Preparation sports year saw many champions and personal highlights

A look back at the teams and individuals who earned the gold championship

Farmington – When a book comes to an end, another is waiting to be opened.

For many, this is not just a literary fact, it also serves as a metaphor for the high school sports year. The 2024-25 PREP Sports calendar was completed over the weekend when the last outs were recorded in the baseball and softball and the stopwatch in the last race of the athletics championships held a winning time.

The fans of the high school sports teams in San Juan County had had a lot to cheer in the past nine months, which opened last August to be amusement enough when heavy rains had triggered chaos on the first weekend of preparatory football, which led to cancellations, shifts and in some cases, cases of direct signs across the state.

In the end, it was the Bloomfield High Football Team, which had occupied its second class 4a championship in second class in the past three years and dismantled St. Pius in the second half of the title 62-28. The Bobcats ended the perfect season with a 12-0 mark, including three after-season wins with an average margin of 59: 14.

Autumn was also an important time for the Cross -Country team of Navajo Prep, led by Sophomore Elijah England, who won in the state of class 3a in the state with a time of 16 minutes, 8.9 seconds, far ahead of Santa Fe Preps Quin Dry.

England would visit the state master podium more than once in this last school year, which made him one of the most decorated student athletes in San Juan County.

The Navajo Prep Boys team also showed Kenai Begay in the second year, who took third place in the class 3a championship race. This top couple helped the Eagles to win the team title and brought the coveted Blue Trophy for the third time in school history in Navajo Prep.

The winter sports campaign, as was the case in recent years, was dominated by state championship offers both by Navajo Prep and the girls' basketball teams from Kirtland Central. The Eagles achieved their second title in a row in a row with a 52-43 victory in the pit against West Las Vegas, while Gallup towered out in the championship game of class 4a.

In addition to the state championships in local basketball, the Aztec High Boys Wrestling Team won its sixth state title in the past decade, with an individual championship to Ian Vigil. Bloomfield, who took second place behind Aztec for the team in class 4a, was represented by state master Logan Gosnell, Kellan Ray and Hunter Samora.

Haleigh Doyle from Piedra Vista was one of several local powerlifts who bring home titles together with Jarrin Tyler from Kirtland Central.

During the spring sports season there were strong individual and team efforts, one of the highlights for the Piedra Vista Golf Team was a fifth team title.

Under the leadership of an impressive performance of the individual champion of class 5a, Annie Yost, who had completed her senior citizens' campaign with a 7-under-par 66 in the second round of the two-day event, the Panthers drove to a team title for the second time in a row.

The senior Teresa Sanborn and the newcomer Mercedes Sanborn each ended the top 15 under the golfers of class 5a when the Panthers rolled into a 12-shower victory on the Pinon Hills Golf Course.

The Tennist team of the Farmington High Girls has won a state championship title thanks to the efforts of Marley Deswood, Hannah Jonas and Haylie Wagner. Deswood took third place in the individual championships in class 5a when the scorpions claimed their eighth state title.

Navajo Prep again made headlines in the class 3a athletics championships when England and Begay ended 1-2 in the 3200-meter run. England conquered the individual 3A championship with a winning time of 9 minutes and 56.98 seconds.

Andrew Himes von Bloomfield and Alex Serrano from Farmington each achieved individual championships in athletics class 4a and 5a. Himes brought gold medals home in the triple jump and the 110-meter hurdle race, while Serrano won a state championship title in class 5a's 300-meter hurdles.

A few newcomers came on the largest stage when Aztecs Jake Roberts and Avery Sandefer from Farmington had gold at the meeting with athletics championship.

Roberts took home a state championship in the class 4a of the class 4a boys with a 13 -foot and 6 inch brand to win the title, while Sandefer won a title that won the Triple Jump competition in class 5a.

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