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Morian makes Clarendon College history
By Holly Smith
Clarendon College had its first ever timed-event cowboy, a
Courtesy Photo / Jackie Jensen
steer wrestler, win the 2026 College National Finals Rodeo.
Andrew Morian, a freshman from Gardnerville, Nevada, stopped the clock in 3.7 seconds to win the third round and put him first in the average on 3, headed into the championship round with a total time of 12.2 seconds.
Morian came to Clarendon to pursue his college bulldogging career with Clarendon’s Men’s Assistant Coach, Wyatt Smith. Morian set the Caprock Region on fire placing in eight of the 10 college rodeos during the regular season and winning four of those. He also picked up team roping, with partner Wyatt Williams and ended up being the Caprock Region Men’s Reserve All-Around Cowboy.
Andrew Morian will be a name you’ll hear for years to come. For only being a freshman, his mindset surpasses his age. His ability to handle pressure in big moments is something you can’t teach. Morian qualified for the Extreme Bulldogging Finals in Abilene, Texas, back in March.
“Being up against the best in the world, the guys who have and are making the NFR is a lot of pressure,” Morian said. “But I believe that when I’m prepared for something, there is no reason I can’t compete with the top guys. And there is no other practice than Coach Smith’s that doesn’t leave you unprepared.”
Coach Smith, a 2014 steer wrestling NFR qualifier, had Morian and the Men’s Team running steers almost every day leading up to the CNFR.
“Andrew worked his butt off all year,” Smith said. “He is one of the most talented athletes I’ve coached here at Clarendon College. We had a great team of bulldoggers and they all pushed each other to have the end result we did. I couldn’t be more proud to be their coach.”
Morian will continue his education in Ag Business and Economics and rodeo career at Tarleton State University. He is in the running for the Ote Berry Steer Wrestling World Tour Championship in Las Vegas, Nev., this December.
Bulldogs win four national rodeo titles
By Ted Harbin, TwisTed Rodeo
Championships happen when individuals excel and a team thrives.
Such is the case for the Clarendon College men’s rodeo team, which not only won its third title
in six years but also had three nation champions at the conclusion of the College National Finals Rodeo
in Casper, Wyoming.
“It was pretty awesome,” said Tagg Bond, a freshman saddle bronc rider from Edna, Kansas. “I
won all four rounds, which was pretty sweet, and then I got to win national championships with my
buddies. It was a pretty alright week.”
Bond dominated the week of bronc riding. His four-ride aggregate score of 340 was 17.5 points
better than the runner-up. He also shared his place on the mountaintop with two teammates, Andrew
Morian, who won the steer wrestling title, and Carson Hildre, who was part of a three-way tie for the
bareback riding championship.
“The college finals taught me you’ve got to draw good, and I did that,” Bond said. “I also
learned that I can actually win something.”
His winning streak started days before, when he won the ProRodeo in Woodward, Oklahoma. It
served as the catalyst for his adventure to Wyoming.
“I did that two days before I had to go to the college finals,” he said. “I hope I can keep drawing
good and win some money this summer.”
That’s the plan for any rodeo cowboy, and Hildre is taking it to heart. He is also competing in his
inaugural year in ProRodeo and is among the top 25 in the bareback riding world standings.
“It’s a pretty cool thing to be able to be in my first CNFR as a freshman and getting the win,”
said Hildre of Velva, North Dakota. “I’m leading the rookie standings, and I get to be with some pretty
good buds of mine.
“I just knew I had to be consistent throughout the whole week. I started my first two rides off
with (scores in the) high 70s. I was 85 on my third-round horse and ended up winning the round, and
then I was 83.25 on my fourth one. I think the big thing is you had to make work with what you had
drawn each day.”
Sometimes it’s about managing situations, then taking advantage on the occasions that
circumstances are in one’s favor. Morian did that almost as well as anyone. He placed in all four rounds
and won Round 3. His four-run cumulative time of 17.1 was almost a second ahead of the field.
“It was a great experience,” said Morian, a sophomore from Gardnerville, Nevada. “I was
competing against guys that are placing in the world standings there, but I knew if I just did my job and
did what I needed to do, I could get it done.
“I finally felt what’s happened in the practice pen all year long was put into play at the rodeo. I
tried not to let the big moment get the better of me.”
That’s tough, because Casper is the goal of ever intercollegiate rodeo athlete. Cowboys and
cowgirls compete in 10 regional events throughout the school year, and only the top three individuals –
and top two teams – from each region advance to the CNFR.
Clarendon dominated the men’s race in the newly created Caprock Region. Hildre won bareback
riding, and Morian outlasted teammate Riley Barber in bulldogging. Bond finished his inaugural year in
intercollegiate rodeo as the No. 2 bronc rider in the region, but the ultimate prize is his.
In addition to this being Clarendon’s third men’s national title – the Bulldogs also won team
titles in 2021 and 2023 – Bond, Hildre and Morian become the sixth, seventh and eighth cowboys from
the Texas Panhandle college to win individual championships. They join saddle bronc riders Wyatt
Casper (2016) and Riggin Smith (2019); all-around cowboy/bareback rider Cole Franks (2021);
bareback rider Weston Timberman (2023-24); and all-around cowboy/bull rider Wacey Schalla (2024).
“Weston Patterson pushed me to go there,” Bond said of a fellow Kansan who was part of the
2021 national-title team. “He told me I could be a good bronc rider and go other places, but he said Bret
Franks was just going to help me out a lot. He has for sure.”
In some capacity, Franks has been coaching most of his adult life. He has been head coach at
Clarendon since 2015. He won his first men’s team intercollegiate championship when he was the coach
at his alma mater, Oklahoma Panhandle State University. He guided the 1997 and ’98 teams to titles.
“The individual championship was pretty cool, but the team title is pretty special to me,” Hildre
said. “Bret told me before we went there that this was one of the best teams he’s ever had, and I knew
that if all of our team could go in there and do what we had to do, we’d get it done.
“We ended up coming out as national champs, and that’s pretty cool.”
Yes, it is. Morian is also the college’s first time-event titlist, and it shows the talent the Bulldogs
have in multiple disciplines. The others either rode bucking horses or bulls, and four of the five previous
college champs have gone on to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo.
“We had an outstanding team,” Morian said. “Bret does a real good job with the roughies (the
cowboys who ride roughstock), and Wyatt Smith has been an outstanding bulldogging coach himself.
We worked really well as a team this year to win the region, and then coming into the college finals, we
knew we had a pretty dang good team.”
Mentorship goes a long way. Franks and Smith have credentials behind them. Franks is a three-
time NFR qualifier in saddle bronc riding, while Smith wrestled steers at the 2014 NFR.
“I don’t think there’s any other college that practices more than we do,” Morian said. “It’s just
really the winning mindset and the work ethic put together. I think it’s just unbeatable.”
Top golfer
Courtesy Photo / Heather Seay
Benson competes at State Meet
By Sandy Anderberg
Clarendon senior runner and four-time state performer made her last run of her high school career on the campus of the University of Texas last weekend.
Enterprise Photo
Madi Benson topped off her state trip with an impressive sixth-place finish in the 800m run. In a strong field of 800m runners, Benson ran the distance in a time of 2:20.65 which was just off the winning pace of 2:18.83 leaving her less than two seconds behind the first-place time.
Only four seconds separated the strong field of 2A runners who placed in the top nine athletes.
Benson gave her all at the State Meet to finish a high school year that awarded her many accolades. She has been a leader on the cross-country course and track through junior high and high school and has won numerous district, regional, and area awards in her time at CHS. She was also a force to be reckoned with on the basketball court.
Benson will continue her running career at Amarillo College next fall.
Lady Broncos close out post-season play
By Sandy Anderberg
The Lady Broncos hoped for more playoff time as they went up against the Reagan County Lady Owls; but it was not to be as Clarendon took a 0-10 loss in six innings in the Regional Semi-Final game in Lubbock.
The Lady Broncos had several bright spots but could not put themselves in a position to stop the Lady Owls.
Courtesy Photo / JL Mankin
Once again, Freshman Laken Smith was at the helm for the Lady Broncos and did a good job on the mound against a strong-hitting RC team. Smith threw a total of 126 pitches in the six innings and was able to find the sweet spot over the plate as she faced the batters and had several strikeouts.
Offensively, the Lady Broncos were able to get some hits off of the Lady Owl’s pitcher, but a strong presence in the field added to their frustrations. The team was able to grab bases through walks and their three recorded hits from Jesslyn Guerra, L. Smith, and Shelby Christopher who pounded big hits for the Lady Broncos. However, they struggled to move runners around the diamond and find home plate.
Despite the early exit from the playoffs, the Lady Broncos had a good season and grew stronger fundamentally. The underclassmen will be able to regroup next season, but will greatly miss seniors Shelby Christopher, Elliot Frausto, and Presley Smith.
Benson punches ticket to state
By Sandy Anderberg
Clarendon senior Madi Benson stunned the field and brought home a regional track championship in the 800m race in Canyon last weekend.
Benson’s time of 2:20.65 was just over two seconds in front of the other runners.
Benson is not new to running in the state meet in Austin on the UT campus as this is her fourth year to compete. In previous years, Benson has run not only the 800m but also the 400m dash at the state level. Her debut at state in 2023 was in the 400m dash where she finished sixth with an impressive time of 1:00.50. In 2024 and 2025, Benson made a name for herself in the 800m as the seventh fastest runner in that event with times of 2:24.46 in ’24 and 2:23.55 in 2025.
You can bet Benson will state her case for one of the best 800m runners in Texas when she runs the state meet May 15.
Also running at the regional meet was fellow athlete Addy Havens who ran fourth in the 3200m run at a time of 12:27.41 which was just under a minute off the winning time of 11:42.13. Havens has run well all year and will be a force to reckon with next season.
Benson also ran in the 1600m run and finished third in the race with a time of 5:37.26. Brilyn Bruce was a contender in the 200m dash and finished eighth with a time of 26.72 behind the winning time of 25.54. Don ‘Jae Orr competed for the Broncos in the 100m dash and finished 15th with a time of 11:57 in a tight race. The Bronco sprint relay ran the distance in a time of 43.56 and placed sixth. Kaleb Mays, Mike Randall, Brice Wagner and Orr were members of that relay.
Benson will run at the State meet which is scheduled for Friday, May 15, at 5:00 p.m.
Broncos end season in three games
By Sandy Anderberg
The Clarendon Broncos ended a good season at the hands of West Texas last week.
The boys played three good games in the Bi-Distract round that went the full three games but fell short in the final game of the best two-out-of-three series finishing with a 12-14 record.
Courtesy Photo / Al Elam
The Broncos got a late start in game number one trailing 0-4 after two innings. But they were able to rally back in the third to put runs on the board thanks to singles from Caleb Herbert, Aiden Burnam, and Braylon Rice.
Parker Haynes was in control of the defense for two innings throwing three strike-outs and allowing two hits and four walks. Brentley Gaines took over the duties on the mound and finished the game with two strike-outs, five walks and three hits.
The Broncos came back in the last inning and scored three more runs but ran out of chances giving WT the 5-4 win.
Game two was a different story as the Broncos were determined to not go down in two. With Rice on the mound, the Broncos jumped all over the Comanches and held them to two runs in the opening inning while putting nine runs up at their turn at the plate.
The Broncos played solid offense and stellar defense to get the 16-5 win. Overall, they were able to get eight hits in the win. Rice had the hot hand with three hits that included a double and a triple. Hudson Howard, Burnam, Gaines and Kreed Robinson, and Hayden Moore had hits in the innings.
Coach Aaron Smith went back to Gaines for the pitching spot to start game three. Overall, four pitchers tried their hand from the mound to switch up the momentum and try to stop WT who held a 17-0 lead before the final inning where the Broncos were able to score two runs. In their last at-bat, Howard and Wilkins slammed a double each and Robinson had one stolen base.
With a new AD in charge at CHS, the underclassmen are determined to be strong in the coming season but will miss the seniors.
Lady Broncos’ Murillo snags big HR in battle with Tahoka
By Sandy Anderberg
Lady Bronco Josie Murillo does not stand very tall as a person, but as an athlete she is a giant. Murillo nabbed a left-field solo homerun over a tall fence in Floydada last week in the Lady Broncos’ Area round championship over the Tahoka Lady Bulldogs.
The Lady Broncos outplayed and outlasted their opponent on both sides of the plate solidly defeating them 20-4. Freshman Laken Smith was on the mound and did a great job throwing approximately 102 pitches in the game.
Smith read the batterers well striking out nine and walking five. Smith allowed only three hits in the game.
Courtesy Photo
The ladies had their strong arms going as they were able to throw out several runners on the bases and grab fly balls for outs. At the plate, they racked up 20 hits for their 20 runs scored. 13 RBIs and six stolen bases as a team. Elliot Frausto and L. Smith nailed a triple each and the ladies hit serval doubles in the game to completely destroy the Lady Bulldogs.
Next up for the Lady Broncos is a match-up with Reagan County on May 7 in a one game; winner take all to stay alive in the playoffs and go to the regional finals. The game will be played at Lubbock Cooper at 3:00 p.m.
Lady Broncos claim Bi-District Championship
By Sandy Anderberg
Courtesy Photo
Fifteen runs separated the Lady Broncos from the ladies from West Texas High in a best two-out-of-three matchup in the Bi-District round last week. Clarendon earned the first game win at home at 14-9 and stole the win on the road at 12-2. No game three was needed.
Freshman Laken Smith was on the mound in the opening game and did a good job despite allowing several walks early in the game. Smith had a great field behind her and they were able to control most of their hits.
At the plate is where the Lady Broncos shined. The WT pitcher was strong and threw several pitches in the strike zone, but the Lady Broncos took advantage of each pitch. Smith earned the first two-run homerun way over the fence in left field, and Clarendon was able to close out the inning with three runs to zero for WT.
The West Texas ladies were able to fight back and tie the game in the third inning. But the strength of the Lady Bronco offense was too much and they were able to pound the ball to retake the lead. Elliot Frausto followed Smith’s lead and picked on the left fielder once again sending it over the fence for another two-run homerun.
But the ladies were not finished and added six more runs to the scoreboard before the final pitch was thrown. The ended with 14 hits and only one error in the game.
Riding high on their first game win, the Lady Broncos were determined to continue their streak and took down WT on their field 12-2. The Lady Broncos scored four runs in the first, two in the second, and four in the third to take a commanding lead in the game and series. WT mustered two runs in their last at-bat, and Clarendon put the icing on the cake by adding two more runs to the scoreboard. No other stats were available.
The Lady Broncos will take on Tahoka in the Area round on Wednesday, April 29, in Floydada beginning at 6:00 p.m.
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