Throughout the fall sports season, many players were routinely highlighted for scoring touchdowns, goals, race wins, spikes and kills.
But every athlete, coach, parent and fan knows there are plenty of players on each team that are responsible for a team’s success. Like the great Phil Jackson said, “The strength of the team is each individual member, the strength of each member is the team.”
So, The Durango Herald asked numerous fall coaches from Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio to name some individuals on their teams that flew under the radar and deserve recognition for their impacts on their team’s success.
Durango football: Jackson Hubertus
Hubertus played both sides of the ball for the 9-2 Demons this past season.
He spent time at defensive end and defensive tackle, as well as being the starting right guard on offense.
The senior had 14 tackles and a fumble recovery on the defensive end.
Demons coach Matt Burton said Hubertus brought consistency and energy to the team, and also provided motivation for other players.
“He was one of the few guys that was on the field on both sides of the ball quite a bit and played offensive line and defensive line, and that's tough to play both ways in high school football,” Burton said.
Bayfield boys soccer: Orion Botsford
The sophomore goalkeeper was the backup for the Wolverines until the ninth game of the season, when he had to step in and start against Severance.
After that, the 5-foot-2-inch goalie saved 67% of penalty kicks. He had 25 saves and two shutouts for the season, as Bayfield finished 9-5-1.
“OB stepped up and started his first game against a team that we struggled with in the previous year,” Bayfield coach Chris Zoltowski said via text message. “He played like he has been between the sticks for years. Since then, he became our frontman for our keeper position. OB is the perfect example of how players are rewarded when they have a strong work ethic.”
Durango boys cross country: Anthony (AJ) Bonanno
The Durango sophomore helped the Demons throughout the season with two fifth-place finishes at the Boggy Draw Bear Chase and Bloomfield Invitational.
Bonanno set his personal record time of 16 minutes and 13 seconds at the SWL Championships, where he finished 18th.
“I never really thought that he was going to move up the ladder the way he did,” Demons coach Ron Keller said. “It was his hard work and his dedication that moved him up. He got a taste of it and I think that even motivated him even more. Now he's a very, very legitimate No. 3 runner and can challenge for No. 2. He’ll be very important next year. We'll lose Charlie (Dillman) and Brodie (Dorko) and he is going to keep moving up the ladder.”
Bayfield football: Memphis Miller
The 5-foot-10-inch 160-pound junior played just three games this fall due to injury. Miller played offensive guard and nose tackle. On defense, Miller recorded six tackles and a sack during Bayfield’s 1-8 season in 2023.
“He's a really hard worker,” Wolverines coach Glenn Wallace said. “I met him when he was a sophomore, and now he has packed on 20 pounds of muscle just working really hard in the weight room. Never complained about anything. Never messed around in practice or anything like that just a really good solid program guy.”
Durango volleyball: Hadyn Neiman
The sophomore led Durango with 141 kills and she had 25 aces for the Demons, who went 15-10 this season.
“She's a phenomenal athlete,” Demons coach Kelley Riffilato said. “She really began her career as an outside hitter on the left side and switched positions basically to the right side for me. Then when we had injuries she got flipped back to the outside, and didn't skip a beat. Then as Aava came back, she moved back to the right side and did what was best for our team. Her heart is in volleyball 100%. She's super competitive, super driven, she loves the game. She just loves being competitive. When she misses a day of practice, which doesn't happen very often, the dynamics are different. She just brings that good passion.”
Ignacio football: Devante Montoya
The senior wide receiver and cornerback had numerous interceptions that were returned for touchdowns.
Montoya was an all-conference player and an alternate for the all-state game after Ignacio went 4-5 this past fall.
“He was one of the captains, he was a leader both vocally and leading by example,” Ignacio coach Alfonso Garcia said. “He was trying to teach kids how to do the right things.”
Durango girls cross country: Ayla Williams
The Demon sophomore’s 2023 season was highlighted by a second-place finish in the Bloomfield Invitational and a personal record of 20:02 in the SWL Championships.
“Ayla kind of came out of the pack from below and worked her way up to factor into that No. 4 or No. 5 spot,” Durango coach Ron Keller said.
Keller emphasized how important it is to have runners who are strong in the No. 3 through No. 5 spots because they are important for the team’s overall scoring.
Durango boys soccer: Mavrick Rodriguez
Rodriguez was a key part of Durango’s 13-3-1 season, playing in the midfield as a junior and will have a major role with the team next season, according to Demons coach Danny Suits.
“Mavrick Rodriguez is one of the players that stands out that had a terrific season, scored some really big goals, started every game as a center midfielder and didn’t get as much recognition as he deserves,” Suits said.
Ignacio boys cross country: Corey Gomez
The Bobcats senior made significant strides in his senior year, highlighted by a 12th-place finish in the Del Valdez invite and a person record 19:18 at the Colorado State 2A Championships.
“Last year when he came out, he was a completely different kid just kind of out to run cross country who coming into cross country season had transformed into an actual student athlete who was ready to go run good times,” Ignacio coach Karri McCarter said. “He was just ready to go out. He had a great track season last year, which really ignited the effort that he put into his cross country season.”
McCarther noted that Gomez ran over five minutes faster on the state course compared to when he ran on the course pre-state.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
