Defense has been a strength of the Durango High School football team all season, and the Demons will need to be at their best during the regular season finale Friday night.
The Demons will host Harrison at 6 p.m. Friday at DHS, and the Panthers’ offense is one of the most dangerous groups Durango will face all season.
Harrison (8-1, 3-1 3A South Central League) holds the No. 10 spot in this week’s Colorado High School Activities Association’s RPI rankings. The Panthers have shown they can hurt teams in a variety of ways, and they have the experience not to crumble under pressure.
“A big thing they have is the last couple years they played with a lot of young kids, so they have a lot of experienced players,” DHS senior Manasseh Brockus said. “Last year, they were playing with a super young team and have almost every single player back.”
Quarterback Orlando Westbrook has been incredibly efficient for the Panthers. This season, he has completed close to 64 percent of his passes for 1,459 yards and 14 touchdowns against one interception.
Westbrook’s primary target has been David Barron, a 5-foot-8 wide receiver who has hauled in 44 passes for 825 yards and 11 TDs.
In the running game, the Panthers use misdirection to get opposing defenses out of position. The Demons can’t afford mistakes or Harrison’s Aumiere Shedrick could run wild.
“That running back is a stud for sure,” DHS head coach David Vogt said. “They will do some misdirection stuff, but usually when they do that they’ll pull a guard and they always run where the guard is pulling. We really focused on that this week and reading guards.”
Shedrick, a 5-foot-10, 215-pound junior, has run for 1,264 yards on 8.4 yards per carry with 15 scores. Westbrook has 12 rushing touchdowns, too.
Brockus and Vogt both said communication on the defensive side of the ball will be a key factor in the Demons’ success stopping the run.
“It’s going to be a crucial part of the game,” Brockus said. “Coach Vogt always talks about how a game comes down to five plays and that’s completely true. We have to make sure those five plays go for us and not against us.”
Durango (6-3, 3-1 SCL) is No. 16 in the RPI rankings and will enter the finale on a three-game winning streak, the team’s second such streak of the season. During this stretch, the Demons’ offense has hit a new level and has outscored opponents 120-37.
Pacing the offense has been junior running back Dawson Marcum, who has piled up 376 yards and four touchdowns in the last three games.
With the Panthers keyed in on stopping the run, the Demons will look to exploit Harrison’s secondary by getting the ball in the hands of wide receivers Alex Hise, Kade Jackson and Gavin Martin.
“They’re gonna stack the box and just play man coverage, so we have some big-hitter plays on offense,” Vogt said. “They’re gonna be in man coverage, so we’re gonna try to get Gavin and some of the other receivers open and in space. If we get some good protection and give our quarterback time to throw the ball, we have some specialty plays drawn up for them.”
Senior Max Hyson will get the start at QB again this week for the Demons. Hyson is 4-3 when starting at quarterback this season and has completed just fewer than 50 percent of his passes for 507 yards and five touchdowns.
With the No. 16 spot in the RPI standings, the Demons are on the bubble for the 3A playoffs. The RPI standings determine the playoff field, which consists of 16 teams.
A win Friday night doesn’t guarantee the Demons will make the post season, but a loss will end the season.
“A big thing we’ve been saying all week is to take if personal. These guys are going to come out knowing if they win it would end our season,” Brockus said.
“We have to want it more than them. Of course that’s how it comes down in every game, but we’re stressing going out there and fighting to the whistle on every play. If they come out on top, they come out on top, but we’re going to work our (butts) off every play.”
kschneider@durangoherald.com
If you go
Who: Harrison at Durango
What: 3A South Central League football
When: 6 p.m. Friday
Where: DHS Stadium
Listen Live: KKDG 99.7 FM
Twitter: @karltschneider
