Durango High School’s boys soccer team was clearly excited to be back on the pitch Tuesday afternoon after a nine-day layoff.
The Demons applied pressure early and often, as they defeated Farmington’s Piedra Vista High School 10-0 at the Riverview Sports Complex. Sophomore Sailor Longfellow led the way for DHS with three goals, while Luke Stetler and Max Wilson added two each.
“We had that week off in between our Front Range trip, and we were kind of antsy – we just wanted to play again,” said Durango head coach Dalon Parker. “Sometimes that can be hard, so it was good to see the boys actually come in, be serious and act very professional.”
DHS (2-1) applied relentless pressure from the get-go but had trouble converting early in the game. Finally, after a number of near misses, Sam Dekay put the Demons on the board in the 18th minute and the flood gates opened. Elijah Fenton scored a few minutes later, and Max Wilson followed to make it 3-0. Longfellow’s first goal of the match and Luke Stetler’s strike in the final minutes of the half gave the Demons a 5-0 lead.
The second half was more of the same for Durango, and Piedra Vista (1-7) had no answers. Instead of missing chances early in the half, the Demons piled up goal after goal. In the 41st minute, Luke Stetler added his second goal and Longfellow did the same shortly after to stretch the lead to 7-0.
Mason Stetler had the eighth goal, and it was Longfellow again for the ninth and his hat trick.
Wilson’s second goal of the day made the score 10-0 and ended the game in the 59th minute.
“It was a good game, but I think we still have some things to work on,” said Longfellow. “When we’re in front of the goal, we need to put away more chances because some of the better teams aren’t going to give us so many opportunities.”
The Demons will travel to Pueblo this weekend to face Mullen and Pueblo Centennial. The trip should be a good early-season test for a young, talented team.
“Pueblo Centennial was a playoff team last year and Mullen plays in a really tough league,” said Parker. “The staff is excited about it and the kids are excited about it, so we’ll get a pretty good idea of where we’re at and what we need to work on after this trip.”
jfries@durangoherald.com
