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Wingate Bears earn bragging rights at Rumble at the Rock competition

Wingate Bears earn bragging rights at Rumble at the Rock competition

FORT DEFIANCE

The Wingate football team earned bragging rights during the 5th Annual Rumble at the Rock on Saturday at the Fighting Scouts Stadium in Fort Defiance.

The Bears defeated the Hózhó Academy ‘A’ team in the finals of the 7-on-7 tournament by a 20-12 count. In the Bigman Challenge, Wingate tied host Window Rock for first as both squads garnered 18 points each.

“Our kids have been working really hard,” Wingate head coach AD Jim said. “Really, it’s a nod to them. We did have a young group but now they’re maturing mentally, physically, and this is their reward for the work they’ve been putting in the past few months.”

In the tourney finals, Wingate scored on all its possession with quarterback Ladanion Begay connecting with teammate Zeff Flores with three touchdown scores.

“Those two guys have been coming up really big,” Jim said. “Last season against Shiprock, I think Ledanion had 300 passing yards and big chunk of it came from Zeff.

“Both of them are going to be juniors and we’re looking for big things from them,” Jim said. “In all honesty, our whole offense has been working together. They don’t mind Zeff getting the catches sometimes, they don’t mind Jaden (Martin) getting the catches sometimes and they don’t mind Malcolm (Begay) getting the catches sometimes.”

Wingate Bears earn bragging rights at Rumble at the Rock competition

Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
Wingate’s Logan Tyler grasps a firm grip on the rope during the tug-of-war competition the Bigman Challenge on Saturday in Fort Defiance. The Bears placed second behind host Window Rock.

Flores said the game could have gone either way in its game with Hózhó, but they were determined to eke this win out.

“At Newcomb, we lost to them by two to get into the championship game,” Flores said. “This morning we lost to them by two again, and the mindset that we had was to not lose to them again.”

In pool play action, Wingate went 2-1 with its only blemish coming from a 12-10 setback to the Wolves of Hózhó Academy. After that opening game loss, the Bears bounced back with a 20-4 win over Window Rock and an 8-0 shutout victory over Newcomb.

In tournament play, the Bears defeated Navajo Prep 8-0 and got by Window Rock 15-10 to reach the finals.

In the lineman challenge, Wingate won four of the nine events. The Bears finished first in squats, slosh pipe, tire flip and the obstacle course.

“We were neck-and-neck with Window Rock, so it was pretty close,” Bears assistant coach Aaron Jim said while adding that it took four years for Wingate to sweep both competitions.

“For the last two years, we were in the championship game where we won one and lost the other, so our backs and receivers have taken care of their jobs,” the Wingate assistant coach said.

As for the linemen, Aaron commended their hard work and dedication as they pulled their own weight in the nine-event competition.

“We’re seeing a commitment from the guys and they’re showing up,” he said. “That is what we shared with them, and right now we’re building a culture of brotherhood. That’s what it’s about when we talk about our boys.

“A lot of their hard work is coming to play,” he added. “We spend about an hour-and-half in the weight room.”

In the squat competition, Wingate had three individuals complete 21, 35, and 52 reps, respectively, at 185 pounds for 108 reps. Window Rock finished a distant second with 70 reps.

“They killed in that one,” Aaron said.

In the slosh pipe, five members of the Wingate team finished that competition in 1:25 with Navajo Prep taking second at 1:50.

In the tire flip competition, Wingate finished 53.30 seconds while the Scouts took second at 58.41.

In the obstacle course, Wingate finished in 1:50 while Window Rock finished two seconds back at 1:54.

The Scouts earned wins in the farmer’s carry, tug-of-war, and bench competition. The host team benched a total of 76 reps at 135 pounds with Wingate coming a distant second with 27 reps.

In the five-team farmer’s carry, the Scouts finished in 2:07 while Wingate took second at 2:08.

In the tug-of-war, Window Rock took first followed by Wingate.

In the towel pull, Chinle took first while Window Rock placed second. Navajo Prep won the sled push in 35.9 seconds while Newcomb/Chinle combo team completed the race in 36.9.

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About The Author

Quentin Jodie

Quentin Jodie is the Sports Editor for the Navajo Times. He started working for the Navajo Times in February 2010 and was promoted to the Sports Editor position at the end of summer in 2012. Previously, he wrote for the Gallup Independent. Reach him at qjodie@navajotimes.com

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