National Signing Day for college athletes provided the chance for three Durango High School student athletes to solidify their commitments Wednesday.
Durango seniors Laitham Johnson, Maddie Robertson and Terrence Trujillo all signed a National Letter of Intent to play college sports, with Johnson and Trujillo set to play football, while Robertson will continue her soccer career.
All three athletes shared one sentiment in their desire to represent the town of Durango well in their next stop.
“I feel like I have a point to prove coming from the small town of Durango, and I can’t wait to show them who I am,” said Robertson, who will play women’s soccer at Division II Barton College in Wilson, North Carolina.
Johnson accepted a recruited walk-on offer at the University of Wyoming to play college football in the NCAA Division I Mountain West Conference. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound offensive lineman fell in love with Laramie, Wyoming, on a visit last weekend and opted to accept the walk-on offer ahead of a scholarship from Colorado State University-Pueblo, the 2014 Division II national champions from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
“It’s always been my goal ever since I decided I wanted to play in college to get to Division I,” said Johnson, son of Brad and Nancy Johnson. “The main thing at Wyoming is they can develop me more because they have a lot more resources than Pueblo because there is such a big difference in funding from Division I to Division II.”
Johnson, who wants to study business, said he is going to do everything he can to prove himself at Wyoming to earn his place with the Cowboys.
“I’ve always had to work hard. Since I decided I wanted to do this, I put in every effort I had to make sure I’d be where I want to be,” he said. “I’m not going to screw that up now and make it turn out for nothing.”
Trujillo also considered CSU-Pueblo along with another Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference school in Colorado Mesa. Both of those schools recruited the 6-foot, 185-pound quarterback to be an athlete. Eastern New Mexico University of the Division II Lone Star Conference recruited Trujillo as a quarterback, so he chose to run with the Greyhounds in Portales, New Mexico.
“They wanted me the most out of all the schools,” said Trujillo, son of Geno and Nicole Trujillo. “I want to play quarterback and know I can at the next level. Eastern gave me the opportunity, so I have a lot of respect for them and want to work for them.”
Trujillo burst on the scene his junior season by beating out a senior for the Demons’ starting job. He elevated his play over the summer and helped lead Durango to a 10-2 season that ended in the state quarterfinals. He passed for 1,921 yards and 27 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. He completed 54.6 percent of his passes and also used his legs to rush for another 841 yards and eight touchdowns, twice going over 100 yards rushing in a game.
Trujillo said he hopes to study either business or criminal justice.
“My junior year, I was an average quarterback. But I stepped up my game a lot, and everyone around me did, too,” Trujillo said. “The weight lifting program (DHS head coach David Vogt) has brought to Durango has made me and the entire team better, and I wouldn’t be playing college football without that.”
Robertson will take her cannon of a right leg to Barton College. The daughter of Jim and Susie Robertson took a visit to the North Carolina campus and built a relationship with the coaches and current players, making her decision to pick the Bulldogs over the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs an easy choice.
“It’s a smaller campus, but I enjoyed the community, the coach is awesome and I got to hang out with the girls and could really see myself being there next year,” she said.
Robertson, who plans to study physical therapy, is coming off a knee surgery and is hoping to be able to return to the soccer field late in her senior season, but her focus is on returning to full strength and pushing to be even better than she was her junior season when she had seven goals and two assists from the midfield.
What sets Robertson apart, be it on the volleyball court or soccer field, is her leadership and charismatic nature. DHS head coach Dalon Parker said that is the best of her many attributes as a teammate.
“I feel like my leadership will really pull me forward,” Robertson said. “I make an effort, I’m loud on the field, I communicate well and I always try my hardest no matter what.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
