Local teams kick off NMAA playoffs with Navajo Prep hosting Jal, Piedra Vista on road
San Juan County high school football teams opened NMAA postseason play this week, with Navajo Prep (8-2) hosting Jal in Class 2A and Piedra Vista (5-5) traveling to No. 8 Los Lunas in Class 6A. Bloomfield, the defending Class 4A champion, received a first-round bye and will begin its title defense next week.
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The NMAA postseason opened with several San Juan County programs taking the field as local communities rallied around playoff hopes and postseason travel plans. Navajo Prep, seeded No. 8 in Class 2A with an 8-2 record, will host Jal after closing the regular season with a 30-22 victory over Newcomb and a run of five wins in six games. The winner of the Navajo Prep–Jal matchup will travel to face top-seed Texico in the next round, extending the county's presence in the bracket if the Broncos advance.
In Class 6A, Piedra Vista enters the postseason at No. 9 with a 5-5 record and will make the trip to face No. 8 Los Lunas. Piedra Vista is seeking its first win over the Tigers after falling 28-27 to Los Lunas in a first-round meeting last year, a narrow defeat that adds local narrative weight to the rematch and raises expectations among players and fans for a different outcome this time.
Bloomfield, which captured the Class 4A state championship last season, did not play in the first round after receiving a bye and will begin its title defense next week. The champion’s late start gives Bloomfield extra preparation time but also shifts community attention to the teams already competing this week.
For San Juan County, postseason football carries both emotional and practical significance. Home playoff games, like Navajo Prep’s, typically generate heightened local interest, drive attendance at school facilities and provide a revenue boost for athletic programs through ticket sales and concessions. Visiting matches, such as Piedra Vista’s trip to Los Lunas, mobilize families and supporters for travel and contribute to regional connections among New Mexico communities. Close contests and rematches, particularly Piedra Vista’s bid to avenge last year’s one-point loss, tend to draw additional media attention and alumni engagement.
Statistically, Navajo Prep’s late-season momentum — five wins in its last six games — positions the Broncos as a dangerous opponent for Jal and a potential upset threat for Texico should they advance. Piedra Vista’s even 5-5 record reflects an up-and-down regular season that now hinges on postseason performance; the narrow margin in last year’s meeting with Los Lunas underscores how single plays can decide advancement in playoff football.
As the bracket unfolds, San Juan County residents will follow not just scores but the broader implications for school programs, local business activity on game days and the morale of small communities that rally around high school sports. The coming rounds will test whether current form, postseason experience and community support can translate into deep playoff runs for the county’s teams.
