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It was great to see Durango-Bayfield clash for first time since 1936

A good rivalry can be one of the best aspects of sports.

Rivalries increase anticipation. They turn up the volume on pregame trash talk and statistical comparisons. A rivalry can raise the betting stakes from friendly to foolhardy levels.

A good rivalry then makes the victory sweeter, the loss that much more bitter.

Rivalries in professional sports have produced epic series that over time evolve into the closest thing our modern culture reveres as legend. Take the NBA battles between the Lakers and the Celtics. The teams have met no less than 12 times in the finals.

In baseball, the American League without the Red Sox battling the Yankees would simply not be the same. Try and imagine the National League without the Dodgers and the Giants, teams that battled across the boroughs of New York before the rivalry moved west. Even the most staid Bronco-holic will admit that winning the AFC West somehow means more when the team has to beat the hated Raiders to win the title.

But can there be a rivalry between two high school football teams that have not played each other in 80 years? Based on Friday’s game between Durango and Bayfield, the answer is unequivocally yes.

Icy temperatures limited fan attendance, but the weather in no way limited the competition. With outstanding defense and two offenses favoring a power-running style, the bout was a fitting throwback to the hard-nosed football played when the teams’ varsity squads last met.

It took overtime to break a 6-6 tie; the Demons delivered a homecoming win in overtime.

The teams have not met more often because of differences in school size and classifications. But don’t assume Bayfield came in as underdogs. Like their mascot, the Wolverines – state 2A champions in 2015 – are not afraid to take on anyone. Friday’s game was a fair fight. In fact, both teams played 5A Aztec earlier this season. The Tigers, at home, beat Durango 13-12, but Bayfield handled them at BHS, 34-21.

The good news for all? The local teams and their fans will meet again next year, this time in Bayfield.

We are looking forward to it.



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