+

Friday, Oct 25, 2013 2:54 PM Updated Friday, Oct. 25, 2013 4:14 PM

Goal-line stand means Montrose stands firm in the SWL mix

A goal-line stand at the end of the game between No. 1 Montrose and No. 6 Durango proved to be the difference in the Indians’ 14-10 victory Friday at Montrose to wrap up Lawrence Mayberry and keep DHS from an outright Southwestern League title.

Courtesy of William Woody

Durango High School quarterback Jeremy Szura threw for 109 yards before intermission and ran for a 14-yard touchdown in the first quarter. DHS tacked on a 32-yard field goal from Blake Dunlap in the second quarter, and the Demons led the Indians 10-0 at halftime Friday at Montrose.

Courtesy of William Woody

David Logan and Durango High School moved the ball well in the first half, but the Montrose defense stiffened in the second half, allowing the Indians to rally for a 14-10 victory.

Courtesy of William Woody

Jeremy Szura and Durango led 10-0 at intermission but couldn’t navigate the Montrose defense from there, and the Indians won 14-10 to keep DHS from a perfect Southwestern League record.

Courtesy of William Woody

Lawrence Mayberry and the Durango Demons saw their three-game winning streak come to a close thanks to a late Montrose rally on Friday in Montrose.

Courtesy of William Woody

The outright Southwestern League title sat a tantalizing handful of yards away.

But Montrose refused to move.

The sixth-ranked Durango High School football team was stopped short on fourth-and-goal by No. 1 Montrose with 3 minutes, 47 seconds to play, and the Indians downed the Demons 14-10 on Friday in Montrose.

The Indians’ victory threw the Southwestern League into a two-way tie for first at 3-1, and the tie would become three-way with a Montrose win over winless Grand Junction Central next week.

The first applicable tiebreaker in a three-way scenario would eliminate the team with the slimmest margin of victory between Durango, Grand Junction and Montrose, which would be Durango after its one-point overtime win over Grand Junction. The tiebreaker between the final two teams would be head-to-head, giving the edge to Grand Junction.

Durango would win the title via its win over Grand Junction should Central upset Montrose.

The matchup of the top two teams in playoff points in Class 4A was as tight as advertised. Durango (7-2, 3-1 SWL) got the ball back on its own 38-yard line with 8 minutes to go and drove deep into Montrose territory before a holding penalty helped set up a fourth-and-15.

The Demons converted, however, setting up first-and-goal from the Montrose 4. But four consecutive running plays couldn’t dent the Indians’ defense, which took over on downs and ran out the clock on the Demons.

Durango rode a stout defensive effort and a rejuvenated passing game to a 10-0 lead at halftime. Jeremy Szura threw for 109 yards before intermission and ran for a 14-yard touchdown in the first quarter. DHS tacked on a 32-yard field goal from Blake Dunlap in the second quarter.

Montrose, which accrued just 36 first-half yards, found its mojo again after halftime, opening the half with a 72-yard touchdown drive to cut the lead to 10-7. A Mike Rocha touchdown run near the end of the third provided the night’s final tally and the winning margin for Montrose (8-1, 2-1 SWL).

The Demons will wrap the regular season against Montezuma-Cortez at 7 p.m. Friday at DHS Stadium.

heraldsports@durangoherald.com