Durango area Young America Football League teams are in a full sprint after Week 2 of the season.
Durango’s group of Demons combined to go 4-1 last weekend, with three teams shutting their opponents out.
The sixth-grade team took on Montezuma Creek and came way with a 40-0 victory. The Demons totaled 273 yards of total offense, with Bryson Kreeger, Cooper Mann, Nate Messier and Matt Pane standing out defensively to keep Montezuma Creek off the scoreboard.
For the second week in a row, Emmett Thompson played a big role returning kickoffs.
Jordan Stanley opened the scoring with a touchdown pass of 20 yards to Jake Swift. Then, Thompson and Cole Matava ran through the defense on the team’s third drive, with Matava breaking a 21-yard touchdown run.
The Demons blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown by Cass Maloney, and Chase Robertson broke away for another 44-yard touchdown run. Swift capped off an exciting day with a 63-yard touchdown run. The sixth-grade-boys will hit the road to play the Farmington Panthers, a perennial rival, at 11 a.m. Saturday.
The fifth-grade Demons earned a 27-6 victory against Bayfield in a “ground-and-pound” game. The Demons will head to Farmington for a 5 p.m. contest Saturday against the Bobcats.
Durango’s fourth-grade squad rolled up a massive 46-0 win against Shiprock. Clay Braida set the tone early with a kickoff return for a touchdown on the opening kick. Brett Hammer, Ivan Silva and Zan Unruh paced the offense with two touchdowns each, and the defense had its second shutout in as many weeks.
Defensive end Connor McCroskey had nine tackles, including three sacks. He also forced and recovered a fumble. Safety Tanner Anderson had six tackles, one sack a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. Luke Meier and Jake Roberts also had sacks. The fourth graders also will hit the road to face Bloomfield at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Durango’s third graders also played Bayfield and took a 27-0 win. Cole Pontine had 245 yards of total offense and scored three touchdowns. Linkin Griego accounted for 95 yards and passed for a touchdown, and Cully Feeney added a touchdown.
Defensively, the third-grade team was led by Otto Aaland and Connor Jones, who each had seven tackles. Feeney added five more tackles. The team will look to win again at 1 p.m. Saturday at Aztec.
Durango’s lone loss was in second grade in a hard-fought 13-6 game against Kirtland. Tres Esquibal had the team’s lone touchdown and rushed for 68 yards. He also forced two fumbles on defense. The team’s leading tackler was Lance Baker with seven, followed by Jacob Martinez and Cooper Mitchell with five tackles each. Lyle Huff and Nicolas Lucero also forced one fumble each. The Demons will travel again for an 11 a.m. game at Aztec.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
