The Durango High School football team scored almost every time it touched the ball Friday against Pagosa Springs, blowing out the Pirates 58-0 to start its season.
“I’m proud of their effort,” said DHS head coach Todd Casebier. “I thought we played with great energy tonight.”
The Demons only needed 14 minutes to put 44 points on the scoreboard and make it a running clock for the rest of the contest.
The team’s first possession was its longest drive of the game, taking 11 plays for the Demons to march 65 yards down the field. The team’s next longest drive of the half was three plays.
Running back Zach Haber set the tone with a 10-yard run on the first play from scrimmage. Nate Messier had a 14-yard run and then, after a false start backed the team up, DHS used a trick play on fourth-and-8 to pick up 14 yards and a first down. Quarterback Tyler Harms pitched the ball to Chase Robertson who completed a pass to Jordan Stanly to keep the drive alive.
Messier eventually rushed in the end zone from 3 yards out for the team’s first score.
Ben Belt had a sack on Pagosa’s first drive and PHS went three-and-out.
On Durango’s next drive, Messier broke free and was off to the races before eventually getting pushed out of bounds at the 10 after picking up 47 yards. Haber then punched it in with a 15-yard run.
Safety Ean Goodwin intercepted a pass and ran it back into the end zone on Pagosa’s next drive, but a block in the back penalty brought the ball back to the 30-yard line.
On the very next play, however, Harms hit Jordan Robertson in stride for a 30-yard touchdown pass.
Durango’s defense pushed Pagosa back on its next possession.
Then Harms tossed another touchdown pass, hitting AJ Folk in stride for a 56-yard touchdown that put DHS up, 28-0, with 42 seconds left in the first quarter.
On Durango’s first drive of the second quarter, DHS moved 75 yards in 36 seconds. First Messier rushed for 22 yards and then Haber broke free for a 53-yard rushing touchdown.
“It all starts from the O-line,” Casebier said, crediting those players and coaches for the offense’s success.
Durango’s defense then pushed Pagosa back and Folk led a pack of Demons that stuffed Pagosa’s running back in the end zone for a safety.
On the ensuing possession, Messier made a cut at the line of scrimmage to get free and this time he wasn’t going to let anyone catch him as he ran for 53-yard score to put DHS up 44-0 at the 8:09 mark in the second quarter, causing the rest of the game to be played with a running clock.
Durango put in its backups in the second half, and they picked up where the first team left off. Backup quarterback Jeric Baruch busted free for a 37-yard run and later Dylan Whatcott scored from eight yards out.
Pagosa came close to scoring on its next possession, getting the ball all the way down to Durango’s 11-yard line. Brady Hansen, however, broke up a pass in the end zone on fourth down to end the threat.
On Durango’s final possession, Whatcott had a 39-yard run, Ian Szura broke free for a 48-yard run and then Junior Garcia-Rodriguez scored from 14 yards out for the final margin.
The Demons will return to its home field next Friday when it will host Aztec, N.M. at 7 p.m.
“It only gets tougher next week,” Casebier said. “Our schedule gets progressively tougher so we have to be ready for that.”
Before the game, Durango also unveiled its state championship banner, celebrating the team’s title last season.
“This teams been pretty good for a while, I’m just trying to keep it going,” Casebier said after his first game at the helm.
colivas@durangoherald.com
