As of Aug. 28, 2024, header Lexi Andrews’ 58 points landed her in the lead of the 2025 USTRC Resistol Jr. race after a five-place jump from No. 6 at last reporting. In the heeling, 2023 Resistol Jr. Champion heeler Houston Childers entered into the race for the first time this season, planting himself firmly at the top of the standings with 89 points.
The Leaders
Lexi Andrews
With 58 points to her name, Live Oak, Florida’s Lexi Andrews, 16, took the lead in the Resistol Jr. heading standings after earning 27 points since last reporting. Whereas she had trailed last month’s No. 1 header by 9 points, Andrews now leads the race by 15 points.
In late July, Andrews attended the 25th Anniversary Alabama Championships produced by Allen’s Roping Productions. There, she was in the money in the #10.5 and #8.5 USTRC ropings, earning 7 points with her fourth-place finish in the #10.5 and a cumulative 12 points in the #8.5 for her second- and eighth-place finishes.
In August, she roped in the #11.5 USTRC at the North Alabama Championships, another Allen’s Roping Productions event, to earn another 8 points with her third-place finish, bringing her total haul for the month to 27 points and her season total to 58. Not only are her 58 points worth the lead in the Cinch Ladies race, they’ve also garnered her the top spot in the USTRC Cinch Ladies race.
Houston Childers
Fairmount, Georgia’s Houston Childers, who turned 16 in September, appeared as the No. 1 Resistol Jr. heeler when he arrived in the 2025 race for the first time this season. A veteran champion who won the title in 2023 with 125 points, he now takes the standings lead with 89 points.
Childers began earning points on the season back in June when he first roped in the #12.5 USTRC at the 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. Then, he turned up the heat.
At the late July Alabama Championships, 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.
To wrap up his reintroduction to the standings, 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 gives him a 20-point lead over the next roper in the standings.
The Top 5
Headers
Not unlike Childers, Walker Guy—the 2023 Resistol Jr. Champion header—also enters into the Top 5 seemingly out of nowhere, albeit in the No. 2 position. The talented Texan takes the spot with 43 points, giving him the narrowest, single-point lead over the two-way tie for the No. 3 position, shared by fellow Texan Rance Winters and Arkansas roper Hayes Hartwick.
Equally hot on their heels is Georgia header Hayden Hines with 41 points, worth the No. 5 position in this month’s reporting. Remarkably, the entire suite of Top 5 headers this month ousted last month’s leading headers.
Heelers
Alabama’s Brit Smith shook loose of his tie with Cole Shook to clinch this month’s No. 2 position with 69 points, but Shook remains in close contention in the No. 3 spot with 67 points.
Texan Callahan Taylor appeared on the scene in the No. 4 position this month with 45 points and, behind him, Oklahoma’s Jaytin Harrell maintains his previously reported 44 points to close out this Top 5 report.
2024-2025 USTRC Resistol Jr. Champion Standings
(as of 8/28/24. Go to USTRC.com for current standings.)
USTRC Resistol Jr. Standings: Headers
| Name | Points | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lexi Andrews | 58 | Live Oak, Florida |
| 2. Walker Guy | 43 | Stephenville, Texas |
| 3. Rance Winters | 42 | Stephenville, Texas |
| 3. Hayes Hartwick | 42 | Quitman, Arkansas |
| 5. Hayden Hines | 41 | Monroe, Georgia |
| 6. Wyatt Walker | 40 | Diamond, Missouri |
| 7. Gage Hines | 38 | Dilley, Texas |
| 7. Shawnee Murphy | 38 | Melrose, Iowa |
| 9. Tanner Banks | 37 | Opelika, Arkansas |
| 10. Pecos Patton | 36 | Shallowater, Texas |
| 10. Gregory Mitchell | 36 | Adairsville, Georgia |
USTRC Resistol Jr. Standings: Heelers
| Name | Points | Hometown |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Houston Childers | 89 | Fairmount, Georgia |
| 2. Brit Smith | 69 | Atmore, Alabama |
| 3. Cole Shook | 67 | Leicester, North Carolina |
| 4. Callahan Taylor | 45 | Canutillo, Texas |
| 5. Jaytin Harrell | 44 | Choctaw, Oklahoma |
| 6. Cooper Brittain | 32 | Rockwall, Texas |
| 7. Wesson Parker | 30 | Marlow, Oklahoma |
| 8. Jhett Vanderhamm | 29 | Ingalls, Kansas |
| 9. Jay Faulkenberry | 26 | Rock Hill, South Carolina |
| 10. Pason Patton | 25 | Sterling City, Texas |
| 10. Blaine Gray | 25 | Holt, Missouri |
| 10. Shye Pate | 25 | Ovalo, Texas |
Current USTRC or Key Card/Key Card Max membership is required to participate in the Resistol Jr. 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 Cinch NFTR event and ends the last day of the next USTRC Cinch 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 Cinch National Finals of Team Roping event.
The points breakdown is as follows: Starting with At Home Challenge Events, ropers will earn 10 points if they win the Challenge. No other points will be awarded. At Signature Events, points will be awarded to those winning an aggregate check. It starts at First Place with 10 points, Second = 9 points, and so on as far down as the roping is paid. During the Cinch NFTR, the placing points are simply doubled. First Place is worth 20 points, second = 18, and so on. For complete rules, please visit USTRC.com.
—TRJ—
