FARMINGTON – Three of San Juan County’s top prep athletes, having recently completed their high school careers, have signed on to compete at the next level, signing letters of intent to attend college.
Rory Benally, who is coming off a strong career at Kirtland Central High, where she was one of the region’s top two-way players, signed her letter of intent to Scottsdale, Arizona, Community College.
Benally was a five-year starter for the Broncos softball team, having one of her best campaigns last spring where she led the team with 158 strikeouts in more than 131 innings.
Benally won nine games inside the circle last season as the Broncos finished the season with a 21-10 record advancing to the Class 4A state postseason tournament before being eliminated by third-seeded Silver.
The Fighting Artichokes finished last season with a record of 22-31, advancing to the NJCAA Region I, Division II Tournament. Led by six-year head coach Sabeana Romero, the team has improved in each of the last five seasons under her guidance.
Romero was a graduate of Desert View High School in Tucson before attending South Mountain Community College. While at SMCC, Romero received numerous awards while hitting .493 with 27 home runs in her sophomore campaign.
Navajo Prep’s Khol Johnson recently announced his intent to extend his academic and athletic career, signing on with Benedictine University Mesa in Arizona.
A three-sport athlete at Navajo Prep, Johnson had a strong impact on the baseball field, where he appeared in 81 games in his four years on the team. Johnson finished his career as an Eagle with a .504 batting average while also being named District 1-3A player of the year last season.
On the mound, Johnson recorded 158 strikeouts over 120 innings of work and was named to the NMHSCA All-Star roster’s second team among pitchers.
The Redhawks finished last season with a record of 26-26 and are led by second year head coach Travis Lawler. He brings more than 15 years of coaching experience across the collegiate and high school levels, having also coached at University of Illinois Chicago.
As a player, Lawler was was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 2007 MLB Draft out of high school but chose to play college baseball at the University of Florida.
After one season with the Gators, he transferred to Midland College before being drafted again in 2009 by the St. Louis Cardinals. He went on to pitch professionally for the Johnson City Cardinals, Batavia Muckdogs, and the Amarillo Sox of the American Association.
Natthan Kennedy, a recent graudate of Aztec High School, has officially committed to Penn State Hazleton, where he will continue his academic and golf career on a scholarship.
Kennedy has been a member of the Aztec High School Varsity Golf Team for the past three years. Last spring, he played a key role in making Aztec High School history as part of the first AHS Boys Golf Team to capture an NMAA Class 4A District Championship.
Penn State Hazleton’s golf program is led by coach Ed Keil, a graduate of Penn State Wilkes-Barre and an Air Force Veteran. After spending nearly four decades at Penn State Wilkes-Barre, where Keil was one of the most successful and longest-tenured head coach in school history, he has moved his coaching acumen to the Hazelton campus.
Keil was inducted into Penn State Wilkes-Barre’s Athletics Wall of Fame in 2015 and was awarded the USCAA Golf Coach of the Year in 2018. His Wilkes-Barre teams have won eight conference championships and finished second and third in the USCAA National Championship Tournament.