After three weeks on the road, the 2016 Durango Demons football team will finally get to play on their new field and in front of a friendly crowd.
While the finishing touches were being made on the new facility at Durango High, the Demons have seen a bit of everything in the season-opening three-game road trip.
DHS had a great start to the season with a win at Delta in which junior Gavin Mestas scored every point in a 21-20 upset. They looked to be well on the way to a 2-0 start until lightning took the spark out of the Demons late in a 13-12 loss Sept. 2 at Aztec.
A tough start last week led to a 24-12 loss at Piedra Vista, but Durango head coach David Vogt knows they’ll be ready from the get-go for the home opener at 7 p.m. Friday against Farmington.
“It’s always a cool experience playing in front of your fans for the first time in the season,” Durango head coach David Vogt said. “I expect to see a lot more energy and excitement than we had last week, so hopefully we can feed off of that.”
In last year’s matchup with the Scorpions, the Demons came out strong and forced three first-half turnovers in a 39-6 rout. Wide receiver Lucas Baken had three touchdown catches, and this year’s senior quarterback, Peyton Woolverton, will try to exploit the Farmington secondary again, with Mestas and the team’s leading receiver, Jack Bourdon, running the routes.
Scorpions senior quarterback Kody Becenti was the starter of last year’s game and took some big hits at the hands of the Durango defense. The Demons (1-2) will try to pressure him often again, as Farmington likes to spread it out and distribute the football to a number of different weapons. The Scorpions are coming off a 36-12 loss at Belen and are still seeking their first win of the season.
“Our defense created a lot of problems for them early in the game last year,” Vogt said. “We got some lucky breaks too, but that’s what happens when you put pressure on the other team. Creating turnovers like that early is huge for grabbing momentum, and we hope we can have a good start again.”
DHS junior Max Hyson is trouble for the opposition no matter where he lines up. Hyson leads the Demons in yards from scrimmage and carried the offense at Piedra Vista with 85 rushing yards and a touchdown on nine carries. He is also third on the team with four catches this season and leads the defense with 34 tackles. “Max was the spark that got us back in the game last week,” Vogt said. “He gets the guys fired up, and he’s a huge part of this team on both sides of the ball.”
There will be a groundbreaking ceremony before the kickoff officially opening the new DHS facility.
Ignacio (1-1) at Montezuma-Cortez (1-2)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Montezuma-Cortez High School
Listen Live: KSUT 91.3 FM
What To Watch: After ending a 14-game losing streak that spanned across three seasons, the Ignacio Bobcats had an extra week to prepare for a road contest at Montezuma-Cortez.
The Bobcats will have needed that extra time to prepare for Montezuma-Cortez Panthers quarterback Ike Dennison, who ranks eighth in the state in all classifications with 596 passing yards through three games. However, Dennison has thrown for as many interceptions as touchdowns (7). Still, he boasts a completion percentage of 53.1 and will present a challenge the Bobcats aren’t necessarily used to.
Ignacio got its own offense going in a 42-0 win two weeks ago at Crownpoint. That ended a losing streak that dated back to Sept. 26, 2014. Quarterback Zach Weinreich had the IHS offense rolling, and Ethan Appenzeller proved to be a dangerous weapon no matter where he was on the field. Lawrence Valdez also proved capable of making explosive plays.
If Ignacio can find a way to stop Dennison enough times and keep up on the scoreboard, the Bobcats could enter next week’s home opener against Pagosa Springs with a winning record.
jfries@durangoherald.com
If you go
Who:
Farmington at Durango
What:
High school football
When:
7 p.m. Friday
Where:
Durango High School
Listen Live:
KKDG 99.7 FM
Twitter:
@The7thFreezer
