Both walk-ons, Finneseth said they plan to do whatever work necessary to earn their respect and get on the field together.<\/p>\n
\u201cJordan loves it already and said it\u2019s a great culture with the coaching staff with everyone there ready to compete,\u201d Finneseth said. \u201cI\u2019m glad I get to be part of the legacy of Colorado football. We both are going to have to compete. We are going to get looked down upon being the walk-on guys. But I am looking forward to getting beat up and earning my place.\u201d<\/p>\n
An All-State First Team selection in 2020, Finneseth proved to be one of the most valuable players in the entire state during his two upperclassman seasons at DHS. He played all over the field as a senior, from his usual wide receiver position to running back and quarterback. Head coach David Vogt could rely on Finneseth at all three levels of the defense, too. He could rush the quarterback off the edge, play linebacker and shut down the run or the pass and drop back in coverage as a safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor All-State voting, I really thought we should have co-player of the years with him and (Woolverton),\u201d DHS head coach David Vogt said. \u201cNo matter where you put him, he was going to run through kids, jump over them and do everything he could to make a play. Nobody can tackle him or out-jump him. If you need a big play, he\u2019s the one who is going to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
During his three-year Durango career, Finneseth tallied 67 receptions for 1,012 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also rushed for 617 yards and nine touchdowns, with 556 yards and eight scores his senior season.<\/p>\n Finneseth had 785 receiving yards on 49 catches as a junior to go with nine touchdowns. During a shortened 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he played in seven games and largely was entrusted with leading the team\u2019s backfield.<\/p>\n The do-it-all threat had a game-changing play in the Class 3A state championship game when he burst through the line, hurdled one tackler, cut around a linebacker and broke through a shoestring tackle attempt by the safety en route to a 55-yard touchdown just before halftime to tie the game at 14-14. DHS would go on to beat Roosevelt 21-14 for its first state title since 1964.<\/p>\n \u201cI will remember that forever. Being a state champion,\u201d Finneseth said.<\/p>\n Defensively, Finneseth totaled 134 tackles in 29 games. He intercepted two passes his senior season.<\/p>\n Finneseth, son of Karyn and Robert Finneseth, came to Durango from Litchfield, Minnesota, after his freshman year and immediately saw the gains of being in the Demons\u2019 program.<\/p>\n \u201cThe coaches here and the amount I learned from them and my teammates pushed me to be that much better, and that\u2019s why I am here now signing with a Division I football team,\u201d Finneseth said.<\/p>\n Finneseth grew every year at DHS. He went from 120 pounds as a freshman in Minnesota to a 190-pound force of muscle by his senior year. He also went from 5-foot-11 to 6-2. As a senior, he boasts a 4.05 grade-point average and aims to study biomedical engineering.<\/p>\n Finneseth also drew interest from Stanford and Wake Forest along with Ivy League schools and Colorado School of Mines, one of the nation\u2019s top Division II football programs that offers one of the premier engineering programs. Stanford and Wake Forest had talked to him about earning a walk-on offer, but it never materialized.<\/p>\n \u201cStanford was the other top one I wanted to go to,\u201d Finneseth said. \u201cOther than that, it was CSU-Pueblo or Mines.\u201d<\/p>\n A tireless worker, Finneseth was on the field for hours each day with Woolverton every day for years. Woolverton reported to the Colorado Buffaloes on Jan. 10 after graduating DHS a semester early so he could begin working with the offense during spring practices. That has left Finneseth to work on his own or get the next generation of Durango quarterbacks to match that effort.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving Jordan gone now, it\u2019s been difficult. I\u2019m throwing with freshmen, so I always have to go pick them up to go throw,\u201d Finneseth said. \u201cI am working even harder now, and I am looking forward to getting up there and learning from all the great receivers they have at Colorado once I get there.\u201d<\/p>\n