<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0dMWHw_1GrO7UH300" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0dMWHw_1GrO7UH300" width="1600" height="940" ><figcaption>Legacy Academy's Xander Chavez fights for added yards and tries to shake off Navajo Prep's Trent Luevano (22) while being pursued by Luke Smith (32) and Cimarron Trujillo (82) during a Class 2A first round playoff game, Friday, Nov. 6, 2026 at the Eagles Nest. (Charles Cook/Special to The Tri-City Record)</figcaption></figure>FARMINGTON – The Legacy Academy football team wasted little time edging clear of Navajo Prep during Friday night’s first round game of the Class 2A postseason.Scoring three first-half touchdowns and holding an injury-depleted Eagles offense to only 77 yards in the opening two quarters, the Silverbacks advanced into the second round of the postseason with a 48-14 rout at the Eagles Nest.Quarterback Cameron Maldonado threw three touchdown strikes and ran for another, while running back Xander Chavez rushed for more than 100 yards and reached the end zone twice to earn the victory.Legacy Academy (6-5 overall) entered the Class 2A postseason as the 9-seed in the bracket. Topping the 8th-seeded Eagles, the Silverbacks will now prepare to hit the road again, this time to face top-seeded defending champion Texico this weekend in the quarterfinals.Navajo Prep, winners of District 5-2A and entering the game with a record of 8-2, saw their bid for a deep postseason run unravel early in the contest. On the third play of the game, Eagles quarterback Aden Clah threw an interception to Christian Perez, then had to be helped off the field appearing to sustain an injury to his right leg.Injuries in the first half to Gracin Vigil and Nijrelle Denetso also limited Navajo Prep’s ability to move the ball effectively. Backup quarterback Kaleil Benally finished the game, completing 15 of 25 passes for more than 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns.“The injuries started piling up and I think that took its toll on us tonight,” said Navajo Prep head coach Roderick Denetso. “These guys never quit and I’m proud of them for their fight out there.”Maldonado completed 10 of 23 passes for 252 yards in the contest, connecting twice with Isaiah Garcia and once with Jonah Bubbico for touchdown passes.The Silverbacks defense hounded Benally much of the night, sacking him three times and limiting him primarily to short-yard passes. Legacy Academy’s Jay Watts and Elijah Hernandez each had a sack in the game.The Silverbacks defense shut down Navajo Prep’s running back Dallas Wilson as well, limiting him to only 2 yards in the first half.Wilson did find the end zone in the waning minutes of the third quarter, grabbing a pass from Benally for a 4-yard TD pass that ended a string of four straight trips to the end zone for the Silverbacks.Trailing 34-14 at that point, Navajo Prep quickly gave away that momentum when Maldonado tossed his third and final touchdown of the night with 41 seconds left in the third quarter.Leading 40-14, Legacy Academy scored the game’s final touchdown on their next possession when Chavez found a seam in the offensive line and raced into the end zone from 10 yards out.Tempers flared a bit in the game’s final minutes when Wilson was driven out of bounds and into the bench along the visitors sideline. Both teams scuffled briefly on the sideline before coaches and officials stepped in to put an end to the situation.“There was no need for that, when they were already up like they were, but we’re responsible for getting our guys off the field,” Denetso said.The loss puts an end to the Eagles season which saw the team capture the District 2-5A crown. Denetso, since taking back the coaching reins for Navajo Prep at the start of the 2024 season, has an overall record of 25-9.“This will be a tough one to swallow, but these guys were resilient all year,” Denetso said. “We’ll have a good core of these guys coming back next year.”</div></body>

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FARMINGTON – The Legacy Academy football team wasted little time edging clear of Navajo Prep during Friday night’s first round game of the Class 2A postseason. Scoring three first-half touchdowns and holding an injury-depleted Eagles offense to only 77 yards in the opening two quarters, the Silverbacks advanced into the second round of the postseason with a 48-14 rout at the Eagles Nest.

Silverbacks roll past Navajo Prep in Class 2A playoff opener

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FARMINGTON – The Legacy Academy football team wasted little time edging clear of Navajo Prep during Friday night’s first round game of the Class 2A postsea

Silverbacks roll past Navajo Prep in Class 2A playoff opener

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