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  Home Page » Sports » High School » Durango High School Football Misses Chance At 90

Durango High School football misses chance at 9-0

Opportunities slip as Demons lose by 6 at home

by Matthew Piper
Herald Sports Writer

Just as they have all year, the Demons got their share of chances.

For the first time, they didn't take them.

Trailing 20-14 with 2:14 to play against Grand Junction Central on a teeth-chattering Friday night, the Durango High School football team threw an interception, and the perfect season was ... still alive, because Central fumbled after picking up a game-clinching first down.

Could it be?

Was this season truly fated?

No, came the definitive answer. Senior quarterback Jordan Gillen was hit by a weak-side blitz and fumbled on the first play of the potential game-winning drive. Warriors sophomore Josh Vega fell on the ball with 1:19 left and no DHS timeouts, and the Demons again were mortal.

"We made a lot of mistakes," DHS head coach Greg Wyatt said. "They're a very good team. They're very physical. They ran at some areas where we were making mistakes, and they took advantage of it." Central (4-5 overall, 2-2 Southwestern League) finished with 263 rushing yards on 45 attempts for a 5.8 average, using superior size to wear down the diminutive Demons and seize the upper hand.

"Totally different halves," Central coach Vern McGee said. "The first half, we didn't play very well, the second half we played really well." DHS (8-1 overall, 2-1 SWL) outgained the Warriors 180-89 in the first. That changed significantly in the second - advantage visitors, 192-47.

"Our kids just didn't give up," Wyatt said. "We got the ball back, and unfortunately we weren't able to do anything with it." After turning the ball over just five times all season, the Demons matched that total Friday night with two fumbles and three interceptions.

Still, they got the best start they could've asked for: a 65-yard touchdown on Play 1.

Gillen appeared to be running a delayed option play, standing in the face of the pass rush as though waiting for a clear path to pitch to senior running back Gus Barnes, when sophomore wideout Easton Garcia came sweeping around from the left side to receive a lateral.

Garcia bobbled the ball for a moment, then set his feet and looked downfield at wide-open senior wideout Kaelen Waters. His pass found its mark, and Waters strode into the end zone untouched for a 7-0 lead just 13 seconds into the game.

Later in the quarter, DHS senior Cory Prentice jumped over the offensive line to stop senior quarterback Holden Reed for a loss of a yard on fourth and 1 on the DHS 26.

On third and 1 after taking over, senior A.J. Anderson swept to the left sideline and then cut back across the field, tripping and falling with nobody in front of him at the 28-yard line for a gain of 37 yards.

Barnes then took a pitch to the left side and spun to the 17 for a first down on third and 3, and Gillen ran into the left corner of the end zone on second and 3 for a 14-0 lead just before the close of the quarter.

The Demons also were forced to punt on their next possession, but junior Avery Llewellyn's kick bounced off the chest of senior Mike Ruble and was picked up by Prentice for a DHS first down at the Central 48.

"He's a senior who's worked hard all year," Wyatt said of Prentice. "He's done a nice job for us all year." Gillen threw an interception on the next play - or so everybody thought. A late hold was called on the defense, and DHS regained possession on the 47.

Durango moved to the 1-yard line for first-and-goal, but Central's defense shut the door, and Llewellyn's 25-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left with 15 seconds left in the half.

Both teams went three and out twice to start the second half, then Central took over on its own 13, and senior Josh Buniger ran through the middle for 80 yards and a touchdown with 5:43 left.

Central, minus a kicker because of illness, missed the extra point, then tried an onside kick that was pounced on by Prentice.

The Demons moved it to the Central 35, then penalties made it second and 20 on the 45 when DHS pitched it to sophomore George Mayberry, whose throw was picked off by Vandon Sanchez and returned to the Demons' 39.

The defense held, but Sanchez made an impact again when Anderson fumbled on his own 17 and the Central senior was there for the recovery.

"He just has a nose for the ball," McGee said of Sanchez.

Reed dragged Demons into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown on second down, and it became 14-12 after another failed conversion - this time the Warriors had lined up in a kicking formation, and the snap went off a tackle's head on the fake, landing in the hands of DHS junior Nico Rodriguez.

The Demons caught a huge break on the next Central drive when Reed took a draw forward for an apparent first down on third and long, then dropped the ball, and Prentice - who else? - recovered with 8:58 remaining.

DHS burned some time before punting, but the Warriors' size finally pulled ahead on a 69-yard, 12-play, ground-and-pound drive for an 18-14 lead with 2:14 to play, boosted to 20-14 when Buniger took a pitch to the right in for two.

A personal foul against Central on the ensuing kickoff gave the Demons the ball on the Warriors' 47 with 2:13 to play, but Gillen threw an interception across the middle to junior Devon Wolff with 1:39 left.

The Demons couldn't stop the Warriors, allowing Reed to rumble forward past the sticks on second and long, but he again failed to secure the ball, and Anderson picked up his fumble at the 38.

Gillen suffered the fateful fumble, however, and thoughts of a miracle were dashed.

"I just hoped to get the ball back and hoped for our D to come through, and they did," Reed said. "It was a great job." It's an understatement to say it was a bad day to throw the ball.

Gillen finished with -1 yards passing, while Reed was 2-for-10 for 18 yards.

At 6-foot-2, 199 pounds, Reed rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, while Buniger had 122 on 14 in his first game back from a high ankle sprain suffered against Montrose two weeks ago.

Anderson led the Demons in rushing with 72 yards on nine carries, and Barnes rushed 20 times for 64 yards on Senior Night for both players.

"This is an incredible group of seniors," Wyatt said. "I've been around a lot of different teams, and this senior class is as talented and has as much character as any group I've ever been around. I wouldn't trade these guys for anybody." The Demons hit the road for their regular season finale against Montrose, which beat Grand Junction 28-21 on Friday night to move to 8-1, 3-0 in league.

"Our season isn't over," Wyatt said. "We've got one more game. We can still accomplish our goals, which is a league championship." mpiper@durangoherald.com