City council recognizes state all-team players
By Nicholas House
Sun Correspondent
The Hozho Academy Wolverines capped off their breakthrough season with a special recognition in the Gallup City Council’s Dec. 22 special meeting.
The council recognized five Hozho Academy players that were named to the New Mexico High School Coaches Association all-state football team: Abraham Azua, Wyatt Piano, Brandon Bonaguidi, Kaleb Bowannie, and Isaiah Bennett.
Hozho Academy finished the season with a record of 9-3. They won their district title for the first time and reached the state semifinals before losing to Texico High School on Nov. 22. Texico would go on to win the state championship for Class 2A.
Wolverines Coach Cyle Balok framed the moment as especially meaningful because it marks the first graduating class of seniors to come through the four-year-old program.
“These guys, these seniors started this program 4 years ago,” Balok said, describing a first season where the team struggled for numbers and ended its final game with 11 athletes. He said the seniors built a foundation and “set the bar,” telling underclassmen at the team banquet that “anything less than what we did this year would be a disappointing season.”
He said the Wolverines’ run was fueled by shared accountability because “football isn’t a single player sport, it’s a team sport,” and he called reaching the state semifinals a blessing even after a tough loss.
Balok pointed to several turning points, including an early-season trip to Atherton, Calif. to play Menlo School after a scheduling mix-up forced Hozho to find a replacement game out of state. He said the team visited Stanford University, bonded over several days together, and returned “hungry” after a loss that sharpened their focus for the rest of the season.
He credited his staff and said the program built out its depth this season with Assistant Coaches Nicholas August and Christian Smith.
Balok also highlighted key wins: beating Pojoaque Valley after being routed the year before; a tight rivalry game against Navajo Prep decided by a late kick; and a quarterfinal win against Raton that he described as a back-and-forth shootout.
“We kicked our only field goal attempt of the whole season [against Navajo Prep],” Balok said. “Bonaguidi kicked a 37-yard field goal to win the game—and win the district.”
Looking ahead to next season, Balok said Hozho Academy plays in 2A and will see district changes next year after statewide reclassification, naming Tohatchi, Crownpoint, and Shiprock among the teams set to be in the new district.
PLAYER PERSPECTIVES
Bowannie, a sophomore, said the season’s biggest shift for him came “outside of the game,” crediting “my growth as a person… growing in my walk with God,” while the toughest part was the mental and spiritual aspect of the game as he balanced school, losses, and adversity.
Piano, a senior, said his season hinged on work done far from the stands.
After recovering from a summer meniscus surgery and missing the opening stretch, Piano rejoined the lineup around Week 5 with help from coaches and teammates while leaning hard on faith.
He pointed to Pojoaque Valley as the moment the team’s preparation showed, saying Hozho was expected to lose, but the week leading up to it demanded buy-in from everyone on the team.
Piano said the year’s peak moments were the out-of-state trip to the Golden State that tightened team chemistry and the playoff win over Raton that sent the Wolverines to the semifinals, capping what he called “definitely our best season we ever had.”
