The high school spring sports season in Colorado is over, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to stop looking at the fantastic seasons the athletes at Durango High School had.
Durango’s baseball team was the last team to finish its season with the Demons’ loss to Palisade on May 23. All the stats from 4A schools are filed and finalized after Pueblo County captured the 4A baseball state title on May 30. So now is a great time to look back on how Durango’s best spring athletes’ seasons compare to others in 4A in Colorado.
With Durango’s isolation in the southwest corner of the state, it can be tough to gauge how these athletes compare to athletes outside of Durango’s usual La Plata County and Western Slope foes. This article should help with comparing Durango’s athletes to the best in the rest of Colorado.
Here are the Durango High School athletes who finished inside the top 20 in key statistical categories in their respective sports:
Dawson McInnes in stolen bases
Anytime senior Dawson McInnes is on a field competing in a sport, his athleticism stands out. He has a great mix of power, speed and overall athleticism that allowed him to excel. Therefore, it’s no surprise that McInnes was inside the top 20 of 4A in stolen bases. It might be a surprise to some that he led 4A in stolen bases.
McInnes finished his season with 26 stolen bases, two more than Evan Neuman from Glenwood Springs in second, with 24 and four players finishing in third with 22 stolen bases.
Demons baseball head coach Masen Hibbeler has wanted his team to play an aggressive style of baseball in his two seasons, with lots of stolen bases, and McInnes delivered. If a fan saw at least one Demons home game, it was likely they saw McInnes diving into second or third and using his long frame and speed to be safe.
McInnes will be missed next season for his stolen bases, hitting, pitching and fielding. He was a big part of the reason the Demons won 19 games, the most they’ve won in over a decade, and captured back-to-back league titles.
Ellis Campbell in assists
Durango High School girls soccer had a lot of options on offense, and junior Ellis Campbell was one of the better ones. The Fort Lewis College commit has a well-rounded offensive game, and that showed this season when she moved positions from the wing to the middle of the field.
Campbell can create for herself with her speed, touch and finishing ability, but she’s a willing passer. She finished with a team-high 10 assists, good for 19th in 4A. Campbell was an impressive creator on the wing and in the middle, always looking in control and like she was a few moves ahead on the chessboard.
She’ll be one of the key creators on next year’s Demons girls soccer squad as Durango tries for another deep playoff run with a promising core of returners.
Ryne Neiman in goals against average, saves
Although there’s a promising core of returners for 2027, one of the biggest losses next season will be 3+ year starter in goal in Ryne Neiman.
The senior was the eraser the team needed, looking like a college keeper with her height, anticipation, positioning and power on her kicks and stops. She will be a college keeper this fall at FLC.
Neiman finished fifth in 4A with a 0.440 goals against average per game. Neiman had a great season, but she was also helped by Durango’s strong defense and weak league schedule. There were a lot of games where Neiman didn’t see any challenging shots or shots at all as Durango dominated possession.
The soon-to-be Skyhawk also finished 18th in 4A with 86 saves, showing she could make the stops when challenged by dangerous foes.
Neiman leaves massive shoes to fill in goal next season; surely a big priority for head coach Zac Keeler heading into the offseason.
Taylor Babcock in goals, points
The Durango girls lacrosse had a dynamic offense with plenty of experienced pieces, and senior Taylor Babcock was at the center of it.
Babcock was the steady-handed senior the Demons needed, showing an ability to finish from a variety of angles and in different parts of the goal. She finished as the program’s leading points scorer, so it’s no surprise she finished her senior year 12th in 4A with 53 goals and 17th in 4A with 65 points.
Durango has a promising group of players returning next year, but the Demons will still miss having Babcock to turn to when nothing else is going right.
Janelle Dingler in goals, points
The Demons had a quality group of returners on offense this season with Babcock and juniors Indie Eaton and Teagan Frausto, but the offense elevated to another level with the addition of freshman Janelle Dingler.
Dingler’s presence and impact wasn’t guaranteed with, especially since she missed the first few games of the season with her cross-country skiing obligations. But when she did hit the field, she did not look like a freshman. Dingler was very crafty with her moves to avoid shooting space calls, finding the slightest space to get into and fire at the cage from.
The star freshman finished 14th in 4A with 50 goals and 20th in 4A with 62 points. Dingler will be one to watch over the next few seasons as the Demons look to defend their league title. Babcock’s program points record is surely in jeopardy if Dingler continues this production.
Indie Eaton in assists
Durango girls lacrosse head coach Eric Elliot makes sure his team is well-conditioned so the Demons can play in transition, and that effort wouldn’t be possible without Indie Eaton.
The junior is the fastest player on the team and one of the fastest in the state. Eaton is so fun to watch when she gets the ball in transition because she’s a blur in the midfield for fans and opponents.
Her prowess in transition is a big reason why she finished 14th in 4A with 21 assists. Eaton’s speed drew so many slides from the opposing defense that she had easy passes to open teammates for easy goals.
Expect Eaton to continue to be in these rankings next year because her speed and skill aren’t going anywhere next year.
Scarlett Ramsey in ground balls
Durango’s offense gets a lot of the spotlight, but the Demons have a lot of quality defenders, with senior Scarlett Ramsey at the top of that list.
Ramsey was one of the players head coach Eric Elliot relied on the most, with a lot of inexperienced defenders on this year’s team. She delivered, finishing 14th in 4A with 48 ground balls.
Great defense doesn’t mean as much if teams can’t pick up the ground balls after forced turnovers, and the Demons will need someone to step up to replace Ramsey’s production next season.
Jody Holden in goals against average, save percentage
Junior goalie Jody Holden had big shoes to fill this season, and she delivered.
Holden replaced 3+ year starter, Fiona Chandler, and held her own, finishing eighth in 4A with a 9.121 goals against average and ninth in 4A with a 0.485 save percentage. Holden has a strong frame as a keeper and isn’t afraid of any shots.
Next season will be a great test of how Holden can do without Ramsey and senior Laurel Dondlinger in front of her on defense.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
