Durango High School football and baseball player Peyton Woolverton comes from a family rich with athletic talent. He’s been playing sports for as long as he can remember, and his numbers reflect that on the field of play, but Woolverton’s leadership qualities and success off the field are perhaps the most impressive.
Fans that follow DHS football are familiar with Woolverton’s progression as the Demons starting quarterback this season. DHS has won three of its last four games and Woolverton’s play has been a big part of the good stretch of play.
In the team’s last two games, the senior is 34-of-52 with 461 passing yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. In last week’s 46-0 win against Sierra, he also ran for two scores, and he’ll need to continue the sharp play if the Demons hope to make a playoff push.
“It’s been an up and down year, but we’re still getting better,” said Woolverton, son of Kathleen and Ryan Woolverton. “We learned a lot about how we stack up in this class in our game against Pueblo East. We feel like if we can get in, we can make a run in the playoffs.”
On the baseball diamond, Woolverton played in every game of his junior season and led the Demons with 26 runs batted in and eight doubles.
In the classroom, the young man his classmates call “P. Wooly” has a 4.14 grade point average and is a member of the National Honor Society with aspirations of heading to Stanford or UCLA for college.
But, most of all, Woolverton has embraced the role of helping the next batch of Demons excel, as he has, both on and off the field.
“This next group of Demons is one to watch out for,” he said. “They know they’re good and they talk a lot of smack to us about it, but I like to think we did a good job teaching them.”
And Woolverton is literally teaching them both on and off the field. He recently volunteered to tutor one of the Young American Football League players who was struggling in class, and helped turn things around, kind of like his play is turning around the Demons’ season.
“It’s important to keep the kids on the right path,” he said. “Whether we like it or not, they watch what we do and they look up to us. They learn from our success and our mistakes.”
In the meantime, the lifelong Durangoan will enjoy playing the last few games with the friends he’s been playing with for as long as he can remember.
“When it all comes down to it, win or lose, I’m looking forward to finishing our the season with Jake Bourdon, my center Richard Hall and many of the guys I’ve played with for so long,” he said. “Hard to believe it’s coming to and end, and we’re going to go all out until it’s over.”
jfries@durangoherald.com
Behind the scenes
Who is your favorite athlete?:
Peyton Manning
What is your nickname?:
P Wooly
What is your favorite restaurant in Durango?:
Macho’s
Who is your celebrity crush?:
Selena Gomez
What is your favorite sports movie?:
The Blind Side
What teacher made a great impact on you?:
Ms. Tidwell, my Chemistry teacher. She really challenged me academically and sparked an interest in chemistry.
Where is your favorite vacation spot?:
Hawaii
Where is the worst place to play?:
Delta was tough because their student section was crazy.
What are your favorite sports teams?:
Broncos and Rockies
What is your dream job?:
I always wanted to be a CIA agent. It just seems cool.
