PRCA Standings Shuffle: Caleb Hendrix Jumps 11 Spots into the Top 15
It’s been anything but an easy season for Caleb Hendrix. The young team roper saw his older brother Cord pass away unexpectedly in March.
From that point on Caleb has turned 2021 from tragedy to triumph, finding success in the sport that his brother loved dearly and trying to honor his memory.
“Losing my brother at the beginning of the year was really tough on me,” said Hendrix, 22. “So, it’s nice to have my family and friends rallying around me. I’m just out here rodeoing trying to shine some light on the rest of the year.”
Hendrix has done just that. Last week (Sept. 2-9) he jumped 11 spots in the PRCA | RAM World Standings, going from 23rd to 12th. During that seven-day stretch he won at least one round at four different rodeos, bringing home $14,187 in the process.
“We have had a ton of success here lately, and a lot of that is owed to my partner Quinn (Kesler),” Hendrix said. “He heads so good, I just stop the clock really. I’m grateful to have the partner that I do during my rookie season.”
Kesler and Hendrix have been steadily climbing the leaderboard, and now with a month left in the season Caleb finds himself in a prime position to qualify for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. It would be a dream come true for the Fallon, Nevada, native.
“I remember going to the Thomas & Mack when I was 5, I’m also the youngest of five in my family, and we’ve all dreamed of competing there,” Hendrix said. “It would mean a lot to finally make it, it would be a dream come true not just for me but for my whole family.”
And he knows what he’ll have to do to punch his ticket to Las Vegas.
“I think just keep roping with confidence,” Hendrix said. “Quinn and I have roped a lot of steers together even outside the rodeo arena. So, just keep our confidence and keep our minds right and let it play out and don’t overthink it.”
The biggest jump in this week’s standings was 12 spots and belonged to Braden Richardson. The Jasper, Texas, bull rider jumped inside the top 10 after taking home $38,273 thanks to a lucrative win at the Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo Xtreme Bulls Sept. 4.
Below are the cowboys who moved within the Top 15 of the world standings.
Eight Spots
• Team roping heeler Douglas Rich moved up from 21st to 13th.
Six Spots
• Bull rider Shane Proctor went from 19th to 13th.
Five Spots
• Bull rider Ky Hamilton rose from 15th to 10th.
Four Spots
• Tie-down roper Justin Smith jumped from 14th to 10th.
Three Spots
• Bareback rider Mason Clements moved up in the standings from 18th to 15th.
• Saddle bronc rider Layton Green went up from 13th to 10th.
Two Spots
• Tie-down roper Andrew Burks rose from 17th to 15th.
• Steer roper J. Tom Fisher jumped up from eighth to sixth.
• Bareback rider Orin Larsen moved from 11th to ninth.
• Steer wrestler Will Lummus went from fifth to third.
• Tie-down roper Haven Meged leapt from 11th to ninth.
• Steer wrestler Rowdy Parrott jumped from 15th to 13th.
• Team roping header Cody Snow moved from 13th to 11th.
• Bull rider Creek Young climbed from seventh to fifth.
One Spot
• Saddle bronc rider Ben Andersen went from 10th to ninth.
• Bareback rider Taylor Broussard jumped from 14th to 13th.
• Steer roper Mike Chase moved from 13th to 12th.
• Tie-down roper Marcos Costa climbed from 12th to 11th.
• Team roping heeler Brye Crites went from 16th to 15th.
• Tie-down roper John Douch jumped from 13th to 12th.
• Bareback rider Cole Franks moved from 13th to 12th.
• Steer wrestler Scott Guenthner leapt from eighth to seventh.
• Team roping header Brenten Hall went from 10th to ninth.
• Steer wrestler Chance Howard jumped from 12th to 11th.
• Steer roper Cody Lee moved from 16th to 15th.
• Steer roper Landon McClaugherty leaped from 10th to ninth.
• Bareback rider Cole Reiner jumped from ninth to eighth.
• Bull rider Clayton Sellars moved from fourth to third.
• Team roping heeler Trey Yates climbed from seventh to sixth.
On The Bubble
• Steer roper Laramie Allen went from 21st to 16th and is $1,434 outside of the Top 15.
• Saddle bronc rider Sage Newman moved from 17th to 16th and is $502 outside the Top 15.
Courtesy of PRCA