We’re in the cross-over stage of the fall as volleyball has wrapped and football enters the final two weeks while at the same time practice for the Winter sports season begins. We recap the past week for the Fall and preview wrestling for the Winter in our latest San Juan region update.
REPORT IS PRESENTED BY FCI CONSTRUCTORS
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY SHAUN STANLEY & OT SPORTSCHECK
Football
The Durango Demons didn’t flinch in their matchup with the Evergreen Cougars, handling the first round of the postseason with ease as they cruised to a 56-3 win at home.
Durango would build a 42-3 halftime lead, looking to a rushing attack that went for 403 yards and saw junior Zach Haber carry the ball 14 times for four touchdowns and 195 yards. The running game led to all seven touchdowns for the Demons, who were just as impressive on defense, recording six tackles for a loss and three sacks to go with an interception and two fumble recoveries.
The second round of the postseason will pit the Demons against the Mead Mavericks, who just edged past Northridge 21-20 in their opening round game. Durango will play host once again, with kickoff at 1:00 pm on Saturday afternoon.
The Mancos Bluejays never were able to put the Daysprings Christian Eagles out of sight, but controlled the game from start to finish in their victory over the seven seed in the second round of the 8-man playoffs. A 33-24 win on Saturday afternoon was enough to push the second seeded Bluejays to the semifinals where they will host the Sanford Indians in a rematch from earlier in the season.
Mancos was balanced in their attack on the day, throwing for 107 yards and a touchdown, while carrying the ball on the ground for 219 yards and three more scores. The Eagles had a lot more time on the field with the ball, running 67 plays on the day, and scoring four times, but couldn’t overcome the special teams efforts from the Bluejays, who had a field goal to go with a kick return which would be the difference in the game.
Mancos now hosts Sanford on Saturday at 1:00 pm to determine who makes the trip to Pueblo next week for the State Championship game.
Dove Creek was also hoping to make a trip to the semifinals to put three teams from the Mountain Division into the conversation, but they fell short, as the Holly Wildcats ran past them 66-22 on Saturday.
Holly used a 25 point third quarter to get some breathing room from the Bulldogs, and used their air attack to great success, throwing for 348 yards and four touchdowns. Pair that with a running game which put up 356 yards, and you have a combination for success.
The loss puts an abrupt end to the season for Dove Creek, who finish the year at 7-3.
Volleyball
The Bayfield Wolverines made good on their trip to the state volleyball tournament this past weekend, shaking up the bracket as the 12 seed and going 3-2 on the weekend. Thursday started with the Wolverines upsetting fifth seeded Liberty Common with a sweep in the opening round, but they would fall to eventual state champion University in the second round.
In the consolation bracket, the Wolverines made another run, taking down league rival Alamosa in five sets before going another five with the Eaton Reds to knock them out of the championship and put themselves one match away from the final four. They would play the Sterling Tigers in the final match of the second day, falling in straight sets, but pushing the second and third sets to 26-24 and 25-23 respectively.
The Wolverines end the year at 20-10 after the state run.
The Ignacio Bobcats had a short lived experience at the 2A state championships, falling in both of their matches via the sweep. First came the Wiggins Tigers, and it would be the Soroco Rams, in their first state tournament appearance, who closed out the experience for the Bobcats. Ignacio still finishes the year at 19-8.
The Dove Creek Bulldogs made a push similar to the Bayfield Wolverines, also going 3-2 at the state tournament and getting one match shy of the final four.
Their tournament began with a five set win over Cheraw in the opening round, getting some revenge after Cheraw had taken them down in the regional match just a week earlier. That set up the Bulldogs with the top seed in the Briggsdale Falcons, who swept them to push Dove Creek back to the losers bracket.
The Bulldogs then showed their fight, going four sets to take down the seventh ranked Idalia Wolves before taking down the Wiley Panthers in five sets in the next round, eliminating both teams from the championship field. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, it would be a team with the same likeness to knock them out, as Haxtun won the final match in straight sets to eliminate Dove Creek, who finished the season at 24-6.
Wrestling Preview
The Durango Demons only had one wrestler representing them at the shortened state tournament last year, but it wasn’t for lack of talent. The Demons had two more finish in the top four at their regional tournament, and another three finish in the consolation semifinals. Why does this matter? Only one of the Demons from last year’s team at the regional tournament graduated, meaning Durango is loading up for a possible run this year. Expect senior Jacob Fenberg to lead the way after going 0-2 at the state tournament.
Just an hour to the east of Durango are the defending state champions from 3A. The Pagosa Springs Pirates graduated most of their state champion team, with five of the seven who represented them at state moving on.
The Pirates are bringing back seniors Wil Aucoin and Skylar Hill with state experience though, and only graduated another two participants from the regional team. Expect senior 285 pounder Kaden McKee to be a big force this season after taking second in the regional but missing out after losing his wrestleback, and another three returners who made it one match from the top four.
Montezuma Cortez qualified the most wrestlers in the 3A tournament behind Pagosa Springs from the southwest, with three panthers making it to the state field. Unfortunately for Cortez, all of them are now gone, leaving some holes to fill in the program. The Panthers do have senior Jayven Valdez returning from a fourth place finish in the regional tournament, and they have sophomore Hunter Goodall coming back in the upper weights as well.
The Bayfield Wolverines only qualified one wrestler for the state meet last year, but they had three more who all finished in the top four at regionals returning. Dylan Pickering will not be back after finishing third at 145 pounds last year at state, but sophomore Keaton Pickering is back after taking second in regionals at 106 pounds. Seniors James Mars (132) and Kobe Prior (160) also finished in the top four and will be back as leaders for the Wolverines on the mat.
In 2A, the state championships last year were a close affair, with four teams all finishing in the running. This year, you can probably add a fifth to the conversation. The Mancos Blue Jays only sent four to the state meet last season, but that would have been seven in a normal year, with another three finishing third or higher at the regional meet. Add to that fact only two Bluejays graduated from the team last season, and Mancos could be set for a run. Look for the return of Sophomore Levi Martin who won a state title as a freshman at 113 pounds, and for Dillon Eichner at 106 who took fourth. Senior Chase Moore is coming off of a third place at the regional tournament, along with juniors Ayden Mathews (170) and Lane Greenlee (195) who both would have qualified for state in a normal season.
Behind Mancos, Norwood also could have a good presence at the state meet this year. The Longhorns didn’t send anyone to Pueblo last season, but after only graduating one senior from last years team, there is good experience returning. Senior Gage Owen placed fourth at regionals last year, and fellow seniors Jarret Sinks (120) and Brayden Magallon (160) were one match from the top four as well.
The Ignacio Bobcats are in a similar boat to Norwood, with not one qualifier for the state meet last year, but plenty of returners on this years team. Junior Keaton McCoy is coming off of a third place finish at regionals, and senior Jeremy Roderick and sophomore Devante Montoya both made runs in the region. The Bobcats will still be young this season, with Roderick representing the only returning senior for the team from the regional roster.
While Nucla didn’t have the size of the Ignacio team, the Mustangs also had no graduates from last years wrestling squad. Senior Jamar Rankins (160) will be looking to set a tone for a team that has a fairly celebrated past in wrestling.
In a few other names to watch early on, Dove Creek is returning junior Cole Taber from a season which saw him take third at the regionals tournament and Dolores brings back senior Gabe Allred from a run to the consolation semi’s last year.