Navajo Prep keeps district title hopes alive: Eagles upend McCurdy, 34-14

By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times

ESPAÑOLA, N.M. – The District 1-2A football title is still up for grabs after the Navajo Prep Eagles defeated the McCurdy Bobcats Saturday afternoon at Española Valley’s SunDevil Stadium.

The two teams took the field for a hard-fought game that began as a nailbiter, but Navajo Prep (6-2, 3-1) took full control by scoring 20 unanswered points in the second half for a 34-14 win over the Bobcats, which fell to 6-3 overall and 3-1 in district play.

Entering final week of the regular season, three teams sit atop the district standings with Cuba, Navajo Prep and McCurdy having identical records.

On Friday, Navajo Prep will host Newcomb for its final regular season game while McCurdy travels to face Hózhó Academy on Saturday at 1 p.m. Cuba is also at Laguna Acoma on Saturday with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.

The first quarter of last Saturday’s game started out with fireworks as McCurdy struck first, lighting up the scoreboard with a 48-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jeremaya Roybal to junior running back Marius Sanchez to put them up 8-0 after a successful 2-point conversion.

Navajo Prep’s offense quickly responded as senior quarterback Xavier Nez found freshman wide receiver Gracin Vigil on a 10-yard pass over two defenders for a touchdown as the Eagles trailed 8-6 after the failed 2-point conversion.

On its next drive, McCurdy answered back with Roybal breaking through for a 62-yard touchdown, extending McCurdy’s lead to 14-6.

With the clock ticking down in the opening quarter, Navajo Prep found the end zone again. Nez, who was in sync with his receivers, launched a 16-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver LeVaughn Jim. Not only did Nez deliver the crucial touchdown, but he also kept the ball for a two-point conversion, tying the game 14-14 by the end of the first quarter.

With neither team scoring in the next period, the score remained 14-14 at the break.

When the two teams returned to the field in the third quarter, Navajo Prep’s offense picked up where it left off as the Eagles finished out the game scoring three touchdowns while shutting out McCurdy.

Running back Nehemiah Simpson took the spotlight, charging up the middle on a delayed handoff as he was relatively untouched until he crossed the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown run that gave Navajo Prep its first lead of the day at 20-14.

Although the point-after attempt missed, the momentum was clearly shifting in Navajo Prep’s favor after the Eagles recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. The ball was initially fielded at the 25-yard line as Sanchez picked up the ball. He ran it to the 37-yard line before coughing up the ball as Navajo Prep defensive end Ivan John recovered it.

Capitalizing on the turnover, Nez scrambled his way to a 3-yard rushing touchdown on a quarterback keeper. He then ran the ball for another 2-point conversion, stretching the lead to 28-14.

On the next kickoff, Navajo Prep executed a perfectly placed onside kick that McCurdy couldn’t recover, allowing Navajo Prep to march downfield again, with Simpson scoring from nine yards out to make it 34-14 with 3:40 left in the third.

In the fourth, Navajo Prep’s defense continued to thwart McCurdy’s efforts. Simpson recovered yet another McCurdy fumble, stifling any hopes for a comeback. Both teams exchanged possessions in the closing minutes, and McCurdy’s offense couldn’t break through Navajo Prep’s defense.

“Our special teams came away with two turnovers, which really helped us in this win,” said Navajo Prep coach Roderick Denetso. “We also went from playing in a snowstorm last week to playing in the heat again, which allowed us to pass the ball freely again.”

Looking ahead, Denetso said they’ll have their hands full with the Skyhawks.

“We need to clean up some small stuff we saw today and prepare for Newcomb,” the Navajo Prep coach said. “I hate big wins like this because we can become overconfident, and Newcomb is a good team not to prepare for.

“So, we’ll celebrate this win now and start to prepare for Newcomb,” he added. “And we’ll see what happens with McCurdy and Cuba’s games as well.”

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