High school sports teams in Colorado just began practicing for the fall season, but two teams from Durango are already set to begin competing.
The Durango High School boys golf team will tee its season off Friday at the Conquistador Golf Course in Cortez.
The DHS softball team, meanwhile, will play its first game of the season at 1 p.m. Friday against the Alamosa Mean Moose in Alamosa.
The golfers, which were the first team allowed to begin practicing on Aug. 1, had a team qualifier last week and then played a practice round with Pagosa Springs and Montezuma-Cortez on Monday in Cortez.
Head coach Kirk Rawles said the team has about 46 players out this season, and at least 10 will compete Friday in Cortez, including some junior varsity players. The team’s varsity roster for the opener includes returning state qualifier Zachary Griswold, Owen Muraro, Bailey Burke, Emmett Arias and Nick Best. All five of them competed last year.
Cole Ulrich, Luke Carlson, Austin Romero and Ben Ogden will also compete for DHS.
“We want to let them chart some scores to determine who we take to regionals,” Rawles said, noting that the team will have another stroke-play qualifier next week followed by some team match play during the season.
Returning Class 3A state runner-up, Thayer Plewe, meanwhile, will lead the Panthers on their home course.
With Cortez hosting a regional championship this season, several teams from the Denver-area will also compete on Friday, getting a look at the course before the post season.
The Demons will host two tournaments this season – Aug. 29 at Hillcrest and Sept. 13 at Dalton Ranch. The tournaments are usually held together, but the Hillcrest competition was moved up to avoid a conflict with aeration at the course.
“We decided to move it earlier so the kids will get to play Hillcrest when it’s at its best,” Rawles said.
Durango’s softball team, meanwhile, will have the quickest turnaround of any local team. The Demons held their first practice on Monday and will play its first game in the same week on Friday.
The Demons barely missed the playoffs last year, finishing 13-10 overall.
After playing Alamosa, DHS softball will play at MCHS Tuesday and continue to be road warriors for the rest of August. The softball squad will play its first home games Sept. 2-3 when it hosts Battle Mountain for a pair.
Next week, several more teams from La Plata County will play their first games.
On Friday the 19th, the Bayfield boys soccer team will kick off its season at Windsor Charter and then play at Severance the following day.
The DHS boys tennis team will also compete Aug. 19-20, playing at the Lowry Bishop tournament in Grand Junction.
The DHS boys soccer team will begin its season Aug. 20 at Mitchell High School in Colorado Springs.
Local cross-country teams will also compete in their first races on Aug. 20. DHS will run in Grand Junction Central’s Warrior Invitational at Matchett Park while Ignacio and Bayfield are both scheduled to race in Dolores at the Boggy Draw Bear Chase.
La Plata County’s volleyball and football teams are also scheduled to begin their seasons the following week.
On Aug. 23, the county’s three volleyball teams will all be in action. Durango will play at Farmington, Bayfield will play across town at Piedra Vista and Ignacio will open up at Montezuma-Cortez.
The local football teams will be the last local teams to compete. Durango will begin its season Aug. 26 at Farmington. Bayfield will host San Juan (Utah) on Aug. 26.
Ignacio was originally scheduled to play Grand Valley on Aug. 26, but the game was canceled. IHS is now scheduled to play its first football game Sept. 9 at home against Whitehorse (Utah).
The DHS football team will be in a new league this year: the 3A Central West. The league includes Battle Mountain, Eagle Valley, Glenwood Springs, Palisade, Summit and the Demons.
