Cream of the crop: State champs earn runner-of-the-year recognition

Editor’s Note: The all-stars for football, soccer and volleyball will be released in next week’s issue.

WINDOW ROCK

By all accounts, the 2025 prep boys cross country season can be best described as exceptional.

The talent among some of our area runners has been unparallel compared to previous seasons. Every week, they competed at a high level in hopes of getting under the 16-minute mark.

They accomplished that feat several times this season and with that, four runners cemented their status as this year’s Navajo Times Runner of the Year.

The honorees include Laguna Acoma senior Tagoya Pedro, Navajo Prep junior Elijah England, Page senior Symond Martin and Valley Lutheran senior Benjamin Benally.

Of those four runners, Martin was recently crowned the Brooks XC West Regional champion when he finished the Mt. Sac XC course in Walnut, California in 15:18.9 on Dec. 6, becoming the fourth Navajo to win the race.

At the Brooks XC Championships at Balboa Park in San Diego on Dec. 13, the Page standout placed 30th overall against some of the nation’s best runners by clocking a 16:11.7 effort on the 5K course.

During last month’s Arizona Interscholastic Association state cross country meet, Martin won his first state crown after beating out 235 other runners for the Division III title.

After earning a pair of state runner-up finishes, the Page harrier cruised to an easy win by covering the 5K state course in 15:27.7 at Cave Creek Golf Course in north Phoenix.

“Every year, I always got outkicked the last half-mile, so this year it felt good to dominate everybody,” Martin said of his championship win.

Next fall, the Sand Devil phenom will be taking his talent to run for the Northern Arizona University men’s cross country team.

“I’ve always been a big fan of NAU because my dad went there, but when I went on my official visit everything just clicked for me,” Martin said of his decision to sign. “You know, I met all the guys and the coaches, and I just knew that I wanted to go there.”

In the AIA Division IV race, Benally defended his state crown by winning his race by 27 seconds, as he clocked in at 16:11.3.

As the top-seeded runner in his division, Benally felt that pressure to repeat. Nonetheless, he wanted to focus on his running form and his racing plans.

“It kind of lingered in the back of my head, but it also was a good motivator,” Benally said of the pressure. “I was hoping to win again, but it all comes down to how I perform, so I wanted to stay focused on the process, on my form and my racing plans.

“This is the result of the hard work I put into it,” he added.

His championship win was Benally’s fifth race that he won in his senior campaign. His other wins included the Peaks Invitational, Juan Reyes Invitational, the Lions Run 2025 and the AIA Division IV Metro Sectionals.

“It’s kind of the same thing from last year where I had some confidence going into the state meet after I won sectionals,” Benally said. “It gave me the energy to run.”

In New Mexico, Pedro capped his prep career with his second consecutive Class A-2A state championship win.

The LA runner was the lone runner in the small school’s division to cross the finish line under 16 minutes as he completed the 5K race in 15:35.2 at the Albuquerque Academy state course.

“You know, there were some really good competitors out here, so I just tried to keep my foot on that gas pedal as long as I could,” said Pedro, who signed last month with the Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado. “This was just an amazing opportunity, and I’m very happy with what I was able to produce timewise.”

In the 3A race, England was never threatened as he got out quick to win his race in blistering fashion, clocking in at 15:34.2.

“I just wanted to leave everything I had on the course,” England said. “I felt really strong at the start but then I got humbled on the course … but I’m happy with my results.”

Under the direction of Tim Martin, the Page boys cross country team earned its fourth consecutive state crown during the AIA Division III state meet. The Sand Devils garnered a low score of 43 points as Page earned the program’s 21st state crown, which ties them with archrival Tuba City for the second best overall in Arizona behind Hopi’s 27.

With their latest title, Martin was named the coach of the year. He shares that honor with Santa Fe Indian School’s Jarvis Morningdove. Behind his leadership, the Braves finished with an impressive pack time of 29 seconds to win the 3A state title for a team score of 46 points.

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