After finishing its regular season as the only undefeated team in Class 4A, the Durango High School boys soccer team scored the No. 1 seed for the state championship tournament.
The Demons (15-0-0) will begin the tournament at home against No. 32 seed Coronado (6-8-1) at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Senior Nik Korte said after Friday’s win over Montrose that the Demons want to build off their performance in last year’s state championship tournament, when they were the No. 5 seed and reached the third-round quarterfinals before falling to No. 4 Denver North, 3-0.
“Our goal is make it past the third round and ultimately win state,” Korte said.
The higher seeds will host the first three rounds of the tournament, so the Demons could also play at home on Nov. 2 and Nov. 5, as long as they win.
DHS is 8-0 at home this year, and 7-0 on the road. The Demons have outscored opponents 90-7, led by Korte with 20 goals.
The semifinals are scheduled for Nov. 9 at the University of Northern Colorado, and the finals are set for Nov. 12 at Switchbacks Weidner Field in Colorado Springs.
Last year’s 4A state champion Northfield (12-1-1) received the No. 2 seed. Cheyenne Mountain (12-1-2) scored the No. 3 seed, and Centaurus (13-2-0) is No. 4.
Centaurus will play Durango’s Southwestern League foe, Fruita Monument (7-6-1) in the first round.
The SWL’s Grand Junction (11-3-0) also reached the playoffs as the No. 10 seed and will host No. 23 Steamboat Springs (8-7-0) in the first round.
In Durango’s quadrant of the bracket, No. 16 Battle Mountain (9-4-2) will play No. 17 Wheat Ridge (12-3-0) in the first round. No. 8 Regis Groff (13-2-0) will face No. 25 Palmer Ridge (9-6-0), and No. 9 Air Academy (10-2-3) will play No. 24 Pueblo West (10-5-0).
