When the Durango High School football team hosts Piedra Vista on Saturday, the Demons aren’t likely to see anything they haven’t already.
The Demons and Panthers out of Farmington see each other regularly and are familiar with each other’s style of play, but Durango also has seen a similar style of play the Panthers will bring having played hard-hitting Delta two weeks ago.
After a win against Aztec last week, Durango senior Gavin Mestas said the game against Delta will help prepare the Demons (2-0) for Piedra Vista (2-0). They play at 1 p.m. Saturday at DHS.
“Delta was one of the hardest hitting teams we’ll ever see. We definitely felt pain, but we’ll be ready to go,” Mestas said. “We have a great coaching staff that studies film hard, and we have dedicated players. If we do our jobs, we’re gonna win.”
Both Panther teams – Delta and Piedra Vista – use a power running game aimed at controlling tempo and wearing opposing defenses down as the game goes on. The Demons held Delta to 97 yards on 39 carries.
Piedra Vista lost its top two running threats from last season but feature a three-headed attack this year with McKay Cook, Trent Kiraly and Israel Gutierrez, who combined for 240 yards on the ground in a 30-7 win last week against Goddard of Roswell, New Mexico.
“Our emphasis is playing a solid defense and stopping the run because that’s PV’s strength, running the ball,” Durango head coach David Vogt said.
“It will be a similar game plan to stop the run, and if we do that, we’ll have a great chance to be successful on defense.
“We’re pretty evenly matched, and what I’ve been preaching is every game comes down to five plays. Who’s gonna give max effort for those plays and who’s gonna take a play off.”
Offensively, the Demons made a big jump from their 3-0 overtime win against Delta to last week’s 35-14 rout of Aztec, and Vogt said the offense is adding new wrinkles to its game plan to get the ball into the hands of its playmakers.
But the focus of the game remains on the Demons’ defense and keeping field position in their favor.
“It’s OK if our offense goes three-and-out as long as we change the field position and give our defense a good opportunity,” Vogt said.
Saturday’s game also presents a different challenge for Durango outside of the Panthers. It gives the Demons one more day to prepare, but it forces the team to play in hot weather with the sun beating down on the field, which could have a big impact on the game.
“The biggest thing for us is keeping them hydrated,” Vogt said. “Playing a game at 1 in the afternoon, we’ve already had some cramping issues, so we’re really focused on keeping them hydrated and getting them ready.
kschneider@durangoherald.com
If you go
Who: Piedra Vista at Durango
What: High school football
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Durango High School Stadium
Listen live: KKDG 99.7 FM
Twitter: @karltschneider
