ST. GEORGE — Teen athletes from Southern Utah made a strong showing recently at the Utah High School Rodeo Association state finals, staged the week of June 5-10 in Heber City.
Leading the way was Kanden Coronado, 18, of Kanarraville, who placed third in cutting and fifth in team roping to earn all-around cowboy honors. He also picked up another six points for placing 30th in tiedown roping.
In winning all-around honors at state, Coronado follows in the footsteps of his older sister McKenna, who also won all-around honors her senior year.
“It was a good way to go out on our last rodeo for high school,” Kanden Coronado told St. George News via phone on Monday.
Kanden Coronado recently graduated from Utah Virtual Academy online school but played basketball at Cedar High. He said he’s been competing in Utah High School Rodeo Association events since starting sixth grade.
Among Coronado’s memorable experiences during state rodeo was being one of two recipients of the #livelikecaide memorial scholarship, which was established to honor the memory of former rodeo athlete Caide Roberts of Dammeron Valley, who died in a car crash in July 2020.
“That was pretty special to me,” Coronado said. “I knew Caide – he rodeoed with my older brother Dason. And we knew his mom, from when my sister did barrel racing. They’re really good people and it meant a lot to me.”
Coronado said his future plans include serving a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, after which he hopes to help operate the family construction business. Company founder and owner Michael Coronado, Kanden’s father, died in December 2021.
“I’ll probably take some business management classes,” Kanden Coronado said of his post-mission plans. “And if that doesn’t work out, I’ll probably go to trade school to become an electrician.”
At the state finals, Coronado was one of approximately 15 athletes who represented the Enterprise high school rodeo club, while the St. George-based Dixie club had another two dozen or so state participants. Most Southern Utah athletes belong to one club or the other, even though the schools they actually attend may be different.
In team roping, Enterprise’s Ram Hughes and Sevier’s McCrae Fillmore took second place, with an overall score of 122. Coming in fifth place and just barely missing the cut for nationals were Coronado and his partner heeler Rio Hughes (Ram’s younger brother).
Other highlights from the state finals include the following, with emphasis on top placings by Southern Utah athletes:
Chad Reber of Enterprise won the tiedown roping event. Reber also teamed up with West Desert’s Bubba Johnson to place seventh in team roping.
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Samantha Donovan of Dixie took first place in the goat tying event, scoring 145 total points to runner-up Oaklee Leavitt of Enterprise’s 127 points. Dixie’s Kazely Cattoor placed 10th in goat tying.
In pole bending, Dixie’s Kylie Riding placed second overall, while Enterprise’s Libby Cornwall also qualified for nationals with a fourth-place finish at state. Kayla Gardner of Dixie took 12th place in pole bending.
Whitley Hughes of Beaver, who competes with the Enterprise team, won the reined cow horse event. Taylor Jones of Dixie placed third in reined cow horse and eighth in girls cutting. Harley Jorgensen of Dixie took fifth in reined cow horse, while Halle Frey of Dixie placed 10th and Marley Bagley of Enterprise took 12th.
Landon Houghton of Dixie placed third in bull riding. Three of Houghton’s Dixie teammates placed among the top 12 in that same event, with Colt Glazier taking ninth, Bryce Bjelland finishing 10th and Zane Monnett taking 12th.
In saddle bronc riding, Dixie’s Zane Monnett placed ninth, while Enterprise’s Jake Marshall finished 10th.
Dax Hunt of Enterprise placed fifth in steer wrestling and 10th in tiedown roping. Dixie’s Riggun Barrow took seventh in steer wrestling, while Dixie’s Hayzen Hunter placed 13th.
Kayla Gardner of Dixie placed seventh in barrel racing, the most popular event at the state rodeo with 68 entrants.
In the co-ed shooting events, Payton McCabe of Enterprise was the top Southern Utah athlete to place, taking eighth in the trap shoot.
In the royalty competition, Dixie’s Amaya Champneys of St. George placed third overall. She will serve as second attendant to newly crowned state rodeo queen Harlee Stokes of Northern Utah’s Spikers rodeo club.
Athletes who finished among the top four in each event qualified to compete in the National High School Finals Rodeo scheduled for July 16-22 in Gillette, Wyoming.
For more information, including full results, visit the UHSRA website. To see additional photos of the state rodeo taken by Western Edge Photography, click here. Note: The photos accompanying this story are used with the photographer’s permission.
Photo Gallery
Kanden Coronado competes in cutting event at Utah High School Rodeo Association state finals, Heber City, Utah, June 2023 | Photo courtesy of Amanda Dilworth, Western Edge Photography, St. George News Kanden Coronado of Enterprise rodeo club and Maklee Larsen of Southern Utah County receive their respective all-around awards at Utah High School Rodeo Association state finals, Heber City, Utah, June 2023 | Photo courtesy of Amanda Dilworth, Western Edge Photography, St. George News Kanden Coronado (right) and partner Rio Hughes compete in team roping event at Utah High School Rodeo Association state finals, Heber City, Utah, June 2023 | Photo courtesy of Amanda Dilworth, Western Edge Photography, St. George News Kylie Riding of Dixie competes in pole bending event at Utah High School Rodeo Association state finals, Heber City, Utah, June 2023 | Photo courtesy of Amanda Dilworth, Western Edge Photography, St. George News Landon Houghton of Dixie competes in bull riding event at Utah High School Rodeo Association state finals, Heber City, Utah, June 2023 | Photo courtesy of Amanda Dilworth, Western Edge Photography, St. George News Landon Houghton of Dixie competes in bull riding event at Utah High School Rodeo Association state finals, Heber City, Utah, June 2023 | Photo courtesy of Amanda Dilworth, Western Edge Photography, St. George News Kanden Coronado of Kanarraville and Oaklee Giles of Spanish Fork were this year's recipients of the #livelikecaide memorial scholarship honoring Caide Roberts, Heber City, Utah, June 2023 | Photo courtesy of UHSRA via Facebook, St. George News Sam Donovan of Dixie competes in goat tying event at Utah High School Rodeo Association state finals, Heber City, Utah, June 2023 | Photo courtesy of Amanda Dilworth, Western Edge Photography, St. George News
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