The Mayberry clan’s Durango High School sports lineage stretches back to 2009, when George Mayberry first stepped onto the football field.
Follow it through 2014, when Isiah Mayberry graduated as a four-year starter in three sports and went on to Fort Lewis College to play football for the Skyhawks.
Now, DHS senior Lawrence Mayberry represents the Demons’ red and white.
He’s made a name for himself on both sides of the ball on the football field and all across the baseball diamond as a pitcher and infielder.
It’s hard to bring up Lawrence without mentioning George and Isiah not only because of that legacy, but how intertwined they are with his career.
“They definitely affected me with how they play, how they acted throughout the school,” said Lawrence Mayberry, son of George and Tonya Mayberry. “They showed me how to be a leader, how to be a man. I just learn from them every day.”
With Isiah up at the Fort and George starting a family in town, Lawrence can still lean on his family for advice and guidance.
Even though he shares so many qualities with his older brothers, Lawrence Mayberry has made a name for himself.
He helped spark Durango’s season-opening football win Friday in Alamosa against Class 3A No. 10 Lutheran.
Mayberry popped two long touchdown runs totaling 114 yards to put the Demons in control.
“The passing game was definitely a part of it. Terrence (Trujillo) and Lucas Baken had a (heck) of a game. They did good spreading the defense out,” Lawrence Mayberry said. “It opened it up for me, and my linemen did good, too.”
Mayberry also intercepted a pass that set up Durango’s first touchdown drive before that.
“Great athlete with a nose for the ball,” DHS head coach David Vogt said. “Playmaker.”
The Demons couldn’t ask for a better start to the 2015 season, or out of Mayberry.
He’s got bigger plans than one big game, though.
Mayberry wants to help lead DHS not only back to the playoffs like in his sophomore – and Isiah’s senior – year, but bring the playoffs to DHS.
“The main goal that’s running through my head is my first playoff home game,” Lawrence Mayberry said. “That’s the same as my buddies. We’ve talked about it every day mostly.”
That from an athlete not even playing in his favorite sport.
The Mayberrys have always been multi-sport athletes, and Lawrence leans toward baseball.
“That’s what I want to go to college for,” he said. “I really don’t want to put my body through this (football). My brother at the Fort tells me stories – he loves it. I think I’m just made for baseball.”
When he’s on either field, Lawrence Mayberry is almost always the shortest guy out there. Listed at 5-foot-8, he’s always made up for his lack in height with an abundance a tenacious spirit.
He embraces his stature and uses it to his advantage.
“I think (opponents) underestimate me. I work my butt off in the weight room,” Lawrence Mayberry said. “Since I’m low, I come off with speed. I like it instead of being tall. It works for me.”
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
Behind the scenes
Who is your favorite athlete?: My brothers, George and Isiah Mayberry
What is your favorite summer activity?: I’m always at the lake fishing with my family.
Who’s your favorite superhero?: The Incredible Hulk
What is your favorite childhood story?: Hunger Games
What teacher has had the greatest impact on you?: Rob Coddington
You are going out on a date, where do you go?: To the lake, go fishing
What’s the worst place you’ve had to travel for a game?: Palmer Ridge – foggy, couldn’t see nothing.
Who is your celebrity crush?: Selena Gomez
What is a place you haven’t visited but most want to?: Puerto Rico
What’s your favorite hike to do in this area?: Junction Creek
