Mountain View won both the boys and girls 6A state championships, while the Bishop Kelly boys and Moscow girls claimed the 5A state titles.

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

Bloomfield football head coach Mike Kovacs holds up the 4A state championship trophy after the Bobcats defeated St. Pius X 62-28 on Saturday, November 30, 2024, at Bobcat Stadium. (Curtis Ray Benally/Special to the Tri-City Record)

Curtis Ray Benally

FARMINGTON – As one book comes to an end, another is waiting to be opened.

This is not just a literary fact for many, it also serves as a metaphor for the high school sports year. The 2024-25 prep sports calendar wrapped up over the weekend when the final outs were recorded in baseball and softball and the stopwatch clicked off a winning time in the final race of the track and field championships.

Fans of San Juan County’s high school sports teams had a great deal to cheer for over the past nine months, which opened auspiciously enough last August when heavy rains wreaked havoc on the first weekend of prep football, causing cancellations, postponements and in some cases, instances of outright chicanery among some athletic programs across the state.

In the end, it was the Bloomfield High football team which stood tallest of all, claiming their second Class 4A championship in the last three years, dismantling St. Pius in the second half of the title game 62-28. The Bobcats finished off the perfect season with a 12-0 mark, including three postseason wins by an average margin of 59-14.

The fall was also an important time for Navajo Prep’s cross country team, led by sophomore Elijah England, who rolled to victory in the state’s Class 3A championship race with a time of 16 minutes, 8.9 seconds, well ahead of Santa Fe Prep’s Quin Dry.

England would visit the state champion podium more than once during this most recent school year, making him one of the most decorated student athletes in San Juan County.

Aztec wrestling team and coaches pose with the 2025 NMAA Class 4A state championship banner and trophy on Saturday, February 22, 2025 at Rio Rancho Events Center. (Curtis Ray Benally/Special to the Tri-City Record)

The Navajo Prep boys team also featured sophomore Kenai Begay, who finished third in the Class 3A championship race. That top pair helped the Eagles win the team title, bringing the coveted blue trophy to Navajo Prep for the third time in school history.

The winter sports campaign, as had been the case for the past several years, was dominated by state championship bids from both Navajo Prep and Kirtland Central’s girls basketball teams. The Eagles clinched their second straight Class 3A title with a 52-43 win at the Pit over West Las Vegas, while Gallup topped Kirtland Central 51-41 in the Class 4A championship game.

In addition to state championships in local basketball, the Aztec High boys wrestling team captured its sixth state title in the last decade, with an individual championship going to Ian Vigil. Bloomfield, which finished second behind Aztec for the Class 4A team title, was represented by state champions Logan Gosnell, Kellan Ray and Hunter Samora.

Piedra Vista’s Haleigh Doyle was one of several local powerlifters to bring home individual state titles, along with Kirtland Central’s Jharrin Tyler.

There were strong individual and team efforts during the spring sports season, with one of the highlights being a fifth team title for the Piedra Vista golf team.

Led by an impressive performance from Class 5A individual champ Annie Yost, who closed out her senior campaign with a 7-under par 66 in the second round of the two-day event, the Panthers cruised to a team title for the second consecutive year.

Senior Teresa Sanborn and freshman Mercedes Sanborn each finished in the top 15 among Class 5A golfers as the Panthers rolled to a 12-shot victory at Pinon Hills Golf Course.

Navajo Prep’s Kassidy Jones holds up the Class 3A girls championship trophy after defeating West Las Vegas Dons on Friday, March 14, 2025 at UNM The Pit. (Curtis Ray Benally/Special to the Tri-City Record)

Curtis Ray Benally

The Farmington High girls tennis team earned a state title thanks to the efforts of Marley Deswood, Hannah Jonas and Haylie Wagner. Deswood finished third overall in the Class 5A individual championships as the Scorpions claimed their eighth state title.

Navajo Prep again made headlines in the Class 3A track and field championships, as England and Begay finished 1-2 in the 3200 meter run. England captured the Class 3A individual championship with a winning time of 9 minutes, 56.98 seconds.

Bloomfield’s Andrew Himes and Farmington’s Alex Serrano each scored individual championships in Class 4A and 5A state track and field respectively. Himes brought home gold medals in the triple jump and the 110-meter hurdles race, while Serrano won a state title in the Class 5A 300-meter hurdles race.

A pair of freshman arrived on the biggest stage as Aztec’s Jake Roberts and Farmington’s Avery Sandefer struck gold in the track and field championship meet.

Roberts took home a state championship in the Class 4A boys pole vault competition with a mark of 13 feet, 6 inches to win the title, while Sandefer captured a title winning the Class 5A triple jump competition.

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FLINT – Even though she’s headed to a rival university, her name will forever be etched into the legacy of Flint high school sports.

The Kiwanis Club of Flint gathered the top senior stars in high school athletics Thursday at the Genesys Banquet and Conference Center to unveil the Male and Female Athlete of the Year Award.

The Male and Female Athlete of the Year award recognizes athletes who excel in their respective sports while demonstrating the hard work in the classroom and in their community.

Goodrich senior Layla Jordan, who was the first Kiwanis Club of Flint Athlete of the Month winner back in September, was named Female Athlete of the Year.

The track star and 800-meter state champion at the 2024 MHSAA Division 2 state finals recently helped lead Goodrich to a regional championship in track with first-place finishes in the 400 and 800-meter.

Jordan, the school record holder in the 400 and 800, was also a member of Goodrich state championship-winning cross country team this past season and carries a 4.1 GPA.

Jordan said her parents have always been her rock and one of the main reasons she’s able to be as successful as she is.

“My family has always been there for me,” Jordan said. “My mom has driven me everywhere to all my things and all of my practices. My dad has always been doing all of the online stuff and getting all the records and all the other people I’m running against. He’s like my manager. He gets all the information for me so I know what I’m running up against.”

Jordan was one of 10 Goodrich athletes honored at the event and will look to end her high school career on a high note at the MHSAA Division 2 track and field state finals on May 31 before continuing her running career at The Ohio State University.

Jordan said the Buckeyes felt like a perfect fit for her future.

“The opportunity was right and they supported me through my whole recruiting process,” Jordan said. “It was just right. They had a drive to win and they recruited very evenly across the board. They’re not a sprint-heavy or distance-heavy team. They want to win Big Ten Championships, and that’s a big deal to me. The coach was great, and the academics were amazing. It’s everything I was looking for.”

Jordan had the opportunity to give a heartfelt speech and spend time with her family, which included her father repping an Ohio State dress shirt, as she accepted her award.

Kiwanis Club of Flint’s Male Athlete of the Year winner was too busy trying to qualify for states at a regional track meet.

Ovid-Elsie senior Tryce Tokar, who was the September Male Athlete of the Month alongside Jordan, was named Male Athlete of the Year. He recently qualified for the MHSAA Division 3 state finals in four events, earning first in the 4×200 relay (broke school record) and pole vault (tied school record), which he is a three-time state champion in.

Ovid-Elsie athletic director Shaun McKinney, who later called Tokar to fill him in on the news, read a prepared statement from Tokar on winning the award.

“My parents told me I should write a speech just in case I win,” Tokar said.

Tokar, the starting quarterback, holds a slew of football records and was named first-team all-state this past season after leading the Marauders to an 8-3 record. He also led Ovid-Elsie to a regional championship win in 2023.

In basketball, he was named the Mid-Michigan Athletic Conference Player of the Year and holds the school record for most three-pointers made in a season and a career, and for three-point percentage in a season.

Tokar said he felt honored to be a part of an award that has been received by many talented athletes in the past.

“It means a lot,” Tokar said. “I didn’t know how many great athletes have won this award. When you can put my name kind of close to theirs, it just means something special.”

Tokar carries a 4.09 GPA and will continue his football career at Alma College.

“It’s close to home,” Tokar said. “I know they’re a great football program right now. The coaching staff is great. They’ve been pretty successful in the past, and the culture there is what really drew me in.”

The Kiwanis Club of Flint also honored Clio’s Ashley Montle and Molly McNamara and Flushing’s Hana Allam and Sarah Olszewski for the 2024 Kiwanis Educational Foundation Academic Scholarship.

Female student-athlete nominees: Parker Beardsley, Lake Fenton; Fallon Behrick, Otisville LakeVille Memorial; Destiny Clymer, Mt. Morris; Morgan Dominick, Swartz Creek; Ava Freeman, Mt. Morris; Victoria Henige, New Lothrop; Olivia Gartrell, Davison; Abigale Hill, Holly; Josey Janiga, Flint Kearsley; Chloe Josephson, Linden; Laura Mabrey, Mt. Morris; Payton Malin, Clio; Ellie Neuhaus, Clio; Mallorie Nevadomski, Otisville LakeVille Memorial; Ashlyn Orr, New Lothrop; Ella Place, Goodrich; Savannah Schultz, Grand Blanc; Madison Smith, Powers Catholic; Lucia Stevens, Davison; Aleah Swilley, Mt. Morris; Teagyn Tong, Goodrich; Harmony Turner, Flint Carman-Ainsworth; Grace Tykocki, Grand Blanc; Kayla Widner, Linden; Gracie Wright, Davison; Laina Yates, New Lothrop.

Male student-athlete nominees: Owen Fox, Fenton; Robby Diment, Clio; Robert Donley, Corunna; Matthew Evans, Grand Blanc; Nate Gould, Goodrich; Lucas Groulx, Flint Kearsley; Brett Hoffman, Swartz Creek; Andrew Lurvey, Linden; Tanner McDunnah, Davison; Luke Meyer, Davison; Bowen Moore, Holly; Alan Mrva, Corunna; Braylen Naves, Davison; Carson Nerreter, Lake Fenton; Brady Peterson, Otisville LakeVille Memorial; Christian Preston, Holly; Sebastian Primm, Linden; Liam Seifert, Flint Powers Catholic; Luke Smith, Flushing; Joseph Schilke, Flushing; Eric Spillers Jr., Flint Carman-Ainsworth; Leo Stravato, Flint Powers Catholic; Brent Wofford, Mt. Morris; Dayne Zeeman, Corunna.

Female student-athlete of the month winners: Layla Jordan, Goodrich (September); Kamryn Lauinger, Goodrich (October); Sanora Kochan, Goodrich (November); Tess Heavner, Fenton (December); Alexis Woodbeck, Flushing (January); Faith Burgess, Grand Blanc (February); Madelyn Burdis, Flushing (March); Jayden Gohs, Goodrich (April); Taryn Craven, Fenton (May).

Male student-athlete of the month winners: Tryce Tokar, Ovid-Elsie (September); Max Macklem, Goodrich (October); Brayden Florian, Chesaning (November); Kaven Unangst, New Lothrop (December); Parker LePla, Goodrich (January); Dalton Birchmeier, New Lothrop (February); James Mahon, Goodrich (March); Nikolos Lemons, Grand Blanc (April); Joe Merz, Davison (May).

Tue, 20 May 2025 16:23:03 GMT (1747758183497)

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