Some Durango High School fall sports teams will have new opponents starting at the end of August.
Durango football, volleyball and cross country are all moving up classes because of the enrollment of the entire school two years ago, according to Durango High School Athletic Director Ryan Knorr.
Football will be moving up from class 3A to 4A. Volleyball and cross country will be moving up from class 4A to 5A.
Knorr said he appealed those three sports moving up classes because enrollment will drop over the next few years which will bring those sports under the enrollment threshold to move up. His appeal was denied.
Colorado High School Activities Association, or CHSAA, has a unique enrollment number cutoff for each sport. Therefore, fall sports like boys soccer, boys golf, softball and boys tennis are not moving up classes.
What’s even more strange is cross country is moving up a class but track and field in the spring is staying in the same class.
Last season, Durango played in the 3A Western Slope League with Palisade, Glenwood Springs, Eagle Valley and Summit.
This season, the Demons will play in the 4A Soco 2 League with Air Academy, Liberty, Palmer Ridge, Rampart and Vista Ridge.
Another reason Knorr appealed those three sports moving up classes was because of the increased travel costs. Durango has always had to travel in its isolated location but travel will increase with the schools in the new football league being around the Colorado Springs area.
One of the arguments used against football by CHSAA was the Demons dominated in their old league. Last season, Durango won its four league games by a score of 141-28.
Knorr’s counter-argument is while the Demons had a lot of easy wins in league play in 3A, they weren’t guaranteed a spot in the 3A state semifinals or 3A state championship game with their school size or winning in their league.
“This is a huge opportunity,” Knorr said about 4A football. “I like winning and the fun atmosphere when we're winning. But sometimes in our previous league, that wasn't considered winning. It was seeing how fast we can get a running clock and get out of there. So it'll be more of a challenge that I think our teams are up for.”
Knorr said despite the increased travel costs for road games, moving up to 4A should create a more exciting home environment at football games.
Moving up to 4A will also help kids who want to play college football be better prepared with better competition level compared to 3A football on the Western Slope.
Volleyball and cross country are less affected by the class move. Volleyball will remain in the 4A/5A Southwestern League and will only be affected if the team advances to the regional or state tournament.
Cross country’s regular season meet schedule won’t change too much. Like volleyball, cross country’s season won’t be affected until the regional and state championships.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
