NMAA 4A: BOYS 5K RUN - STATE FINALS

Santa Fe Indian School Captures 3A Boys State Cross Country Title; Navajo Prep's England Claims Individual Crown

Elijah England of Navajo Preparatory School left no doubt who the fastest runner in Class 3A was. The junior stormed through the rugged 5K state course in 15:34.20, nearly a full minute ahead of the next finisher, to seize the individual state title and lead his team to a strong runner-up finish.

England's early surge set the tone, but the day ultimately belonged to Santa Fe Indian School, whose trademark pack running delivered a team championship with 46 points. The Braves placed six runners in the top 20, led by Kale Loretto (4th, 16:57.20), Antonio Pecos (5th, 16:57.40), and Brayden Magdalena (8th, 17:07.90). Seniors Brian Madalena (13th) and Evan Romero (16th) rounded out the scoring five, finishing with an average of 17:10 per runner and a razor-thin 29-second one-to-five spread.

Navajo Prep finished second with 53 points, powered by England and teammate Kenai Begay (2nd, 16:38.80). Tyler Begay (11th), Darington Ramone (15th), and Devin Upshaw (24th) gave the Eagles a tight scoring pack and a 16:57 team average - just 18 seconds faster than the champs, but with slightly wider gaps. Zuni High School claimed third with 101 points, anchored by Allen Dosedo (6th) and Deron Lastyano (14th), while Ruidoso High School (105 points) and Cuba High School (147) rounded out the top five.

Other notable performances included Sawyer Kuhn of St. Michael's (3rd, 16:55.10) and Julian Chavez of Cuba (7th, 17:05.10), both finishing in the top ten.