If there was a quarterback controversy as Durango High School, surely it is over after Friday night.
DHS junior quarterback Terrence Trujillo had a breakout performance to lead the Demons to a 34-28 victory against the Aztec Tigers on Friday night at Fred Cook Memorial Stadium in Aztec.
“It was nice that the coaches had confidence in me and gave me an opportunity,” said Trujillo, who competed with senior Hayden Sill for the starting job all preseason and in Week 1. “I just wanted to get a (win). It was a great team win.”
Trujillo finished the game 8-of-13 passing for 182 yards and three touchdowns, as the Demons (1-1) found an offensive rhythm that was absent in their 8-0 Week 1 loss to Beckman High School of Irvine, California, in which the Demons picked up just four first downs.
Durango trailed 14-0 early in the game after Aztec (1-1) wide receiver Josh Harris took a rushing play 66 yards for a touchdown with 4 minutes, 13 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Harris again found the endzone on a touchdown pass from Marcus Crawford with 8:56 remaining in the second quarter.
But the Demons went on to score 34 unanswered points, as the defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns, and Trujillo began stretching the field with long passes.
Durango’s first score came via a 38-yard touchdown pass from Trujillo to senior Lucas Baken with 7:43 remaining in the first half. Trujillo then found senior wide receiver Justin Marcum on a deep fade route for a 34-yard touchdown with 3:44 remaining in the half.
“It was so much fun,” Trujillo said of the opportunity to throw deep passes. “You need the run game to open it up for the passes, then you need the offensive line to give me some time, and they executed it perfectly.”
Durango took the lead before halftime when junior safety Kyle Duran intercepted a pass in the endzone and returned it 100 yards for a Demons’ touchdown. The extra point was no good, giving the Demons a 20-14 advantage.
It didn’t take long in the second half for the Demons’ defense to score again. DHS junior cornerback Lawrence Mayberry intercepted another Crawford pass and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown that gave Durango a 27-14 lead.
The Demons’ scoring came to a close when Trujillo found Baken for a 55-yard touchdown pass with 7:10 remaining in the game, giving Durango a 34-14 lead at the time.
“Baken and I have been playing basketball together since third grade. We just have the chemistry, and he was a game-changer,” Trujillo said.
Crawford, Harris and the Tigers did their best to mount a comeback, as Crawford hit Harris on a 3-yard touchdown pass with 4 minutes left in the game to cut the Demons’ lead to 34-21. Aztec recovered an onside kick and converted a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with another touchdown pass from Crawford to Harris with 3:11 to play.
Trailing 34-28, Aztec couldn’t recover another onside kick, and a big third-down conversion pass from Trujillo to senior tight end Dayne Rowley iced the game.
“Marcum and Rowley gave us the senior leadership, and they made clutch plays on both sides of the ball,” Trujillo said of his teammates. “Rowley’s catch on third down was huge.”
Crawford, who grew up in Durango, finished the game 32-of-60 passing for 389 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions for Aztec. Harris had nine receptions for 153 yards and three touchdowns to go along with his rushing score, and Dylan Sutherland had another 14 catches for 171 yards for the Tigers.
The Demons will visit Farmington to play Piedra Vista (0-2) next Friday for the third game of the season. Piedra Vista lost at the hands of perennial New Mexico powerhouse Goddard 47-0 on Friday night.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
