The fourth quarter has been trouble for the Durango High School boys lacrosse team early this season, but it didn’t matter Friday.
The Demons (2-2, 1-0 Mountain League) struggled late again and were outscored 6-2 in a rough final quarter against Vail Mountain. The damage had already been done, however, as Kyle Robinette scored two goals, added three assists and seven groundballs to lead Durango in a 10-7 win in the league and home opener for the Demons.
Freshman goalie Dylan Gaver made 10 saves between the pipes, and sophomore Tommy Rodgers had four goals for Durango in the win.
“I was really happy with our play for three quarters there for sure,” Durango head coach John Robinette said. “We had some nice, long possessions and hardly any unforced turnovers in the first half. The boys executed the plays we ran in practice, and we did all the little things right for most of the game.”
The last time the two teams met up, it was in the Mountain League playoffs, with the Demons also winning 11-7 in the first round to reach last year’s state tournament.
It took the teams some time to feel each other out Friday. After nine minutes of scoreless play, Rodgers scored the game’s first goal, and the flood gates opened for him and the Demons. Robinette added his first goal of the game less than two minutes later to give the Demons a 2-0 lead after the opening quarter.
“We’re starting to move the ball really well,” said Kyle Robinette, son of the coach and Tracy Robinette. “We’ve got a lot of juniors, so we’re a pretty young team and we just want to keep improving.”
Two more goals from Rodgers to start the second quarter stretched the lead to 4-0. Late second quarter goals by Cullen Robinette and Oaken Oles just before halftime gave the Demons a 6-1 lead at the break. Aside from one goal from Vail Mountain captain Tyler Hancock, Gaver was spotless in the first half.
“It’s kind of scary sometimes as a freshman, and I get nervous, but it’s also a lot of fun out there,” said Gaver, son of Joanna and Todd Gaver. “You’ve got to have good reaction time, and you can’t get too up or down because there’s a lot of luck involved.”
Rodgers proved that it wasn’t just luck on his side in the first half when he opened the third quarter with his fourth goal of the game. Not to be outdone by the Robinette brothers, Jackson Steigelman’s goal on a pass from Jeb Steigelman extended the DHS lead to 9-1 to start the fourth quarter.
Vail Mountain exploded to score six of the next seven goals, but the clock ran out on the Gore Rangers’ comeback effort. Durango outshot Vail Mountain 26-18 in the game. Gore Rangers goalie Nicholas Charles made 11 saves in the loss. With two goals and three assists, Kyle Robinette leads the Demons with 12 goals and 21 points on the season.
Durango will have a tough early season test at 11 a.m. Saturday as defending state champion and perennial powerhouse Aspen will come to town.
“We want to play the best competition, and that’s what we’ll get,” coach Robinette said. “We started the season in Utah playing some really good teams in preparation for talent like Aspen has. We wanted to test ourselves early, and we’re pumped for the opportunity.”
jfries@durangoherald.com
