The Durango High School football team has a game on Saturday, which can only mean one thing: It’s playoff time.
Over two weeks since its regular-season finale against Vista Ridge, No. 4 seed Durango will take on No. 13 Ponderosa at home at noon on Saturday in the second round of the 4A state playoffs.
“We had a great bye week,” Durango head coach Hunter Holmes said. “It was good to get everyone healthy and have a great week of praThe Durango High School football team has a game on Saturday which can only mean one thing: It’s playoff time.
Over two weeks since its regular-season finale against Vista Ridge, No. 4 seed Durango will take on No. 13 Ponderosa at home at noon on Saturday in the second round of the 4A state playoffs.
“We had a great bye week,” Durango head coach Hunter Holmes said. “It was good to get to everyone healthy and have a great week of practice. It was awesome getting to have the week off and get everyone’s mindset right going into the playoffs. It’s a great opportunity tomorrow to play an awesome Ponderosa team.”
Durango enters the postseason 8-2 overall. It finished 4-1 in the 4A Soco 2 League, and the Demons are on a three-game winning streak. The Demons’ two losses are to No. 2 Montrose and No. 3 Palmer Ridge.
Last time out, the Demons had one of their best wins to finish the regular season with its 24-14 win at Vista Ridge; the Wolves are the No. 11 seed and advanced to the second round by beating No. 22 Montbello, 38-13.
Holmes said Vista Ridge was the perfect opponent to play before the playoffs. He was proud of how his players competed at Vista Ridge, as he and Durango junior quarterback Grady Feeney said it was the most physical game of the year.
Ponderosa is 7-4 overall and finished 3-2 in the 4A South Metro League. The Mustangs bounced back from their 35-14 loss to Heritage in the regular-season finale to beat No. 20 Silver Creek, 27-14, in the first round of the 4A state playoffs.
In that game, Ponderosa junior quarterback Noah Anacleto (No. 15) finished the game 13/19 passing for 149 yards and two touchdowns. The Mustangs had a balanced offense with senior running back Troy WcWhorter (No. 1) finishing with 19 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown.
Anacleto has been a quality starter for Ponderosa; he’s 11th in 4A in passing yards, along with 17 touchdown passes and two interceptions. WcWhorter is also 11th in 4A in rushing yards and has nine touchdowns. Sophomore wide receiver Blake Kastsoff (No. 14) is the Mustangs’ top pass catcher. He’s 11th in 4A in receiving yards and has four touchdowns.
Holmes expects the Ponderosa offense to pass a lot as the Mustangs look for the upset win.
“Rankings definitely aren’t everything,” Durango senior lineman Owen Cheatham said. “Ponderosa is a good team; you can’t take them lightly.”
Despite not playing in the same league, Durango and Ponderosa had a few common opponents this season. Durango lost to Palmer Ridge, 21-7, and Ponderosa lost to Palmer Ridge, 42-14. Durango beat Rampart, 47-7, and Ponderosa also beat Rampart, 40-0.
An upset victory is still fresh for Durango and its fans. That’s what happened last year when No. 6 Durango lost at home in the second round to No. 11 Heritage, 42-20. The Durango players know they need to keep their foot on the gas to make sure Ponderosa doesn’t have the chance at an upset. Durango has done a good job of keeping its foot on the gas this season as the Demons’ closest victory was by 10 points against Vista Ridge.
The winner of the Durango vs. Ponderosa matchup will see the winner of No. 5 Heritage and No. 12 Grand Junction. If Durango beats Ponderosa, it will have another home game next weekend.
“I feel confident with the ability I know our team has,” Durango junior wide receiver Mason Miller said. “The way, as a team throughout the season, we’ve gotten a little more physical, better camaraderie and better communication. I feel like we can beat any team in the state.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
