Senior day was already set to be a special occasion for five seniors on the Demons’ lacrosse team, but a clutch performance late in Friday’s game made it even more special.
Sam Aber, Max Ickes, Boyd Matheson, Hank Muir and Oaken Oles all played significant minutes for Durango High School, and every one counted in Friday’s home game against Grand Junction. After watching the Tigers make a late comeback with three consecutive goals in the second half, Durango gathered itself to score the final two and defeat their league rivals 13-11.
Though the day belonged to the Durango seniors, sophomore Tommy Rodgers led the offensive attack with four goals and three assists. Cullen Robinette, a freshman, scored three times and had two assists, while Oles and junior Kyle Robinette each scored twice for the Demons.
“We’ve been talking about how important this group of seniors will be to our success from Day 1,” Durango head coach John Robinette said. “We emphasized how much we needed them to take the team over, and these five guys are about as tight of a group as I’ve seen. They’ve done an incredible job of getting the younger kids to grow, and our underclassmen are following their lead as fine young men on and off the field.”
Leadership and mentorship aside, this veteran group can play lacrosse, too. Right from the start, the seniors set the tone, as Oles answered Grand Junction’s first goal with one of his own. The Demons never trailed again, as Rodgers’ play in the first half allowed the Demons (7-6, 5-2 Mountain League) to play ahead for the majority of the game. He scored three first-half goals and assisted on three more to lead Durango to an 8-5 halftime lead.
“I’ve been playing lacrosse since second grade, and this has always been a part of me,” said Oles, son of Gary and May Oles. “I’m so glad we got this win, and the way we did it just makes it that much more special.”
Oles scored two first-half goals in the win, but his most impactful play happened late in the game.
The Tigers had all the momentum after three consecutive goals knotted the scored at 10-all, but Oles made the play that turned everything in Durango’s favor. The senior had a beautiful assist on Cullen Robinette’s third goal to give Durango an 11-10 lead and steal the momentum back to the home side.
Grand Junction (4-7, 3-4 Mountain League) tied it once more, but Rodgers and Kyle Robinette put the game away for Durango and the special group of five guys who have played a huge role in the team’s growth this season.
“I’m just so proud of my seniors, and this is such a great way to go out,” said an emotional Max Ickes, son of John Ickes and Bridget Maloney. “It’s surreal right now because we’ve been playing for awhile, and I never thought of all of us coming this far and being this old.”
Those emotions were felt by all the DHS seniors.
“Lacrosse has been huge for me,” said Muir, son of Nancy Brooker and Charlie Muir. “It’s gotten me through some tough times in my life and one of the few things I could always count on is playing lacrosse with my boys, these guys, and this is crazy for me.”
Aber, son of Wendy Aber and Jeff Estes, said the team always made a conscious effort to make sure everyone worked together as one unit, and the team made that happen.
“As the season goes on, everyone has just gotten closer and closer,” said Boyd Matheson, son of Mike and Sharon Matheson. “We’ve learned our ways and figured things out so I think we’re hitting our peak just in time.”
Durango won’t have time to celebrate because a 1 p.m. Saturday game at Montrose awaits.
jfries@durangoherald.com
