Durango High School football has been dominant on defense since its opening-night loss to Montrose. That defense has led to some comfortable wins, including one on Thursday night on the road.
The Demons shut down the Palisade offense on the road and cruised to a 17-6 victory.
“The kids played well; they were flying around,” Durango football head coach Hunter Holmes said. “It's kind of a weird game playing on Thursday at 4:00 for a varsity football game. The kids handled it well and traveled well. We came out and played well with long, sustained drives.”
Durango improved to 3-1 overall. Junior quarterback Grady Feeney finished 12/18 passing for 84 yards and a passing touchdown. Feeney also finished the game with 21 carries, 115 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown. Senior wide receiver Ollie Peterson led the Demons with four receptions for 38 yards and a receiving touchdown.
In the last three games, the Demons have allowed 12 points. Senior Oliver Clark led Durango with eight total tackles against the Bulldogs.
Holmes was impressed by Clark, senior Kaedon Martinez and sophomore Hayes Fancher on defense.
“He doesn’t play like a sophomore,” Holmes said about Fancher. “He’s physical, fast and he’ll stick his into it. He’s a really good football player and he’s got a bright future.”
The Demons jumped out to a 7-0 lead after the first quarter and led 14-3 at half. Palisade cut the lead to 14-6 after three quarters, before senior kicker Dylan Burns hit a field goal in the fourth.
Durango hits the road to play at Grand Junction on Thursday at 7 p.m.
The Durango girls softball team left no doubt in fans’ minds on Friday about who was the superior team in the Demons home matchup against Battle Mountain. Durango won 11-0 after five innings of play.
“Jenna Glueck on the pitcher’s mound did awesome,” Durango softball head coach Sara Clair said. “She had a perfect game going until the second-to-last batter … we had no errors which was awesome for our defense. Overall, we played clean.”
Durango improved to 7-3 overall while Battle Mountain dropped to 5-7 overall.
Glueck finished with eight strikeouts and only one hit allowed. The Demons outhit the Huskies 10-1 and Glueck finished 2-3 at bat. Durango juniors Marcela Jimenez and Brooke Casias went 2-2 at bat.
The Demons went up against a slower pitcher, which usually stymies the Durango hitters because they don’t see slow pitchers very often. Clair was happy to see her girls have success against Battle Mountain’s slower pitcher.
Durango led 1-0 after the first inning and 4-0 after the second. Durango’s best inning was in the third, when the Demons had the bases loaded a few times, according to Clair, and Durango capitalized with six runs.
The Durango boys soccer team has gotten through one of its worst losing streaks in recent program history. Durango got back in the win column with a 2-1 victory over Grand Junction Central on Friday night on Dirks Field at Fort Lewis College.
“We're proud of the boys for their fight,” Durango boys soccer head coach Sean Ackerman said. “They've really shown that the last three games, even though the results haven't gone our way, they fought for the final whistle. We’d like a little bit more quality in the first half and come out firing, but also find some composure when we are in possession. But overall, I'm very happy to finally get that win. After last few games, they've turned the corner.”
Durango improved to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the 5A/4A Southwestern League with the win that snapped a three-game losing streak. Grand Junction Central dropped to 2-4-1 overall and 0-3 in the 5A/4A Southwestern League with the loss.
Senior Benjie Masterson and sophomore Connor Allen scored for Durango.
Durango started off well, according to Ackerman, until the Demons fouled a Warrior inside Durango’s 18-yard box. This resulted in a penalty kick and a 1-0 lead for Grand Junction Central about 10 minutes into the game.
The Demons responded by controlling possession until they were fouled inside Grand Junction Central’s 18-yard box, resulting in a penalty kick. Masterson buried it with about 10 minutes left in the first half for a 1-1 tie.
Ackerman talked to his team about playing with composure, finding feet and releasing their wingers. The talk paid off about 15 minutes into the second half when junior Miles Daley crossed the ball to Allen, who finished in the bottom right corner for the 2-1 lead.
Allen has been in and out of the lineup so far this year with injuries.
“We've always known that the kid was special, even though he's only a sophomore,” Ackerman said about Allen. “I've played him in various roles at wing back, forward and the center attacking midfielder. Now I'm kind of committing to him playing left midfielder; he's just creative and he's been producing.”
Ackerman complimented Grand Junction Central and the league with the improvements they’ve made from last year.
The Demons hit the road to play at Alamosa on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
