(PRCA media release)
DEL RIO, Texas – J.W. Harris knows what it takes to be a PRCA world champion.
The Goldthwaite, Texas, cowboy has won four world titles – 2008-10 and 2013 – and he wants to capture No. 5.
To reach that goal, Harris plans on making a push starting now – and he gave his plight a jolt at the 41st George Paul Memorial Xtreme Bulls Division 1 event.
Harris won the average at the two-day event – April 27-28 – with 179.5 points on two head.
“I did what I could do, and I was happy to see it hold up,” Harris said. “It was really cool to win this event.”
The event is held in honor of ProRodeo Hall of Fame bull rider George Paul. Paul, who was inducted in the inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1979, once made qualified rides on 79 bulls in a row. In 1968, he won the world bull riding championship. A pilot who owned an airplane, Paul was killed while flying between rodeos in Colorado and Wyoming on July 30, 1970, cutting short his brilliant career. Bobby Paul, George’s brother, is the event producer.
Harris made both his rides April 27 – he started with a superb, 89-point ride on 4L & Diamond S’s Floating Fury and then clinched the victory with a 90.5-point ride on Rafter G’s J Lazy in the short round.
“My first bull was a young bull that didn’t have a whole lot of outs at rodeos and the flankman Scott Pickens told me he was good, and he sure was good,” Harris said. “He bucked, and he was a lot of fun to ride. My short round bull had been to the NFR. I had never been on him before, but he was like he always is. He went out there and bucked the best he could, and he gave me a shot at it. It felt really good to get those two scores.”
Garrett Smith won Round 2 at the 2017 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo with an 87-point ride on J Lazy.
Harris was sitting 32nd in the RAM PRCA World Standings with $14,731 but moved up to 17th place in the April 30 world standings with $29,752 after earning $15,020 in Del Rio. He is seventh in the latest XBulls standings.
“I feel good and I’m riding good,” Harris said. “We’re getting into the summer, so it is time to start rockin’ and rollin.'”
Harris has competed on a limited schedule during PRCA’s winter run so he could focus on his family.
“My kids (daughter and son) have been playing softball and T-Ball, and I have been trying to make sure I’m home for them because we are coaching both of their teams,” Harris said. “For the most part I’ve been sticking close to home and they each only have one game left, so now it will be rodeo time.”
Harris’ daughter, Aubrey, is 7 and his son, Dillon, is 5. J.W. and his wife, Jackie, share coaching duties with their children’s softball and baseball squads.
“That was a big reason why I came back to rodeoing, because I could make my own schedule and not miss anything that my kids are doing, and it has been good,” said Harris, 31. “I’m shooting to win a world championship. If that’s not what you’re shooting for, I don’t know why you would do it. You just need to get there (to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo). I feel like every time I show up I have a chance and that’s the approach I’m going to take at it.”
Watch the George Paul Memorial Xtreme Bulls Division 1 event on May 4-5 exclusively at ProRodeoTV.com.
2018 RAM PRCA World Standings
Unofficial through April 30, 2018
All-around
1 Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas $95,714
2 Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas 51,947
3 Ryle Smith, Oakdale, Calif. 50,722
4 Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah 37,894
5 Wesley Brunson, Terry, Miss. 31,112
6 Clayton Hass, Weatherford, Texas 29,948
7 Bart Brunson, Terry, Miss. 29,923
8 Marcus Theriot, Poplarville, Miss. 26,779
9 Shane Proctor, Grand Coulee, Wash. 21,375
10 Cody Doescher, Oklahoma City, Okla. 19,184
11 Chant DeForest, Wheatland, Calif. 19,059
12 Paul David Tierney, Oklahoma City, Okla. 17,834
13 Cole Elshere, Faith, S.D. 13,453
14 McCoy Profili, Okeechobee, Fla. 13,391
15 Landon McClaugherty, Tilden, Texas 12,544
16 Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D. 11,264
17 Zack Jongbloed, Iowa, La. 11,171
18 Tanner Green, Cotulla, Texas 9,986
19 Morgan Grant, Didsbury, Alberta 9,272
Bareback Riding
1 Caleb Bennett, Tremonton, Utah $68,149
2 Mason Clements, Springville, Utah 64,771
3 Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa 50,589
4 Bill Tutor, Huntsville, Texas 45,285
5 Jake Brown, Cleveland, Texas 43,894
6 J.R. Vezain, Cowley, Wyo. 41,360
7 Clayton Biglow, Clements, Calif. 40,995
8 Tilden Hooper, Carthage, Texas 40,680
9 Shane O’Connell, Rapid City, S.D. 39,487
10 Orin Larsen, Inglis, Manitoba 33,889
11 Steven Dent, Mullen, Neb. 29,791
12 Kaycee Feild, Spanish Fork, Utah 28,918
13 Luke Creasy, Hobbs, N.M. 28,293
14 Tanner Aus, Granite Falls, Minn. 27,557
15 Ty Breuer, Mandan, N.D. 27,171
16 Clint Laye, Cadogan, Alberta 23,741
17 Richmond Champion, The Woodlands, Texas 23,328
18 Blade Elliott, Centreville, Ala. 21,952
19 Evan Jayne, Marseille, France 21,605
20 Jessy Davis, Power, Mont. 20,732
Steer Wrestling
1 Cole Edge, Durant, Okla. $48,178
2 Tyler Waguespack, Gonzales, La. 41,867
3 Jacob Talley, Keatchie, La. 40,229
4 Curtis Cassidy, Donalda, Alberta 39,019
5 Tyler Pearson, Louisville, Miss. 38,906
6 Bridger Chambers, Stevensville, Mont. 38,878
7 Chason Floyd, Buffalo, S.D. 35,860
8 Dakota Eldridge, Elko, Nev. 35,196
9 Riley Duvall, Checotah, Okla. 31,595
10 Kyle Irwin, Robertsdale, Ala. 30,525
11 Cameron Morman, Glen Ullin, N.D. 28,037
12 Billy Bugenig, Ferndale, Calif. 27,431
13 Tanner Brunner, Ramona, Kan. 24,697
14 Matt Reeves, Cross Plains, Texas 23,914
15 Scott Guenthner, Provost, Alberta 23,735
16 Will Lummus, West Point, Miss. 22,651
17 Jacob Shofner, Huntsville, Texas 22,367
18 Clayton Hass, Weatherford, Texas 22,181
19 Blake Mindemann, Blanchard, Okla. 22,141
20 Josh Garner, Live Oak, Calif. 21,970
Team Roping (header)
1 Clay Smith, Broken Bow, Okla. $51,240
2 Bubba Buckaloo, Kingston, Okla. 43,325
3 Luke Brown, Rock Hill, S.C. 41,495
4 Cody Snow, Los Olivos, Calif. 39,703
5 Logan Olson, Flandreau, S.D. 35,322
6 Andrew Ward, Edmond, Okla. 35,095
7 Coleman Proctor, Pryor, Okla. 29,101
8 Dustin Egusquiza, Mariana, Fla. 24,434
9 Nelson Wyatt, Clanton, Ala. 24,214
10 Cory Kidd V, Statesville, N.C. 24,128
11 Joshua Torres, Ocala, Fla. 23,255
12 Spencer Mitchell, Orange Cove, Calif. 23,092
13 Kaleb Driggers, Hoboken, Ga. 22,825
14 Travis Dorman, Dade City, Fla. 21,810
15 Blake Teixeira, Tres Pinos, Calif. 20,060
16 Charly Crawford, Prineville, Ore. 19,838
17 Tyler Wade, Terrell, Texas 19,712
18 John Alley, Adams, Tenn. 18,861
19 Keven Daniel, Franklin, Tenn. 18,580
20 Jake Cooper, Monument, N.M. 18,465
Team Roping (heeler)
1 Paul Eaves, Lonedell, Mo. $51,240
2 Jake Long, Coffeyville, Kan. 41,495
3 Joseph Harrison, Overbrook, Okla. 37,483
4 Matt Kasner, Cody, Neb. 36,252
5 Wesley Thorp, Throckmorton, Texas 36,014
6 Reagan Ward, Edmond, Okla. 35,095
7 Trace Porter, Leesville, La. 29,771
8 Billie Jack Saebens, Nowata, Okla. 29,101
9 Logan Medlin, Tatum, N.M. 25,749
10 Clint Summers, Lake City, Fla. 24,449
11 Kory Koontz, Stephenville, Texas 24,434
12 Jonathan Torres, Ocala, Fla. 23,255
13 Junior Nogueira, Presidente Prudente, Brazil 22,825
14 Jason Duby, Klamath Falls, Ore. 22,004
15 Bradley Massey, Perry, Fla. 21,810
16 Trey Yates, Pueblo, Colo. 21,532
17 Cole Davison, Stephenville, Texas 19,683
18 Buddy Hawkins II, Columbus, Kan. 19,424
19 Clark Adcock, Smithville, Tenn. 18,861
20 Kyle Lockett, Visalia, Calif. 18,852
Saddle Bronc Riding
1 Jacobs Crawley, Boerne, Texas $91,225
2 Brody Cress, Hillsdale, Wyo. 62,425
3 Wade Sundell, Boxholm, Iowa 54,526
4 Isaac Diaz, Desdemona, Texas 53,304
5 Rusty Wright, Milford, Utah 43,085
6 CoBurn Bradshaw, Beaver, Utah 37,201
7 Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta 36,614
8 Sterling Crawley, Stephenville, Texas 36,332
9 J.J. Elshere, Hereford, S.D. 33,905
10 Joey Sonnier III, New Iberia, La. 32,409
11 Clay Elliott, Nanton, Alberta 29,601
12 Taos Muncy, Corona, N.M. 27,509
13 Ryder Wright, Milford, Utah 26,299
14 Colt Gordon, Comanche, Okla. 24,963
15 Cort Scheer, Elsmere, Neb. 23,155
16 Jesse Wright, Milford, Utah 21,770
17 Bradley Harter, Loranger, La. 21,137
18 Allen Boore, Axtell, Utah 20,464
19 Joe Lufkin, Sallisaw, Okla. 19,147
20 Heith DeMoss, Heflin, La. 18,789
Tie-down Roping
1 Tyson Durfey, Weatherford, Texas $57,034
2 Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas 54,763
3 Jake Pratt, Ellensburg, Wash. 45,810
4 Blane Cox, Cameron, Texas 43,735
5 Marty Yates, Stephenville, Texas 41,949
6 Marcos Costa, Childress, Texas 41,795
7 Shane Hanchey, Sulphur, La. 39,900
8 Ryle Smith, Oakdale, Calif. 38,629
9 Sterling Smith, Stephenville, Texas 37,386
10 Cory Solomon, Prairie View, Texas 31,627
11 Scott Kormos, Teague, Texas 30,870
12 Ryan Jarrett, Comanche, Okla. 26,029
13 Jordan Ketscher, Squaw Valley, Calif. 25,296
14 Matt Shiozawa, Chubbuck, Idaho 24,708
15 Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah 24,579
16 Cody Quaney, Cheney, Kan. 23,172
17 Tyler Milligan, Pawhuska, Okla. 22,922
18 Caleb Smidt, Bellville, Texas 21,424
19 Wesley Brunson, Terry, Miss. 21,288
20 Seth Hall, Albuquerque, N.M. 20,603
Steer Roping
1 Tuf Cooper, Decatur, Texas $43,577
2 Scott Snedecor, Fredericksburg, Texas 41,766
3 Rocky Patterson, Pratt, Kan. 32,748
4 Tony Reina, Wharton, Texas 26,770
5 Chris Glover, Keenesburg, Colo. 25,243
6 Garrett Hale, Snyder, Texas 24,935
7 Trevor Brazile, Decatur, Texas 21,890
8 Will Gasperson, Decatur, Texas 20,506
9 Cody Lee, Gatesville, Texas 18,732
10 Jarrett Blessing, Paradise, Texas 15,883
11 Shay Good, Midland, Texas 15,430
12 Brodie Poppino, Big Cabin, Okla. 15,281
13 J. Tom Fisher, Andrews, Texas 14,623
14 Vin Fisher Jr., Andrews, Texas 14,091
15 Chet Herren, Pawhuska, Okla. 13,335
16 Troy Tillard, Douglas, Wyo. 12,373
17 Bryce Davis, Ovalo, Texas 10,995
18 Jim Locke, Miami, Texas 10,661
19 Landon McClaugherty, Tilden, Texas 10,274
20 Chad Mathis, Morristown, Ariz. 10,256
Bull Riding
1 Sage Kimzey, Strong City, Okla. $122,041
2 Parker Breding, Edgar, Mont. 85,058
3 Trey Benton III, Rock Island, Texas 63,564
4 Trevor Kastner, Roff, Okla. 57,241
5 Dustin Boquet, Bourg, La. 54,607
6 Garrett Tribble, Bristow, Okla. 50,574
7 Clayton Sellars, Fruitland Park, Fla. 47,626
8 Tyler Bingham, Honeyville, Utah 45,764
9 Tristan Mize, Bryan, Texas 44,587
10 Brady Portenier, Caldwell, Idaho 37,079
11 Chase Dougherty, Canby, Ore. 36,516
12 Josh Frost, Randlett, Utah 33,597
13 Koby Radley, Montpelier, La. 33,246
14 Lane Nobles, Gatesville, Texas 32,211
15 Eli Vastbinder, Athens, Texas 31,757
16 Boudreaux Campbell, Crockett, Texas 30,980
17 J.W. Harris, Goldthwaite, Texas 29,752
18 Jeff Askey, Athens, Texas 28,332
19 Roscoe Jarboe, New Plymouth, Idaho 27,767
20 Jordan Spears, Redding, Calif. 25,325
*2018 Barrel Racing (April 30, 2018)
Barrel racing standings, provided by the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA), are unofficial, subject to audit and may change. Unofficial WPRA Standings are published by the PRCA as a courtesy. The PRCA is not responsible for the verification or updating of WPRA standings.
1 Hailey Kinsel, Cotulla, Texas $94,143
2 Nellie Miller, Cottonwood, Calif. 71,666
3 Amberleigh Moore, Salem, Ore. 71,186
4 Taci Bettis, Round Top, Texas 68,657
5 Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D. 55,834
6 Kellie Collier, Hereford, Texas 45,323
7 Tiana Schuster, Krum, Texas 44,550
8 Carley Richardson, Pampa, Texas 43,120
9 Kylie Weast, Comanche, Okla. 41,879
10 Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, Victoria, Texas 41,561
11 Christine Laughlin, Pueblo, Colo. 35,231
12 Kelly Bruner, Millsap, Texas 33,899
13 Jessi Fish, Franklin, Tenn. 32,392
14 Ericka Nelson, Century, Fla. 29,350
15 Jessica Telford, Caldwell, Idaho 28,949
16 Shelly Anzick, Shepard, Mont. 28,372
17 Tillar Murray, Fort Worth, Texas 27,335
18 Carman Pozzobon, Aldergrove, British Columbia 24,822
19 Emily Miller, Weatherford, Texas 23,650
20 Jessica Routier, Buffalo, S.D. 23,647
