The Durango High School boys lacrosse team started its season 2-0 after a convincing 18-5 win against Sandia Prep of Albuquerque on Saturday afternoon in New Mexico.
The Demons started off on the wrong foot again, as they quickly went down 1-0 but responded by scoring the next five to end the first quarter leading 5-1.
DHS head coach John Robinette was pleased with the response.
“We rebounded back there, and it was nice to get going early in the game,” coach Robinette said. “After yesterday for trailing for much of that game, we got after it today pretty much from the opening whistle.”
Cullen Robinette set the single-game record for most assists with 10, along with four goals. He was not the only productive Demon on the day, as fellow senior attackman Corbin Randle, who led the team with five goals and an assist. In the second half, DHS outscored the Sundevils 11-2, including 5-1 in the third and 6-1 in the fourth.
“In the first, we were rushing our shots, weren’t picking our spots in the shooting lanes,” coach Robinette said. “In that second half, we regrouped, slowed down the offense a bit and were smarter with our shot selection. We were much more efficient and were able to pull away.”
The Demons went 19-of-26 from the faceoff circle and capitalized when they had an extra-man opportunity, as they scored 4-of-5 with a man up in the second half.
“We got all 21 players in there today, and 17 of them registered stats,” coach Robinette said. “It was a good team win and we’re hoping to continue this start.”
DHS will play Telluride at 4 p.m. Thursday at DHS.
Girls LacrosseThe Durango High School girls lacrosse team went 1-1 in its second day of play Saturday in Santa Fe.
In the first game, Durango fought hard but came up short against Pueblo West (2-0) in a 20-7 loss in the morning game. DHS went back-and-forth for much of the game but could not close the gap. Statistics were not available.
The Demons had a much better go of it in the second game against Rio Rancho, with a 14-5 victory to cap off the weekend.
“It all came together in that second game,” said DHS head coach Natalie Mitchell. “Things just clicked, our spacing came together and we played as a team. We had good transition defense and our shot selection was smart.”
Most of the goals on the day came from Kiara Valley, while Autumn Rymerson added two and Lexi Wold also scored her first goal of her high school career. Bre Waddell, a senior, played stingy defense and forced plenty of turnovers and led the way for transition offense.
DHS (1-2) will have another doubleheader Monday when they will take on Roaring Fork of Carbondale at 3 p.m. followed by Aspen at 6 p.m. at Aspen High School.
Girls Soccer
Girls SoccerThe Durango High School girls soccer team had another tough go of it Saturday morning in a 6-0 defeat to Cherry Creek in Grand Junction.
The Bruins (2-0) controlled the pace of play from early on, but the Demon defense held firm until the 25th minute, when they got on the scoreboard. Cherry Creek would add two more before halftime to make it 3-0 heading into the locker room.
“Cherry Creek was just a very talented, athletic, skilled and well-disciplined team,” said DHS associate head coach Keane Hamilton. “We knew they would be a challenge no matter what, and we had a few mental mistakes, and when you’re playing against a team that good, you’ll get punished for it.”
In the second half, the Bruins added three more goals, spaced evenly in 10-minute intervals, right around the 50th, 60th and 70th minute to top off an already impressive offensive showing.
“At this point in the season, we’re looking to clean up those small mental or tactical errors that we can work on. We’re happy with the group’s efforts, and we’re not losing the individual battles,” Hamilton said. “We’ll be able to clean this up as a staff and will find some more success, for sure.”
DHS will take on Skyline at noon Friday in Longmont.
The Bayfield High School girls soccer team responded in a big way after a season-opening defeat Friday night with a 6-0 thumping of Buena Vista on Saturday morning at Salida High School.
Halle Loveday scored a penalty kick. Maddy Oltmanns had two goals on the afternoon while Brooke Merchant, Cayanne Carlson and Emaliah Sawyer all scored one, as well.
“We definitely got after it today,” said BHS head coach Jen Moore. “We had the formation change from last night, and, combined with figuring out the pieces of the puzzle of who fits best where on the field, it was a bit of redemption, for sure. We controlled a lot of possession, and it resulted in a lot of shots and chances in general.”
BHS (1-1) finished the game with 16 shots, while goalkeeper Jaden Cooper was forced to make one save on the afternoon.
“We’ve got a big game next week, so we’re hoping to be practicing on the field regularly, and we’ll prepare for it the best we can,” Moore said.
BHS host Pagosa Springs at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Wolverine Country Stadium.
bploen@durangoherald.com
