The Durango High School football team wrapped up its regular season with a 62-0 victory over Sand Creek on Friday.
“We did some good things,” said DHS head coach Todd Casebier. “We jumped on them early and got the running clock going. We were excited about that. And we made big plays on both sides of the ball.”
With the shutout, Durango managed to go through its league season without giving up a score. Not including a forfeit against Mitchell, Durango outscored its 3A Southern League opponents 212-0 to win the league.
“It’s the fourth outright league title Durango has won since the high school was built,” Casebier said. “It’s a big deal, and we worked hard to do it.”
When the playoffs begin next week, however, Durango knows it will face stiffer competition.
“The level of competition we’ve been playing and will play is totally different,” Casebier said.
After finishing the season 8-2 and as the league champion, Durango anticipates it will get to host a first-round playoff game, but won't find out until the brackets are released on Sunday. If Durango does get top 8 seed, the tentative plan is for the playoff game to be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at DHS.
On Friday, however, DHS scored running the ball, throwing the ball, after an interception and its special teams also gave it some good field position.
The Demons put together an 11-play drive to score on their first possession. Tyler Harms punched it in on a 1-yard run, and Sam Carozza’s kick put DHS up 7-0.
Durango needed only six offensive plays to score its next four touchdowns.
On the first play on Durango’s next drive, Zach Haber broke free for a 69-yard rushing touchdown.
Jordan Stanley then returned a punt all the way to Sand Creek’s 4-yard line, and Jeric Baruch rushed into the end zone on the ensuing play.
After a holding penalty negated an 18-yard touchdown run from Haber, Harms tossed a 28-yard touchdown pass to Stanley to put the Demons up 28-0 late in the first quarter.
On Durango’s next drive, AJ Folk hauled in a 42-yard reception, and Stanley rushed into the end zone from 18-yards out.
The only time Durango’s offense didn’t score in the half was on the next drive after it recovered an onside kick and threw three incomplete passes.
The team’s defense, however, forced Sand Creek to go three-and-out on its next drive, and allowed only two first downs in the first half.
“I thought we flew around on defense,” the coach said.
Haber then scored on an 18-yard yard run with 6:10 remaining in the half to enact the running clock mercy rule with Durango leading 41-0.
Haber, however, wasn’t done. On Durango’s next drive, he ran the ball twice, for 28 yards and 38 yards, to score again.
Then on DHS’ first possession of the second half, Haber broke free for a 67-yard touchdown run.
The coach also gave the team’s offensive line a of credit. “It all starts up front,” he said. “Our offensive line did some good things.”
Durango’s final score came when Chase Robertson intercepted a pass and ran it back 66 yards for a touchdown.
Sand Creek did get into the end zone, but the score didn’t count. After Durango took a knee to run out the clock, Sand Creek asked DHS if a special needs player could get a carry. Durango agreed and the player ran all the way into the end zone. Even though score didn’t count, but both teams celebrated it.
“It was a cool thing to see that kid get into the end zone,” Casebier said.
The last time DHS gave up a score that counted was Sept. 24 against Piedra Vista while the last time its starting defense allowed a score was Sept. 17 against Farmington.
The Demons will now look to continue its winning ways when the 3A playoffs begin next weekend.
