Hozho football: Monument Valley dedicates renovated football stadium

CHINLE

Last Friday, Monument Valley High held a dedication ceremony for the new Mustang Stadium.

The previous week, new turf was installed, featuring bright green with the MV logo in blazing red in the center and at the endzones.

The project is partway complete. They only need to finish installing the new track, which Sports Coordinator Stephen Young is confident will be completed by September.

The total cost amounts to about $2.4 million for the new turf and new track.

Young believes it’s a good investment that will last and help bring the community together and help motivate and bring pride to student-athletes as they shape up to become adults.

The project began in February and was slated to be finished by June, but due to a shortage of material across the country, the turf wasn’t fully installed until a week ago.

The dedication brought in a large crowd in the evening, roughly more than a hundred people had come to celebrate. Student clubs sold MV merchandise or grilled free hot dogs.

Members of the football team hosted a roping competition behind the stands while the local band Latigo set up for a two-hour performance in the parking lot.

The dedication started with the presentation of the colors by the school’s Air Force JROTC and the national anthem by middle schooler Nala Nelson.

A steady rhythm of speeches from members of the governing board, school administrators and coaches were given.

One of the main speakers was Ed Tano, a former educator and head football coach for MVHS. His presence was well received by the crowd as he talked about the importance of education and how sports could help with growing.

Originally from Hawaii, Tano found a home on the reservation and was welcomed by the Kayenta community.

He talked of how he was a trouble maker in school before a friend in the Air Force encouraged him to go to college, the first person that he could remember telling him he could do it.

Tano would get his degree in history and returned to Kayenta where he taught before becoming a football coach.

Despite having no prior coaching experience, he focused on building the team’s strength as well as their spirit, creating what he called, “football hozho.”

He passed on lessons and skills that would be taught on the field, but that players could carry with them and use in life to find balance and happiness.

Some of his former athletes are now assistant coaches and along with head coach Bryan Begay, they are trying to rekindle the tradition of hozho football and having a new football field can help provide motivation and pride for some of the players.

“We love it,” Begay said. “It’s going to be a field for years to come for us. I’m proud to be this community’s coach and I’m proud to coach our kids. They deserve good things and great things will happen.”

Begay thanks the school, administrators and the company AstroTurf for making the upgrade happen.

Begay has been coaching for MV for nearly 20 years, this is the third time the field was remodeled since he’s been there, saying the last time was about 14 years ago.

Begay said football is a huge deal for the Kayenta community, and it falls back to what Tano had said about hozho.

“We go about in our daily lives and we try to teach our kids based off that philosophy,” Begay said. “When we connect with our fans, that’s kind of a connection we have is hozho football. It’s literally everything.

“Even when we leave and when we talk about certain things, it’s about hozho on being a better person,” he said, “as you heard in those speeches. It (football) is just a great community outing.”

Begay said this will be a big season for the team, after winning the 3A North last year they are ready and willing to fight to get to state and maybe win a title.

Begay said they’ll be facing tough competition this season, especially since they have switched leagues and will be facing teams in the revamped 3A Northeast, which features teams from the former 3A East.

Still, he believes they’re up for the task, saying the new field is already having a positive effect on the team.

After spending much of their summer training on the baseball field, they went running and cheering onto the field after it was completed last Thursday.

He gives a lot of credit and appreciation to his team captains, players who’s been in the program for years, who endured the pandemic and who are now seniors.

They have lost 23 players from last year, but he is confident with the team’s leadership, new uniform and new field, the team is eager to play this season.

Likewise, Young believes sports is an integral part of the community and can help shape a young person’s life.

“So based upon that philosophy… of hozho, this is what that community is about,” Young said. “We also talked about the journey of life and that’s what we want to instill in our children and by doing that provide them the best facilities that we can afford for them to participate.”

With a cool evening with hovering rain clouds, the dedication ceremony ended with weightlifting instructor Ollie Whaley saying a prayer to bless the field, the team and community.

The night ended with people coming together and dancing to Latigo in the parking lot.

---