Durango was after a measure of payback after Cheyenne Mountain prevailed 48-9 in last year’s season opener.
The Demons not only came through, they collected with interest.
Durango High School’s football team scored 34 unanswered points and routed the Indians 54-14 on Friday in the 2013 season opener and first game under new head coach David Vogt.
After an up-and-down offensive season last year, DHS (1-0) got in a groove in the first half to blow the doors off the game. Senior quarterback Jeremy Szura ran for 138 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 129 and two more scores in the first half, finishing the night with 153 yards on the ground and 180 yards through the air on 13-of-18 passing as part of a strong up-tempo attack.
As a team, the Demons put up 341 yards of total offense in the first half, outscoring the Indians (0-1) 33-7 and rushing for 212 of those yards in an effort paced by Szura and returning All-Southwestern League first-team running back Tyler Worley.
“We do this offense to catch teams off guard. ... Work. We’ve been working for a long time, worked hard, and it just feels good to get out there and do what we did,” said Szura, son of Kari and Matt Szura.
The Durango defense was incredibly stingy, shutting down the Indians and allowing only seven points – the rest came on a pick-six by Alex Ruiz in the third quarter. The Demons won the turnover battle 4-3.
“It’s about doing your job and doing it right, and everything else will take care of itself, and it’s been great,” Vogt said.
DHS opened the scoring in the first quarter when Szura scored from 7 yards out after a 15-minute lightning delay.
Cheyenne Mountain would answer with an 18-yard strike from Mitch Guhl to Nathan Resty early in the second quarter, but DHS responded immediately with Worley’s 88-yard kickoff return for a score 14 seconds later.
“That was a big momentum shift. I believe that just kind of was a start for us to finish how we did,” Szura said.
Szura added a 19-yard touchdown run set up by an Isiah Mayberry punt block and touchdown passes of 14 and 10 yards to Casey Dunlap and 10 yards to Worley. Lawrence Mayberry and Steele Spies added rushing touchdowns in the second half.
The Demons will try to keep the early momentum rolling Friday at Kirtland Central, which defeated Bayfield 28-6 in their season openers Friday night in Kirtland, N.M.
Durango (1-0) will play at Kirtland Central (1-0) at 7 p.m. Sept. 6 in Kirtland, N.M.
rowens@durangoherald.com
