Six Durango Demons recently inked letters of intent to continue competing at the next level.
Zach Haber signed with New Mexico State University to play NCAA Division I football for the Aggies.
Soccer goalie Fred Reiter will join his former coach at Durango High School, Aaron Champenoy, at Montana State University Billings.
Branden Marquez will run track at the University of Concordia, Irvine in California.
Tanner Coddington will keep playing baseball for Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington.
Seneca Wilson signed with Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to compete in track and field for the Scots.
And Victoria Barletta decided to stay in Durango and will play lacrosse for Fort Lewis College.
“I chose Concordia because I wanted a small tight knit community like the one I have here in Durango,” Marquez said. “I visited in February and had the opportunity to meet the coaches and some of my future teammates and instantly knew they were genuine people that I would want to be around for the next few years.”
Marquez is part of the DHS boys 4x400 relay that will run in the state track meet this week. He said he plans to run in the open 400 meters and 200 as well as the 4x200 and 4x400 relays while studying kinesiology in college. Concordia competes in the Pacific West Conference in NCAA Division II.
Haber chose New Mexico State over Idaho State, Sam Houston, Colorado Mesa and CSU Pueblo. NMSU went 7-6 last year, finishing with a 24-19 win over Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl. Next season, the team will compete in Conference USA and also play games at Hawaii and Auburn.
“Coach (Jerry) Kill has lots of experience,” Haber said. “He loves kids that like to work, and I’m a grinder.”
Haber was the 3A League 3’s defensive player of the year this fall, and as a junior he was the 3A Southern 1 League’s offensive player of the year. He played safety and running back for the Demons, but that’s not all he can do. A different skill caught college coaches’ eyes: his ability as a long snapper.
“In 2020, I picked it up because I wanted more stuff in my tool belt,” Haber said. “I’m a Swiss Army knife. I can do it all.”
Haber will long snap for the Aggies and also have a chance to play defense.
“Durango was good, I learned a lot here,” Haber said. “My teammates helped a bunch, and it was cool to have two different head coaches.”
Wilson qualified for the state track and field championships last year as a junior by clearing 9 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault. She also plays guitar and sings.
She’ll compete with the Scots in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in Division III.
Barletta was a captain for the DHS girls lacrosse team this spring, helping DHS host and win the program’s first playoff game. She scored 27 goals, picked up 49 ground balls and won 61 draws this season. She’ll join the Skyhawks, who finished 3-10 this spring, in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in Division II.
Coddington, son of DHS head baseball coach Rob Coddington, hit .302 this spring with an on-base percentage of .408, scoring 22 runs and driving in another 14. He also pitched a team-high 39 innings, striking out 43 batters.
Coddington will join Whitman’s Blues, currently 24-19 overall, in the Northwest Conference in NCAA Division III.
Reiter helped the Durango boys soccer team win the 4A Southwestern League and earn the No. 1 seed for the Class 4A state playoffs after an undefeated regular season this fall. He only allowed seven goals while recording 10 shutouts.
He’ll rejoin former coach Champenoy, who left DHS to coach in Montana this fall. Champenoy was named the team’s permanent head coach in January after posting a 5-9-3 overall and 3-6-3 record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference during an interim year.
Several other Demons also committed to college programs earlier in the year. Josh Bates signed with the University of Oklahoma’s football team.
Mason Rowland signed with Colorado Mesa University’s basketball team.
Zayda Mestas signed with Oregon Institute of Technology’s women’s golf team, and Riley Campbell signed with Western Colorado University to play soccer for the Mountaineers.
