Hozho, Rehoboth represented in state baseball finals roundup
Hozho Academy reached the 2A title game in Albuquerque, while Rehoboth also carried McKinley County into the state bracket and kept the Gallup area in the postseason mix.
Hozho Academy’s baseball run put Gallup in the center of the 2A championship picture, even after the Wolves fell 22-0 to Mesilla Valley Christian in the title game at the Jennifer Riordan Spark Kindness Sports Complex in Albuquerque. The New Mexico Activities Association had set the 2026 baseball state championships across May 6, 8-9 and 14-16, and Hozho’s trip to the final gave McKinley County one more reason to track every inning.
The Wolves’ path to the final included a 13-3 win over Oak Grove Classical Academy and a 9-8 victory over Santa Rosa before the semifinal turned against them. Santa Rosa blanked Hozho 9-0 on May 15, then Mesilla Valley Christian finished the job the next day. The SonBlazers won their first baseball state title, backed by a championship-game effort that included Weston Marr going 2-for-3 and a lineup that produced 16 hits. Liam Poppy and Zach Beasley combined to allow just four hits.
For Gallup families, Hozho’s season mattered long before the bracket narrowed in Albuquerque. Hozho Academy is a K-12 charter school based in Gallup, and its athletics program promotes a broad slate of sports and well-rounded student development. On the field, the Wolves were led offensively by Philip Elkins, who entered the postseason as the team batting-average leader at .698 with a .740 on-base percentage and 34 stolen bases. J. Gonzales was listed as the head coach.
Rehoboth Christian also kept McKinley County tied to the tournament story. The Lynx split a doubleheader with Hózhó Academy in Gallup on April 30, a result that left both programs near the top of District 1-2A and helped shape the district race that fed into the postseason. Rehoboth then lost to Mesilla Valley Christian 11-5 on May 14, finishing the 2025-26 season at 17-6 overall and 9-1 in district play.
In a county where school sports carry real weight, the state bracket offered a rare local spotlight. Hozho’s 20-9 finish and Rehoboth’s strong district record showed that McKinley County baseball was not just represented in Albuquerque. It was competitive there, with Gallup-area players and coaches reaching a stage that usually belongs to larger schools and bigger cities.
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