Summer football competition continues to heat up in Monument Valley

By Lee Begaye
Special to the Times

KAYENTA – The 17th Annual Monument Valley Mustang 7-on-7 Passing Tournament drew 15 teams from across the Navajo Nation and nearby border towns, culminating in a high-stakes championship between two state titleholders.

The San Juan Broncos of Blanding, Utah — winners of the last four Utah 2A state championships—dominated both pool play action and the 18-team single-elimination bracket, ultimately defeating the Bloomfield Bobcats, the reigning two-time New Mexico 4A state champions.

The host team, Monument Valley Mustangs, were the lone Navajo squad to reach the semifinals. Teams traveled from as far as Prescott Valley, with Bradshaw Mountain fielding two teams. Bloomfield and San Juan also each entered two squads into the bracket.

Monument Valley head coach Bryan Begay commented on the high level of competition.

“When you have two state championship programs come to this type of event, it speaks to the success of this tournament compared to other 7-on-7 competitions in the state,” Begay said. “The goal is to keep our kids happy and competitive, and this event does that very well.”

The day began with pool play action, featuring 20-minute games with 10-minute breaks in between. Each team had the opportunity to play up to seven games before the bracket round.

Page Sand Devils head coach Ty Bennett reflected on the challenge of facing elite competition early on.

“Bloomfield is good. They played very physically, and that’s the type of competition we want to face to prepare for the season. We lost to them by a touchdown, but we got the reps we needed,” Bennett said. “We graduated 20 seniors last year, so we’re a fresh team. We do have Joey Benally back, but quarterback play is still up for grabs, and we saw where improvement is needed.”

Benally, a returning starter, had a key interception in pool play that helped Bloomfield advance to the semifinals.

In the bracket round, Monument Valley edged out Tuba City in a tight and physical matchup. The Mustangs secured their semifinal spot when senior Roque Todecheene intercepted a last-second pass in the end zone as Tuba City attempted a game-winning score.

Bradshaw Mountain and Holbrook squared off in another physical contest, with Bradshaw Mountain advancing easily to face San Juan in the semifinals.

Both Bloomfield and San Juan earned wins to move into the finals, as the hot afternoon gave way to a welcome breeze drifting off Black Mesa.

San Juan showcased a relentless passing attack led by rising sophomore quarterback Beau Yeomans. He spread the ball effectively to multiple targets, including Tripp Palmer — a 6-foot-3 wide receiver with Division I offers from Utah State and Utah Tech, and interest from BYU. Also contributing was 2024 2A MVP Jagger Nieves, who lined up at running back but made his biggest impact as an inside receiver.

San Juan head coach Barkley Christensen praised the tournament’s quality.

“The competition was excellent. It’s rare for us to find this level of play so close to home. Usually, we have to travel long distances across Utah to get this kind of competition. Beating Bloomfield, the New Mexico state champions, helps put things into perspective,” he said.
“We’re breaking in a new quarterback, and without summer programs like this, we’d be trying to teach him everything once pads go on in August. There’s just no time then to develop the skill and knowledge needed. We have to stay sharp, after all we have a target on our back, we have 4 and counting.”

Bloomfield’s head coach Mike Kovacs echoed that sentiment.

“We’re about 50 percent of where we want to be. Our goal is to win, but I’m more focused on quality execution over quantity,” Kovacs said. “We made progress since last week, especially during pool play, and I’m OK with where we’re heading going into next week.”

Summer football continues across the region. Window Rock will host Monday and Friday sessions at the new Fighting Scouts Stadium. Bloomfield will travel across New Mexico to face schools in Albuquerque and beyond.

As for San Juan, the Broncos will be in Logan, Utah next week, making the 390-mile seven-hour journey to continue sharpening themselves against Utah competition.

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