Bob Click/For The BulletinRussell Cardoza competes at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas last December. Cardoza will ride in the 74th annual Sisters Rodeo this weekend in the team roping, steer wrestling and tie-down roping.

Russell Cardoza has been on fire in the professional rodeo circuit since February, and he looks to stay hot this week at the 74th annual Sisters Rodeo.

The 28-year-old Terrebonne resident finished off the 2013 season ranked 46th in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s all-around world standings. This year, Cardoza, who team ropes, steer wrestles and tie-down ropes, has walked away with six all-around titles at rodeos from Texas to Washington and is now ranked second in the world standings.

“For right now, I’m really happy,” Cardoza says. “My partner and I got second at the Fort Worth Rodeo (Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show in Texas) in February, and right after that, at the Wild Fire (Saledo, Texas), we won $20,000. We hadn’t won anything since the beginning of the year.”

Cardoza credits a lot of his success to Spencer Mitchell, his 26-year-old team roping partner from Williams, Calif. Mitchell and Cardoza became roping partners a year ago — Mitchell as the header and Cardoza as the heeler.

“We’ve been friends forever,” says Mitchell, who will be roping with Cardoza this week in Sisters. “We’ve just been with different partners, but we finally decided to get together a year ago. We’re good friends, so nothing is ever one-sided.”

The pairing also came two years after Mitchell’s former roping partner, Broc Cresta, of Santa Rosa, Calif., died at age 25 from a lethal combination of alcohol and pain pills. The death was ruled accidental. Cardoza recalls that Cresta had broken several ribs in a bulldogging accident and had been prescribed painkillers.

“Spencer’s former partner passed away and we got together after that,” Cardoza remembers. “We were all friends as little kids. Broc was in my wedding.”

Mitchell is currently ranked seventh in the PRCA world standings for headers and since January has earned a little more than $30,000 — a winnings total he hopes to add to this weekend at the Sisters Rodeo. Cardoza is eighth in the heeler world standings with approximately $27,000.

“We’ve been practicing a bunch,” says Mitchell, who has won in team roping twice at Sisters. “I’ve always liked the Sisters Rodeo, and I’d like to walk away with a (championship) buckle.”

For Cardoza, a victory in team roping at Sisters would be his first at the Central Oregon rodeo. He will also compete for buckles in tie-down roping on Friday night and in steer wrestling on Saturday night.

“I’ve been (competing) at Sisters since ’07,” Cardoza says. “Hopefully I’ll win one of the events and win a buckle. I’ve never won one there. I’d also like to win the all-around. They give away a really nice saddle for (the all-around).”

Rodeo festivities kick off today with Xtreme Bulls — PRCA-sanctioned bull riding — at 6:30 p.m. The actual Sisters Rodeo starts Thursday morning with slack competition. Full rodeo performances are scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m..

Rodeo organizers note that the Two Bulls Fire burning south of Sisters is not expected to affect any of the rodeo performances.

— Reporter: 541-383-0375, eoller@bendbulletin.com