The Durango High School boys soccer team found out its first-round opponent on Monday when the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 4A Boys Soccer Championship tournament bracket was released, and it’s a familiar foe.
The Demons (10-5) were given the No. 21 seed and will travel to Colorado Springs this weekend to face No. 12 The Classical Academy (11-4) at noon Saturday at TCA Stadium. The teams have met in the past, as the Titans knocked Durango out in the 4A semifinals en route to a state title in 2016.
CHSAA uses a Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) to seed teams in the playoffs. Teams are scored based on their strength of schedule, with a formula that calculates wins of a team’s opponent and wins of that opponent’s opponents. Durango finished with an RPI score of 0.556670, while The Classical Academy, champion of the Colorado Springs Metro League, had a score of 0.596319.
Durango coach Aaron Champenoy figured after Friday’s heartbreaking loss to Montrose for the 5A/4A Southwestern League championship that the Demons would face one of three teams.
“I thought we were going to face either Glenwood Springs, Pueblo West or The Classical Academy,” he said. “We dropped two spots, and in this point of the year, the draw is what it is. We knew we were going to be on the road no matter what.”
The teams match up well with one another, as both average more than four goals per match and have the same number of goals (66). The Titans have conceded 11 fewer goals (13) than Durango (24), and have rattled off eight consecutive shutouts. The last time they gave up a goal was a 3-2 loss to Valor Christian on Sept. 25. On the other side of the ball, DHS has registered five shutouts this season.
“They’re traditionally a very good team,” Champenoy said. “Their four losses are to four very good teams against quality opponents. They’re going to be very good, well-disciplined as a back line and athletic. In any playoff game, the key is to make fewer mistakes than your opponents and to try and capitalize off of that.”
Durango is led by a trio of upperclassmen, as three Demons have scored more than 10 goals this season. Junior Sayer Frontella leads DHS with 17, and he has added 13 assists for 47 total points. Junior Moritz Rosik has found the back of the net 14 times and has chipped in nine assists, while senior Leland Heinicke leads DHS in assists with 15 and has scored 12 goals.
The Titans are led by a few titans of their own, as senior forward Matt Roehr leads TCA with 15 goals and eight assists. Sophomore Brock Carpenter is second on the team with nine goals and has a team-high nine assists, while junior Caden Lukenbill has eight goals and seven assists.
“We know how to be successful when we play, we just have to do it,” Champenoy said. “I like going on the road and being a bit of an underdog, and hopefully, we can step up to the challenge.”
The Demons will also have three starters that will return to action after two players were injured, while a third had to sit out to yellow-card accumulation. Senior goalkeeper Caleb McGrath was injured just 10 minutes into Friday’s loss to the Indians, and Rosik was forced to leave the match in the 18th minute with an eye injury. Junior defender Logan Stettler sat out with back-to-back yellow cards. Champenoy said all three players are expected to be in the starting 11 on Saturday.
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I think that helps us out a lot,” Champenoy said. “Assuming they stay healthy this week at practice, they will be a big boost. We also had some young guys step up and play with confidence against Montrose, and hopefully, they can do it again in another big match.”
The game was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but with significant snow falling across the state, CHSAA opted to change its first-round dates. As a result, every Class 3A and 5A first-round matchup will be played on Friday, while 2A and 4A will be Saturday.
“We’ll have two more days to clean up some odds and ends,” Champenoy said. “I think with a few days extra rest and preparation, they’ll be ready to go on Saturday.”
Champenoy added that after a tough loss to Montrose, his team will look to rebound in a big way.
“I think coming off of that game against Montrose, it was probably the most proud I’ve been of them all year,” Champenoy said. “They battle hard through adversity, missing starters, not getting some calls our way, and they did the same thing with Fruita the other week. We’re moving in the right direction, and hopefully, we are going to battle for each other.”
bploen@durangoherald.com
