The temperature is getting colder. The leaves on the trees have changed. Playoffs for high school fall sports are near.
Some teams are done with their seasons while others may have almost a month left depending on playoff runs.
Regardless, now is a good time to see what fall athletes stand out compared to other schools’ athletes. Here’s what Durango athletes are ranked in the top 15 in their sport’s class in key statistical categories.
Football: Cully Feeney in passing yards, total yards
Durango senior quarterback Cully Feeney has improved with each game in his first year starting. Interim head coach Ryan Woolverton has improved his play calling for Feeney and the offense each game.
Feeney is eighth in class 4A with 1165 yards passing over seven games. He’s averaging 166.4 yards passing per game. Feeney has a completion percentage of 55% and has thrown 12 touchdowns to three interceptions.
His passing numbers were a bit inconsistent early in the season. He threw for a season-low 74 yards in a 17-6 win over Piedra Vista and threw for a season-high 251 yards in a 32-14 win against Palisade. But in the last three games, Feeney had over 160 passing yards and two touchdowns in each game.
Expect Feeney to finish the season strong as he continues to grow with his dynamic receiving core.
Feeney is seventh in total yards with 1,483 yards thanks to his running ability. Feeney’s a big part of the Durango run game and should continue to be as long as he’s healthy.
Sebastian Tripp in receiving yards
Durango’s receiving core has been written about plenty due to its versatility and explosiveness. Junior Sebastian Tripp has stood out the last few games with his production. At 6-foot-1-inches and 185 pounds, Tripp has a great combination of size and speed.
After three games of at least 69 yards and a touchdown, Tripp is 14th in receiving yards with 397 yards for the season and an average of 56.7 yards per game. He has six receiving touchdowns so far.
Tripp should get a lot of attention from opposing defenses for his recent performance. However, Demons receivers Mason Miller, Peyton Dike and Will Zahradnik pose enough of a threat for Tripp to continue to produce.
Braxton Waddell and Cole Pontine in tackles
Durango has been strong on defense this season. After giving up 42 points to Montrose in the opening game of the season, the Demons have given up 13 points a game since and a lot of that has to do with senior middle linebacker Braxton Waddell and senior safety Cole Pontine.
Pontine has great speed and instincts which have made him a menace at safety. He’s sixth in 4A with 74 total tackles. He has 48 solo tackles and 26 assisted tackles.
At 6 feet and 180 pounds, Waddell has a good mix of size and speed that has caused issues for opposing team’s offenses. He’s seventh in 4A with 74 total tackles. Waddell has 40 solo tackles and 34 assisted tackles at middle linebacker.
The Demons are in a new league in the 4A Soco 2. There’s plenty of size and athleticism on the other team’s rosters. Waddell and Pontine will have to continue to shine so the Demons can finish the season strong.
Dylan Burns in kicking and punting
Not many high school football teams in 4A have a player like Durango junior Dylan Burns and the stats back it up.
Burns is third in 4A with five made field goals with a long of 51. He’s only hit 56% of them but some of those weren’t his fault with kicks being blocked and bad holds. He’s also 13th in 4A with 16 made PATs.
The fall dual-sport star is also proficient in punting. Burns is 10th in 4A with an average punt of 35.7 yards.
Burns has aspirations of kicking in college. The Demons’ offense will give him plenty of opportunities to impressive college scouts with his powerful leg.
Volleyball: Eva Stewart in assists
Senior setter Eva Stewart has been a staple in the Durango volleyball program the last four years. Her sets have allowed the Durango offense to thrive for years with Demons’ outside hitters set up perfectly for kills.
Therefore, it’s no surprise Stewart is sixth in assists in 5A this year with 427. Stewart ranks higher in assists per set with 8.1, a mark good for fourth in 5A.
Durango volleyball hasn’t had the best regular season but head coach Kelley Rifilato is focused on getting her team to play its best volleyball heading into the playoffs. Stewart will be a big part of that.
Boys soccer: Dylan Burns in points and goals
Junior forward Dylan Burns is a key cog in the Demons’ offense on the football and soccer teams. On the soccer field, Burns has great size, speed and skill. If he has space, he can get off a powerful shot that’s tough to stop.
Burns is 14th in 4A with 30 points coming from 13 goals and four assists. He’s eighth in 4A with his 13 goals, despite only playing 10 of Durango’s 13 games so far this season.
The boys soccer playoffs will be starting shortly. Durango hasn’t had much success there the past few years despite some gaudy regular season records. Burns will be a key if the Demons change that this year.
Quinn Harrison in saves
Durango junior goalkeeper Quinn Harrison has been an underrated part of the Demons’ defense. Harrison has 77 saves so far this season which is 13th best in 4A.
Harrison has a quality defense in front of him and an offense that likes to keep possession, which helps him. Keepers always have to make a key save or two in a deep playoff run and Harrison will be the man for the job.
Softball: Avery Clair in RBIs
The Durango softball team just missed the playoffs, but it wasn’t because of its hitting. The Demons scored runs and got on base. The problem was with some fielding errors and pitching.
Sophomore Avery Clair is a building block for Durango’s team next fall. She had 37 RBIs this season, which was 11th best in 4A. Expect Clair to show up at the top of many categories next year.
Note: Cross country, boys golf and boys tennis stats were unavailable
bkelly@durangoherald.com
