Hózhó survives Raton’s furious rally, advances with 49–47 playoff thriller

By Truman Begaye
Special to the Times

GALLUP

The Hózhó Academy Wolves had spent most of the season winning comfortably.

On Saturday afternoon, in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Nusenda Credit Union State Football Championships, they found themselves in something far different: a fistfight to the last whistle.

Hózhó edged the Raton Tigers 49–47 in a wild, back-and-forth battle that came down to a final two-point conversion attempt by the Tigers. The pass fell incomplete, sealing the Wolves’ eighth straight victory and sending them into the semifinals.

“I didn’t even know what to say,” Hózhó head coach Cyle Balok admitted after the game. “They were running the ball so well, so I told our guys, ‘Find a way to be special. Find a way to make a play.’ It was just that kind of game, back and forth, and it came down to the last second.”

It was also the second-highest point total Hózhó has allowed all season — trailing only the 60–0 loss to the Menlo School Knights (California) back in September.

“I expected both sides to score fewer points,” Balok added. “I thought it was going to be more of a defensive struggle. I did expect a close game, just not 49–47.”

The energy swung quickly in Hózhó’s favor on the opening drive when senior linebacker Cross Malcom intercepted a pass at the Raton 13-yard line. Two plays later, senior quarterback Brandon Bonaguidi punched in a one-yard keeper to set the tone, 7–0.

Another defensive stop gave the Wolves the ball right back, and Bonaguidi made it hurt — this time breaking loose for a 22-yard touchdown to make it 14–0.

Raton finally responded before the end of the quarter as freshman quarterback Braylon Walton uncorked a 65-yard bomb to junior receiver Luciano Castillo, tightening the margin to 14–7 entering the second.

Hózhó opened the second quarter with another quick strike, as Bonaguidi found junior receiver Abraham Azua for a 19-yard touchdown to push the lead to 21–7.

Freshman running back Harlem Coley powered in a six-yard score to make it 21–14, and after a Hózhó punt, Coley broke loose again — this time for a 37-yard touchdown to tie the game at 21–21.

With the Wolves searching for a spark, Bonaguidi delivered. He rolled right and hit sophomore Kaleb Bowannie in stride for a 22-yard scoring strike, giving Hózhó a 28–21 advantage at halftime.

Bowannie opened the third quarter with one of the game’s biggest highlights — a 65-yard sprint down the sideline to extend Hózhó’s lead to 35–21.

Moments later, he hauled in a 14-yard touchdown from Bonaguidi to push the margin to 42–21, seemingly giving the Wolves control.

But injuries, fatigue, and penalties began to pile up.

“I think we started to wear down,” Balok said. “We had a lot of guys getting hurt. It was a battle of attrition out there. Sometimes you make mistakes when you’re exhausted and just trying to help your team win.”

Raton capitalized. Walton connected with Castillo on a four-yard touchdown, trimming the deficit to 42–28 entering the final quarter.

With eight minutes left, Bonaguidi fired a 12-yard bullet to Malcom, giving Hózhó what looked like a comfortable 49–28 lead.

But the Tigers were nowhere near done.

Walton struck immediately with a 45-yard touchdown pass to junior Cael Walton, cutting the margin to 49–35.

From there, Coley took over.

He scored from three yards out with just under four minutes remaining, and after forcing a punt, he added an eight-yard touchdown with 1:11 to go — suddenly putting Raton within two points, 49–47.

They rolled Walton out to his right, and the Wolves’ defense flooded the edge. The pass sailed, tipped, and fell incomplete, giving Hózhó the win.

“I’m elated, man. It’s a super big win for this program,” Balok said afterward. “Those guys at Raton are dogs. As much as we made plays, they just would not stop. They had us all the way down to that 2-point play at the end.”

“But I’m proud of our boys. They showed heart, kept fighting, and found a way to win.”

The Wolves now move forward into the semifinals, where they will face the 7–3 Texico Wolverines, the same Wolverines who rolled past Navajo Prep 54–6 last week. The matchup is set for Saturday at 1 p.m. at Texico High School, marking Hózhó Academy’s toughest test yet as their historic playoff run continues.

 

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