Snow may still be covering most of Durango, but the high school spring sports season is here and most local teams will begin competing this weekend.
The Durango High School girls’ tennis team, however, already played a pair of matches last weekend, beginning its season 1-1. After practicing indoors in the wrestling room one day and the big gym another while sharing space with the lacrosse and track and other DHS teams, the Demons got to play on outdoor courts twice before their first match. The tennis team first went down to Farmington, New Mexico to play outside. Then, on its way to Grand Junction to play Montrose and Vail Christian, DHS stopped in Moab, Utah, to play.
On Saturday, DHS beat Montrose 6-1 in its season opener. The team then lost 5-2 against Vail Christian, but several of the matches needed a tiebreaker before they were decided.
DHS head coach Darren Tarshis emphasized that the team’s lineup is still fluid.
“We’ve played very few challenge matches due to court space,” Tarshis said. “We’ve done some initial sorting, but we haven’t completed tryouts.”
He said he took players returning with varsity experience to the first competition, and this year’s team has plenty of experienced returners.
“I’ve been telling the kids that this is the most experienced tennis team Durango High School has ever had,” Tarshis said. “Ten are returning varsity players, eight have qualified for state at some point and six are regional champs.”
Ellie Davenport played at No. 2 singles spot the last two seasons and moved up to No. 1 for her senior campaign.
“She’s ready for it,” Tarshis said. “She had an incredible season last year with only one dual loss. She’s well prepared for No. 1 singles and showed it Saturday.”
Davenport, however, lost a pair of razor this matches. After losing her first set 6-4 against Montrose’s top player, she won the second set 6-2 and was two points away from winning the tiebreaker before the Montrose player rallied for five straight points to win it 10-8. She then fell 6-4, 7-6 (7-0) against VCHS.
Junior Adwin Chowen, who qualified for state twice in doubles, played at No. 2 singles for DHS and won both of her matches Saturday. Chowen beat her Montrose opponent 6-3, 6-1 and her Vail opponent 6-4, 6-1.
“She probably put in more work than anyone (this offseason),” Tarshis said. “She looks really good at No. 2.”
Jordan Kitchens played at No. 3 singles for DHS. Even though she’s only a freshman, the coach said she has a lot of experience playing in tournaments and also worked out with the varsity team last summer. Kitchens won 6-0, 6-1 against Montrose and fell 6-4, 6-1 against VCHS. “She came out and played really well,” Tarshis said.
Last year’s team captains, Juliet DiGiacomo and Elli McLean, joined forces at No. 1 doubles. DiGiacomo, a junior, played at No. 1 last year with Chowen while McLean, a senior, played on the No. 2 team. “It was a pretty natural move for them to play together,” Tarshis said. “They have good chemistry.”
The new duo won their first match against Montrose 6-2, 6-0. They also had several match points against VCHS, but the Saints eventually won the marathon 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (16-14).
After winning a regional title last year at No. 4 doubles, junior Rachel Ager and sophomore Avery Edgar moved a spot up to No. 3 doubles to start the year. On Saturday, they beat Montrose 6-1, 6-0, but fell in a tiebreaker to Vail Christian 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-4).
Two seniors, Addie Cady and Litzy Lopez, played at No. 4 doubles for DHS and scored a pair of wins. They won 6-0, 6-1 against Montrose and 3-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-7) against VCHS.
DHS returns to Grand Junction for a pair competition this week. The Demons were scheduled to play Steamboat Springs on Thursday and then play in the 16-team Western Slope Open on Friday and Saturday. “It’s a great test,” Tarshis said about the open. “There’s a bunch of Front Range and larger schools.”
The tournament is also structured so all of the players will get four matches as long as it doesn’t get rained out.
The Demons are also scheduled to play three home varsity matches this season, including next Thursday (March 16) against Grand Junction Central. Central beat DHS for the first time in a while last year, but the Demons also beat Grand Junction for the first time in a while.
“We can’t take any league opponents lightly,” Tarshis said.
The experienced team, however, can focus on different aspects of the game this season.
“The nice thing is now we can work on more strategy and improving and less fundamentals,” Tarshis said. “A big part of this season is mind set: Believing they are qualified to compete with anyone on the state.”
While the tennis team has its first matches under its belt, lots of other local high school teams will begin competing this weekend.
The DHS baseball team is scheduled to play a trio of games at Aztec High School in New Mexico. The Demons were scheduled to play Kirtland at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Montezuma-Cortez at 5:30 p.m. Friday and then Aztec at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Durango’s girls’ soccer team will head to Grand Junction for a pair of games, taking on Ralston Valley on Friday and Cherry Creek on Saturday.
The DHS boys’ lacrosse team will begin its season at Golden High School on Saturday. The DHS girls’ lacrosse team, meanwhile will head to Aspen to take on the Skiers.
Durango’s girls’ golf team will first play Monday in Palisade.
Bayfield’s Wolverines will also be in action. The BHS baseball team will begin its season at the Montrose Baseball Tournament, playing Summit and Eagle Valley on Saturday. Bayfield’s track and field team will compete in Farmington on Saturday ahead of the team’s first home meet in March 17. The BHS girls’ soccer team will play its first game next week when the team hosts Lake County at 4 p.m. on Thursday.
Ignacio’s teams, meanwhile, are set to play their first games next week. IHS baseball is scheduled to host Nucla on Tuesday while the school’s girls’ soccer team travels to Alamosa. Ignacio’s track team will begin its year at Bayfield on March 17.
