Log In


Reset Password
Sports Youth Sports Professional Sports More Sports College Sports High School Sports

Game of the Week: No. 8 Durango looks to stay perfect at No. 9 Montrose

No. 8 Demons want to overcome No. 9 Indians in battle of Southwest’s best

Though it isn’t a league game anymore, when Durango travels to Montrose for Friday night’s matchup, regional bragging rights and playoff implications will be at stake.

The rivalry matchup, this time around, features two teams on multi-game winning streaks and playing their best football heading into the heart of the season.

“We feel like whoever wins this one is going to be the champion of Southwest Colorado,” said Durango head coach David Vogt in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “Both teams are playing good football, and we know each other well, so it’ll be a battle out there.”

No. 8 Durango (4-0) isn’t just undefeated, the Demons have steamrolled through everyone they’ve come across. The combination of multiple offensive threats, a stout defensive front and a quick, aggressive secondary has been far too much for opponents to deal with.

The most recent victim for Durango was Farmington two weeks ago, when the Demons’ defense forced seven turnovers in a 39-6 blowout.

Offensively, it was another strong performance for wide receiver Lucas Baken, who had three touchdowns. Quarterback Terrence Trujillo threw four touchdown passes and ran for one and now has a touchdown to interception ratio of 11-to-1.

While Trujillo to Baken has become a consistent deep threat for the Durango offense, it would be a big mistake for anyone to overlook shifty and powerful senior running back Lawrence Mayberry, who has rushed for 436 yards in the first four games.

“Those guys (Trujillo and Baken) are hard to stop,” Vogt said. “I keep waiting for someone to double team Baken, and they just don’t want to leave our other guys open or let Lawrence run wild. That’s one of the great things about this team: we’re so balanced that if you take one guy away we have another one who can do the job. We have a lot of strengths.”

After a bye week, Durango will hope to avenge four losses in a row to the Indians, with Durango failing to beat its rival since 2010.

The No. 9 Indians (3-1) will come into the matchup with three consecutive wins after losing opening night to a Grand Junction team that hasn’t won since. While a loss is a loss, the only blemish for Montrose came without running back Dalton Wright.

In the three wins, Wright has racked up 482 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Since his return, Montrose is 3-0, has averaged 293 rushing yards per game and outscored its opponents 87-17.

“They’ve dominated us on the line of scrimmage the last couple times we’ve seen them,” said Vogt, who is in his third season leading the Demons. “They beat us up, and I challenged the guys this week, and (the coaching staff) made a big deal out of, it so we hit the sled a little harder this week and spent more time in the weight room on our off week. We’ll see how they respond.”

The last time Vogt called out his defense was before the Farmington game, and they answered the call in a big way.

jfries@durangoherald.com

If You Go

WHO: No. 8 Durango at No. 9 Montrose

WHAT: High school football

WHERE: Montrose High School

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday

LISTEN LIVE: KKDG 99.7 FM

TWITTER: @The7thFreezer

Oct 1, 2015
Ignacio to face John Mall on homecoming night
Oct 1, 2015
Olathe visits Bayfield to open league play Friday night


Reader Comments