It all came down to the final play to preserve a perfect record.
The third-grade Durango Demons Young America Football League team moved to 3-0 to open the 2016 season Saturday with a 13-12 victory against a pesky Bloomfield team. It highlighted a perfect 5-0 week for Durango YAFL teams.
The third-graders had shutout its opponents in the opening two weeks of the year but faced a stiffer challenge in Bloomfield. A key defensive stop ended the game to solidify the one-point win. Antonio Martinez rushed for 51 yards and two touchdowns, and Colton Cheese added another 51 yards on the ground for the Demons. Zane Pontine was a one-man wrecking crew on defense with nine tackles and a quarterback sack. Braeden Brown and Brady Hoerl also had seven tackles each. Cooper Mitchell also recovered a fumble.
The third-grade team will try to make it 4-0 on the road at Kirtland where the Demons will face Bayfield.
The fourth-grade team also earned a dramatic one-point win against the rival Farmington Titans to stay undefeated at 3-0. Wyatt Bartel and the defense led the way in a 7-6 victory. Cole Pontine’s 14-yard rushing touchdown backed up by a JT Neubert extra point catch from quarterback Linkin Griego was the difference. Pontine also had an interception in the game. Griego was intercepted on the 2-yard line, and the Titans returned it all the way for a touchdown. But a big Tatum Kosar tackle on the extra point kept the Demons in front.
The Titans stormed inside the Demons’ 5-yard-line late in the game, but a big tackle of the quarterback ended the game as time ran out. The fourth-grade team will be off until a home game at 9 a.m. Sept. 10 against Aztec.
Durango’s fifth-graders rolled to a 33-6 win against Kirtland. Zach Unruh couldn’t be stopped, as he ran for 168 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. He also returned a kickoff for a score. He also had two interceptions on defense. Tyler Harms also scored a touchdown, as Tyler Harms and Bret Hamer converted extra points. Tanner Anderson led the defense with eight tackled, and Julian Rodriguez had seven. Conor McCroskey had five tackles, a forced fumble and combined on a sack. The fifth-grade team is on the road at 11 a.m. Saturday in Bloomfield.
Durango’s sixth-grade squad steamed past Kirtland 33-12, as Taggert Bardin, Jeric Baruch, Beau Brunson and Ethan Lennox all scored touchdowns. The Demons physically dominated up front. The team will have a week off to prepare for a game Sept. 10.
Durango’s second-grade team earned its first win of the year to improve to 1-1. It came in a 25-7 victory against Aztec. With only 11 players dressed for the game, the boys had to compete in all three phases of the game for its entirety. Blaze Aguilar piled up yardage on the ground behind the bone crushing blocking of Jerad Lopez and Tyler Dugan. Aguilar busted a long touchdown run, and K.J. Reynolds also scored. Finding the end zone twice was Grady Feeney, and Tyler Hoerl also caught the team’s first pass of the year. Defensively, the Demons were led by Elijah Huerta, Daniel Latham and Kole Burns. The team will hit the road for a 9 a.m. Saturday game at Kirtland.
heraldsports@durangoherald.com
