Durango High School senior football kicker and punter Dylan Burns was highly rated at kicking camps in the offseason, and those high ratings continued after the season, with the football 2025 CHSAA All-State Teams announced on Monday.
Burns and fellow Durango football player Owen Cheatham were the two Durango High School fall athletes to make first team all-state. It’s not surprising since Cheatham has committed to Division I Florida Atlantic University and Burns is a Division I kicking prospect. The Durango football team was also the most successful fall sports team when it made it to the 4A state quarterfinals, so it makes sense that it had top players in 4A.
The Durango football team led all Durango teams with eight all-state selections. There were 11 fall athletes from Durango High School who made all-state teams, which is less than the 13 fall athletes who made all-state last fall. However, three of those 11 athletes this year aren’t seniors, so each of those teams should be excited to have some elite talent coming back next year.
With the football all-state team finally out, it’s a good time to highlight these athletes. In addition to football, members of the Durango High School girls cross country, boys soccer and softball teams made all-state.
First team all-state: Burns, Cheatham
Going into the 2025 season, the Durango High School football coaches knew they had an elite receiving core coming back, and they were very confident in their new starting quarterback, junior Grady Feeney. Therefore, the team had a good feeling their offense would be good, and they’d need Burns. They weren’t wrong and Burns delivered.
Durango was in scoring range anywhere around the 30-yard line with Burns’ powerful right leg; when he missed, it usually wasn’t because of distance. When Durango’s offense was stuffed in its own half, Burns could bail it out by booting punts deep into the opposing territory.
Burns finished his senior season with five field goals made, good for tied-third in 4A before the state championship game. Durango’s offense was proficient enough for him to finish eighth in 4A with 46 PATs, and he finished sixth in 4A with 61 points. Burns made at least two extra points in 11 of 12 games this season, and he made a field goal in five games this season.
The senior was also a threat with his leg on punts when the Durango offense stalled. He finished sixth in 4A with 37.63 yards per punt.
There are multiple skill players, linemen and defensive backs on the first team. Burns is the only kicker/punter, making his selection even more impressive. Be ready for Burns to be kicking on Saturdays.
Cheatham was a beast all season long on the offensive and defensive line for Durango. After putting on over 50 pounds of muscle in the offseason, Cheatham had the size, athleticism and technique to make huge holes for Durango’s talented running game. On defense, he used that strength and knowledge to tackle runners and put pressure on the quarterback. Cheatham finished the season sixth on the team with 27 total tackles, and Cheatham was third on the team with eight tackles for loss.
Second team all-state: Ernesto Galvan
Galvan was another reason the Demons had a great offense. The experienced senior protected Feeney very well, and like Cheatham, opened holes for Durango to run past its opponents.
All-state honorable mention: Ayden Casias, Feeney, Gus Halls, Dawson McInnes, JJ Vickers
The Demons’ depth and versatility are shown with five players on all-state honorable mention. Feeney was a fantastic quarterback in his first year, leading the offense and rarely turning it over. He threw a great deep ball to his wide receivers and was a beast on the ground, lowering his shoulder to run over anyone in his way.
Feeney finished 11th in 4A with 1,701 passing yards (141.8 per game) and tied fourth in 4A with 22 passing touchdowns. He finished inside the top 15 in 4A with 15 rushing scores.
McInnes was a deep-ball threat every snap and one of the best kick and punt returners in the state. He finished second on the team with 501 yards, and McInnes finished 11th in 4A with an average kickoff return of 31.29 yards.
Halls returned to the game after a year off and created a deadly one-two punch for the Demons’ run game with his size and speed. He finished his senior season with 1,036 yards rushing, good for 11th in 4A. Halls rushed for 100+ yards in five games this season.
Casias was an elite linebacker, able to get to the quarterback and drop back in coverage. He led the Demons with 73 total tackles.
Vickers was a key member of the experienced offensive and defensive line, using his powerful frame to dictate play.
All-state honorable mention: Zia Fadil
The Durango High School girls cross country team lost a lot of valued contributors in 2024, so the Demons really needed freshman Zia Fadil to step in and perform.
She did and earned honorable mention all-state for it.
Fadil was well-known for her running prowess even before she got to high school, winning triathlons and having high finishes in national meets and races.
As a freshman this season, Fadil had multiple top-five finishes and finished in the top 10 at nearly every regular-season meet. She finished 38th at state.
Expect a lot more of these all-state awards for Fadil as she gets faster and more experienced.
All-state honorable mention: Quinn Harrison
Durango High School’s boys soccer team had an off year for the program’s standards, but it wasn’t because of senior goalkeeper Quinn Harrison.
The defense struggled in front of Harrison for most of the season, and Harrison did his part by finishing 14th in 4A with 100 saves. Harrison had three games this season with 10+ saves, including a season-high 13 in a win against Palisade.
A four-year starter, Harrison will be a tough player for the program to replace.
All-state honorable mention: Avery Clair
Junior Avery Clair was one of the main reasons the Durango High School softball team had their best season in over a decade.
At over 6 feet tall and the coach’s daughter, Clair showed all the work she’d put in with her incredible power, finishing the season tied-fourth in 4A with nine home runs. It’s more impressive when considering she played the least amount of games and had the fewest at-bats of any player in the top five of the home run rankings.
Expect Clair to be back on this list next season as the Demons return a strong nucleus around her.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
