\u201cI was talking to Gage all week, and I could tell he wanted it more than anyone else on the team, and we all wanted it bad,\u201d Woolverton said. \u201cI am so proud of him to get that game MVP because he was huge and he deserved it.\u201d<\/p>\n
DHS was held to 78 yards rushing a week after it went for 360 yards in the semifinals in a 33-14 win against Holy Family. And 55 of those yards came on a Ben Finneseth touchdown run late in the second quarter that tied the game.<\/p>\n
Aside from the three interceptions, Roosevelt quarterback Brig Hartson played a strong game for the Rough Riders. He finished 14-of-23 for 196 yards and two touchdowns.<\/p>\n
Roosevelt was able to run for 100 yards against the Durango defense, as it routinely converted on third- and fourth-and-short.<\/p>\n
But when it mattered, most Durango\u2019s defense was able to get stops for its defensive-minded head coach David Vogt, who won his first state title in eight seasons in charge of the Demons.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey scored on two blown assignments. To win the game, we had to go back to the basics and make sure everybody does their job. We came together and did that,\u201d Vogt said. \u201cGood teams are able to make big defensive stands, and that\u2019s what we did.\u201d<\/p>\n Durango\u2019s defense shut out Roosevelt in the second half after the teams went into halftime tied 14-14 with three combined touchdowns scored in 1 minute, 56 seconds of play late in the second quarter.<\/p>\n Woolverton, linebacker Demetrius Trujillo and Mestas all had second-half interceptions to give the Durango defense 19 interceptions in eight games in the shortened 2020 season that played through the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n Durango took a 21-14 lead with 5:14 to go in the third quarter on a 67-yard touchdown pass from Woolverton to Mestas, best friends since third grade when the two decimated defenses in their youth playing days to go 40-1 from third to sixth grade, while they went undefeated in two years at Miller Middle School before becoming Demons.<\/p>\n \u201cAll seams, a wonderful pass on a laser and we were able to execute. That was an incredible throw,\u201d Mestas said.<\/p>\n Facing third-and-10 from their own 33, Durango had called a running play. But with full trust in Woolverton\u2019s mastery of the offense, he checked into a passing play with every player doing deep. With Mestas lined up in the left slot, Woolverton delivered a perfect pass deep down the seam. Mestas hauled it in and ran the rest of the way for the game-winning score.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat a gutsy play from (Woolverton) to take that shot,\u201d Vogt said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we expect from him. He\u2019s that type of player, and for us to win it was going to take those type of plays. I am so glad he did it.\u201d<\/p>\n The winning touchdown came three plays after Woolverton\u2019s interception of Hartson. Woolverton went in the air and made an acrobatic catch and was able to get a foot down inbounds for the game\u2019s first turnover.<\/p>\n \u201cSecure the catch and see where you are in the air,\u201d Woolverton said. \u201cI remember getting the catch and getting my right foot in. I was so focused because we needed that momentum shifter.\u201d<\/p>\n Halfway into the fourth quarter, Durango clung to its 21-14 lead with Roosevelt methodically marching down the field with short passes and runs up the middle behind a strong offensive line. Hartson was able to throw a 39-yard pass to Keaton Kaiser down to the Durango 3-yard line. Mestas made a great play to recover and tried to knock the ball away with his right arm. But Kaiser was able to wrap two hands around the ball and fight it away from Mestas to make it first-and-goal.<\/p>\n Hartson would fumble twice in a row to move the ball back to the Durango 6-yard line to force third-and-goal. Hartson would roll left and waited for a receiver to break open in the end zone. He would fire a pass that Mestas leaped in the air to grab with his left hand to give Durango back the ball.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw one receiver below me and one above me. I just thought I would jump as high as I could to catch this ball,\u201d Mestas said. \u201cI saw one receiver behind me and one in front of me. The quarterback threw the ball a little lower than expected and I was able to come down with it. I didn\u2019t even know I caught it, to be honest. I came down with it still in my hand, and I was clenching it as hard as I could.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were all so gassed. It was the hardest fourth quarter of my life, and I will remember that sweat dripping down my face the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n The Demons couldn\u2019t gain a yard on its next offensive drive with a chance to gain a couple of first down and run out the clock. Woolverton would hit a 40-yard punt that was not returnable, and Roosevelt had a chance again to tie or take the lead with 3:38 to play.<\/p>\n Content to let the clock run, Roosevelt did not hurry and quickly gained a first down. But a key illegal formation penalty would create a second-and-13 from the Durango 36-yard line. Hartson ran for five yards on third down to make it third-and-8. Durango\u2019s top pass rusher, Kyler Reimers, was forced to go to the sideline because of blood on a key passing down. But Durango\u2019s other leading pass rusher, Ford Pitts, fought through a hold and was able to knock down Hartson on the third-down pass to force an incompletion. With less than a minute to play, Durango needed only one more stop to win the title.<\/p>\n Hartson fired a perfect pass on fourth down to an open receiver. But Jaden Herrera, who had one catch in the game, had the ball go through his hands and off his shoulder pads and fall to the turf. Durango celebrated on its sideline, as they knew they were two kneel downs away from being handed the state championship trophy.<\/p>\n \u201cSo excited when that ball hits the ground,\u201d Vogt said. \u201cAll that hard work this group has done with the boot camps, lifting, all the practices, it\u2019s just a blessing and a relief when it ends with a win. I\u2019ve never been so happy. All year, we had to be ready for anything. Our big guys had to make big plays, and they did. This team is a family. We\u2019ve had teams that have been close, but this team truly is a family. I know what the pedigree is now to win a championship. You need that family bond.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier in the fourth quarter, Durango got another massive interception from Trujillo with Roosevelt trying to convert on fourth-and-6. Hartson rolled left with Durango in a zone defense. Trujillo flowed with the play and had the ball come straight to him.<\/p>\n \u201cIt took heart and intensity every single play for us to get this win,\u201d Trujillo said. \u201cWe were all gassed in that fourth quarter. But on that play I made my drop and saw the quarterback roll out and knew it was a perfect opportunity for me with a receiver behind me. He threw it, I moved to that angle and it felt like he threw it right to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Vogt called Trujillo\u2019s interception one of the most special plays of his coaching career.<\/p>\n \u201cDemetrius is a special kid and I have a special relationship with him. We\u2019ve gone through some hard times,\u201d Vogt said. \u201cFor him to come through and make that play, it\u2019s what coaching is all about. For him to get through this season and come up big, it was incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n The first quarter was dominated by Durango. After a quick defensive stop, the Demons would go 70 yards in eight plays on their opening drive of the game and scored on a 23-yard pass from Woolverton to Mestas on a fourth-down play to give the Demons an early 7-0 lead.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a great playcall,\u201d Mestas said. \u201cWe saw their safeties were two inside and we took the corner route. It was a great play call from coach (Ryan) Woolverton.\u201d<\/p>\n Roosevelt would answer back in the second quarter with a 12-play, 86-yard drive that ended with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Hartson to Tucker Peterson. That tied the game at 7-7 with 3:20 to play in the first half.<\/p>\n Roosevelt\u2019s Evan Cline would recover an onside kick on the Durango 31-yard line after its big touchdown score. The Rough Riders kicked to an open space without a Durango return man anywhere in the area.<\/p>\n After three big defensive stops by Durango, Roosevelt would make the most of its big onside kick with a 33-yard TD pass on a well-executed screen from Hartson to Keegan Sterkel. Suddenly, Roosevelt had a 14-7 lead with 1:35 to go in the half.<\/p>\n Roosevelt would hit a squib kick to Durango that was picked up by Durango junior Jordan Stanley, who exploded out to the Demons\u2019 own 45-yard line.<\/p>\n On Durango\u2019s first play, Ben Finneseth burst through the line of scrimmage and got to the left sideline and broke a shoestring tackle to score on a 55-yard run. That put the game level again at 14-14.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were a bit stunned and had been playing too fast and overly aggressive. We needed to slow down and think,\u201d Finneseth said of the plays that led to DHS going down 14-7. \u201cWhen we got the ball back, the linemen made a big hole for me. I always tell them to block everyone except three guys and I can make three guys miss. That\u2019s what they did, and I attacked from there. To get the tie at halftime, we hadn\u2019t had a game still tied at halftime and we are used to going in winning by a lot. But we knew we had to finish the game, couldn\u2019t quit and had to drive even harder.\u201d<\/p>\n The win ended a season full of adversity for the Demons. The COVID-19 pandemic ended the high school sports season early during the 2019-20 school year and left fall sports in doubt. The season was originally postponed until the fall before pressure around the state forced Gov. Jared Polis and CHSAA to reconsider. Eventually, the state powers allowed football to start a six-game regular season with a shortened eight-team playoffs, down from the usually 16 teams that make it to the postseason.<\/p>\n DHS had its first game of the season against preseason No. 1 Pueblo South canceled because of COVID-19 on the eve of the season\u2019s start. But DHS was able to go 5-0 through the regular season and was able to roll through Lutheran in the quarterfinals at home before the big win at Holy Family in the semifinals.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to thank CHSAA, I want to thank Polis. It\u2019s awesome,\u201d Finneseth said. \u201cJust to have the opportunity, I can\u2019t believe we just did this. It\u2019s the best feeling I\u2019ve ever had in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s game was a true test, and Roosevelt gave the Demons all they could handle. But, in the end, the toughness and grit of the Demons proved they were the best team in all of Class 3A in 2020.<\/p>\n And for an unforgettable senior class, the Demons finished as champions to earn legendary status in their home town for eternity.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is for all the future Durango teams,\u201d Mestas said. \u201cWe want this to be the start. I just hope the future classes can escalate it from here and continue this roll. All of our coaches deserve this so much, and I know they will get Durango back here.\u201d<\/p>\n