The Durango High School boys lacrosse team played a low-scoring game against Telluride on Wednesday. The Demons held the Miners to seven goals, but only scored three times as they fell to their 4A/5A Mountain League foe.
“We didn’t play our best game today,” said DHS head coach Luke Miller. “Defense played great, and our goalie played great. But offensively, we had trouble holding on today. We were in the right places, we just didn’t execute.”
Errant passes and bobbled balls thwarted several attacks for the Demons.
The two teams were even early on.
Telluride scored first, but Durango tied it less than two minutes later. Henry Howe got the ball behind Telluride’s goal and passed it to an open Jameson Connolly in front of the net. Connolly immediately buried a shot to tie the game, 1-1, just over three minutes in.
Telluride tried to retake the lead, but DHS goalie Boden Ensign made a save, and Durango counter attacked. Howe scored at the other end, giving the Demons a 2-1 lead at the 7:33 mark.
Telluride, however, used some nice passing to help Cash Livermore score two goals and take a 3-2 lead into the second quarter.
DHS began the second on the attack but was unable to convert, and Telluride ended up striking first in the period and extended its lead to 5-2.
Ensign made some late stops, and Durango created a scoring opportunity in the final minute, but its shot sailed wide.
Neither team scored in the third, but Ensign and his defenders had to work hard to keep Telluride from extending its lead. Ensign, who finished the game with 21 saves, stopped a bounce shot and two point-blank shots and some lasers in the period.
Zak Wentworth created one of Durango’s best scoring chances, running almost the length of the field with the ball and then passing to a teammate in front of the goal, but the Demons couldn’t connect.
In the fourth quarter, however, Durango was able to get another goal to cut Telluride’s down to 5-3 with 6:23 left. Howe assisted Connolly, who got the ball on the right side of the field with a clear path to the goal, then beat the goalie.
Both teams made some big hits down the stretch. Zach Robinson checked two Miners to the ground, but was called for a high hit on the second one.
Telluride, however, was able to score at the 3:14 mark and then a final time with 21 seconds left to prevail.
Durango won four face offs in the second half and 3-of-8 in the first half.
Wentworth and Ian McCarthy also blocked shots while playing defense in the game.
Next, DHS (1-7, 1-5 4A/5A Mountain) will host the league-leading Fruita Monument Wildcats (9-0, 6-0) at 4 p.m. on Friday. Telluride (4-3, 3-1) is third in the league, behind Grand Junction (6-3, 3-1), followed by Glenwood Springs (2-5, 2-3), Durango and Montrose (2-6, 1-6).
“Our senior defense will keep us in games,” Miller said. “If we can clean up our play, work for ground balls and win in the middle of the field, it will be a good game.”
