It was the last homecoming game for Durango High School quarterback Terrence Trujillo and running back Lawrence Mayberry, and they made the most of it.
Trujillo, the homecoming king, threw three touchdowns and ran for one, while Mayberry ran for 260 yards and three touchdowns in the No. 6 Demons’ 48-35 rout of No. 7 Palmer Ridge.
“I tried to keep the homecoming thing in the back of my mind all week,” said Trujillo, son of Geno and Nicole Trujillo. “I knew we had a task at hand, and we’ve been working so hard for this, so I tried not to get distracted. Now we get to enjoy it.”
The homecoming crowd definitely enjoyed what they saw all night from Mayberry.
“I just love playing here in front of our crowd, and it’s been so long,” Mayberry said, referencing the team’s long road trip. “I wanted to put on a good show and just play some football; that’s what I love doing.”
Trujillo also was a force all game with three touchdown passes and one rushing score. He finished 14-of-21 passing for 160 yards.
Trujillo got the Demons (7-0, 2-0 Pikes Peak League) on the board early in the first quarter with a highlight reel 14-yard run in which he hurdled a Palmer Ridge defensive back like a track star and rumbled into the end zone to give his team a 7-0 lead.
Early in the second quarter, he found Gavin Mestas in the left flat, and the sophomore took the pass 44 yards to give the Demons a 14-0 lead.
With a little over a minute remaining in the half, after an uncharacteristic unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the home team, Trujillo found his main man, senior wide receiver Lucas Baken, on a fourth-and-10 play for a 29-yard touchdown strike. Baken’s 10th touchdown of the season made it 21-0 before halftime.
While the playmakers were doing their thing on offense, the Durango defensive unit did what they’ve been doing all season. Diego Arias, Max Hyson and Laitham Johnson made life miserable for the Bears in the first half.
Isaiah Sanders, who threw for four touchdowns and 300 yards last week against Rampart, was held to 2-of-8 passing with 33 yards in the first half. Running back Collin Ambrose had eight carries for only six yards.
“We wanted to make a statement, and we play hard on defense,” Durango head coach David Vogt said. “We threw some different looks at them, and I think we surprised them.”
The Bears (5-2, 1-1 PPL) offense made some adjustments in the second half and found some holes in the Durango defense.
Fortunately, Mayberry was at his best.
After running for 100 yards in the first half, the senior turned it up a notch in the third quarter. On the opening drive, after a Palmer Ridge fumble on the kickoff that started the second half, Mayberry ran it in from two yards out to extend the lead to 28-0.
Finally, the Bears got on the board on a 37-yard pass from Sanders to Trevor Grob, but Mayberry answered back with a 47-yard run to make it 35-7.
“I don’t score the touchdowns. I don’t get the yards. WE score the touchdowns and WE get the yards,” Mayberry said.
Whether the defenses were worn out or the offenses were just that good, the teams exchanged touchdown drives seven times in a row in the second half. The first drive that didn’t result in a touchdown resulted in a punt with five minutes left in the fourth quarter.
When it was all said and done, the scoreboard read 48-35, and the Demons extended the winning streak to seven and celebrated on their home field for the first time in over a month.
“Everybody works so hard on this team,” Vogt said. “One guy’s hard work is another guy’s glory. We let the big boys eat up front and do their thing and Lawrence does his thing. So much heart with these seniors.”
The win sets up a monumental matchup next week at No. 1 Pine Creek, the two-time defending Class 4A state champions.
“They have a 36-game winning streak and good for them,” said Mayberry, son of George and Tonya Mayberry. “I’m happy to be playing them next week, and hopefully we can give them a challenge.”
jfries@durangoherald.com
