |
| Carter Glass | 27 | Sterling City, Texas |
| Parker Nokes | 27 | McCook, Nebraska |
| Colten Brown | 27 | Leicester, North Carolina |
USTRC Resistol Jr. Standings: Heelers
| Name | Points | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cole Shook | 54 | Leicester, North Carolina |
| 1. Brit Smith | 54 | Atmore, Alabama |
| 3. Jaytin Harrell | 44 | Choctaw, Oklahoma |
| 4. Cooper Brittain | 32 | Rockwall, Texas |
| 5. Wesson Parker | 30 | Marlow, Oklahoma |
| 6. Jhett Vanderhamm | 29 | Inglalls, Kansas |
| 8. Pason Patton | 25 | Sterling City, Texas |
| 8. Blaine Gray | 25 | Holt, Missouri |
| 10. Ethan Arnold | 24 | Rural Retreat, Virginia |
| 10. Kale Roark | 24 | Guymon, Oklahoma |
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—
