It has been a season of ups and downs for the Durango High School football team. Fortunately for the Demons, the ups have outnumbered the downs, and a big reason why has been Max Hyson.
Hyson, a senior at DHS who starts on both sides of the ball, began the season as Durango’s starting quarterback and linebacker and helped guide the Demons to a 3-0 start. But then a three-game losing streak nearly derailed Durango’s season.
He said the three-game skid was frustrating, mostly because he knew the Demons were capable of more.
“During the three-game slide, it’s not like we got blown out, except for the Farmington game – that was a game we came in with our heads too high,” Hyson said of the losses. “We had just won three games and lost that one, then lost to a good team in Bayfield, and we came back against Pueblo East and should have beat Pueblo East.”
That’s when the Demons made a change. Hyson lost the starting quarterback job to freshman pocket-passer Jordan Woolverton and moved to running back, which created a three-headed backfield monster with Everett Howland and Dawson Marcum.
The Demons have been rolling ever since. They’ve won four in a row after Friday’s 45-0 win against then-No. 8 Harrison to land in the Colorado High School Activities Association’s Class 3A State Football Playoffs as the No. 13 seed and will play at No. 4 Cañon City at 6 p.m. Friday.
“We’re excited,” said Hyson, who serves as the DHS starting catcher during baseball season. “I think it showed Friday night, winning by 45 against No. 8, at the time anyway. We’re feeling good and excited rolling into this week.”
Throughout the season, DHS head coach David Vogt has praised Hyson for his willingness to play any position the coaching staff asks.
At quarterback this season, Hyson has completed 38-of-77 passes for 507 yards and five touchdowns. Running the ball, he has piled up 513 yards on 6.49 yards per carry and five more scores. And he leads the Demons’ defense with 69 total tackles.
“We ask him to do so much and play so many different positions,” Vogt said of Hyson after the Demons’ win against Pueblo County a couple weeks ago. “He’s just a football player. He doesn’t complain and just goes in there and gets the job done. We can’t ask any more of him, and he’s had a great year. It’s good to have a complete football player like him.”
Offense or defense, it doesn’t matter to Hyson. The son of Cole and Jennifer Hyson just wants to play football and ignite the Demons by putting hard hits on the opposition.
“On offense, you can run or block and blow someone up. On defense, I just like blowing someone up. That’s it, I just like blowing someone up,” Hyson said.
Hyson’s hard-hitting style of play is infectious. Whether it’s making a big hit on defense to stop a drive, running over a defender to pick up extra yards as the ball carrier or delivering a bone-crunching block to spring a teammate for a big gain, the Demons take note.
And when one of the other Demons does the same, Hyson is always one of the first to take note and encourage everyone to do it again, which is one of the reasons he was named as one of the Demons’ four captains this season.
“A big hit on defense, a big hit on offense, it’s kind of the same thing. It’s a momentum swing for us, and the good thing about him, we have him in position to make big hits on both sides of the ball,” Vogt said. “It’s fun to watch him.
“In the game (against Harrison), a couple of times he made a play with a freshman, a pancake (block), and got up and slapped the guys on the head. It brightens those guys’ eyes when they get recognized by a guy like Max. He does all those little things all the time. He’s just a great leader.”
kschneider@durangoherald.com
Behind the scenes with Max Hyson
What’s your favorite food?: (My grandma’s) fried chicken.
What’s your favorite sports movie?: I like “The Blindside.”
Do you have any pre-game rituals or superstitions?: I gotta put my pants on just right.
If you won $1 million, what’s the first thing you’d buy?: I’d buy a cabin at Electra (Lake).
Do you play any other sports?: Baseball
Do you have any nicknames?: A couple. I’ve got Skeeter and Cock Diesel – that’s the one the student section cheers. I’m not sure why.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?: I’d fly
What’s your favorite outdoor activity?: Fishing and hunting
What teacher has had the biggest impact on you?: Coach (David) Vogt for sure
Do you have any hidden talents?: I play the banjo a little bit.
