Friday’s game was a tight, defensive showdown for three quarters.
Then Durango’s big plays became too much for Piedra Vista to handle.
The Durango High School football team scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to turn a somewhat tense contest into a 35-3 victory over the Panthers on Friday night at DHS Stadium.
The ability to capitalize on turnovers pushed the Demons to 3-0 this season. Durango scored 21 points off three Piedra Vista (2-1) turnovers, whereas the DHS defense allowed no points after two Durango miscues.
“We’ve been preaching defense has got to stand strong, especially after those turnovers,” DHS head coach David Vogt said. “We’ve been preaching that defense that we have to hold them to keep that momentum on our side.”
Durango entered the fourth quarter holding a still surmountable 14-3 lead. But Tyler Worley, who ran for a team-leading 87 yards, turned a third-and-15 into a 39-yard touchdown run on the first play of the frame.
The Panthers then embarked on a long drive that ate up perhaps more clock than they would have liked, particularly for one that yielded no points after a turnover on downs at the DHS 31.
The Demons scored quickly thereafter. Lawrence Mayberry broke off a 50-yard run on the first play of the drive, then Jeremy Szura scored from 9 yards out to put DHS up 28-3.
Two plays later, Durango linebacker Caleb Lloyd stepped in front of Isaiah Valdez’s pass for an interception and ran 14 yards for the night’s final score and Durango’s second pick-six of the game with 4 minutes, 47 seconds left to play.
“I did my drop; I read the quarterback’s eyes, and it just happened to be right there, and I took it to the house,” said Lloyd, son of Joe and LeAnna Lloyd.
Before the fourth quarter, real estate proved tricky to come by offensively. But the big plays were what boosted DHS.
Szura, a two-way player at quarterback and defensive back, opened the scoring with a 34-yard interception return for a touchdown on the game’s first drive to put DHS ahead 7-0.
Szura, who finished with 81 yards on the ground, scrambled away from the Piedra Vista pass rush and weaved through the defense for a 13-yard touchdown run in the second quarter as DHS took a 14-0 lead into halftime.
Piedra Vista’s only points came courtesy of a 31-yard field goal from Beau Clafton in the third quarter.
DHS held Piedra Vista from scoring after several long drives, including a 15-play drive before halftime elongated by a fake punt.
“We’ve been preaching all week just assignment football. As long as we did that, we were able to contain them,” Vogt said.
Durango finished with 250 yards rushing and 288 total yards, completing just one pass, while allowing 240 to the Panthers. Valdez led Piedra Vista with 55 yards on the ground and was 15-of-26 passing for 90 yards.
The Demons will look to stay unbeaten at Farmington on Thursday.
“We’re a hungry team. We’re going to want to keep fighting,” Lloyd said. “We’re going to stay hungry. That’s just who we are.”
rowens@durangoherald.com
