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Durango boys lacrosse keeps playoff hopes alive, beats Vail Mountain

Durango boys lacrosse ends regular season in style

Anyone around Durango High School on Friday afternoon could hear the roar of the boys lacrosse team.

The Demons were fired up during their final home game of the year, an inaugural Mountain League Crossover playoff game against Vail Mountain.

Eager for revenge after a 13-8 loss at Vail Mountain on April 4, the Demons were the aggressor from the opening faceoff Friday in a game that would decide the seventh-place team in the league.

Durango outscored the Gore Rangers 3-2 in each of the opening two quarters before a strong 3-0 third quarter that put the game out of reach. Goalie Hank Muir made 11 key saves, including three in the fourth quarter when Vail Mountain (9-4, 6-3 ML) fired 10 shots, helping the Demons hold onto an 11-7 victory.

“I can’t say enough about Hank stepping up, it was huge,” DHS head coach John Robinette said of the play of his junior goalie. “The whole defense really stepped up their game. They kept tighter, blocked shots, intercepted passes in the middle and knocked down passes.”

The Demons (8-6, 4-4 ML) were led by a senior and a sophomore attacker. Kyle Robinette, the sophomore, had five goals and one assist, scooped up six groundballs and won 4-of-5 faceoffs.

“I was feeling great, playing with a lot more confidence this game,” said Robinette, son of the coach and Tracy Robinette. “Last time we played them, I was able to find out their weaknesses, and this time I exploited that.”

Gabbard, a senior at Bayfield High School, had three goals and four assists in his final home game.

“Great way to complete the season on our home field and get revenge on a team we should’ve beat the first time,” said Gabbard, son of Joe and Kelly Gabbard.

DHS was the more motivated team, with a potential spot in the CHSAA Class 4A state tournament on the line. The Demons entered Friday on the bubble of an at-large bid in the 16-team tournament, and coach Robinette knew his team had to win Friday to stand a chance. Selections will be made Sunday.

After the game, he delivered a passionate speech to his team and the message rang out: “We want one more.”

“I think we have a chance. It’s hard to say if we will get picked, but I wanted to put the mentality in their head that it was definitely coming so it isn’t a surprise to the players if we do get in,” coach Robinette said. “I personally feel from how we’re peaking and playing at the end of the season that we are one of the top 16 4A teams in the state. We can give anybody a game on any given day.”

DHS still is in contention for a playoff spot largely because of the play of its defense and its ability to slow down Vail Mountain’s leading scorer, Luke Verratti.

The sophomore attacker entered Friday’s game with 39 goals, and he scored six against the Demons in the previous matchup. DHS kept him off the scoreboard until the fourth quarter, when he scored three goals.

Twin brothers Conner and Dillon Coleman, also sophomores, rotated in and out defensively against Verratti. They also were helped by big plays from Sam Aber and Jackson Berridge.

“We noticed (Verratti) had 39 goals, and their next closest guy had 11. We weren’t going to let one guy beat us,” coach Robinette said. “We were going to make him work to get open and get the ball.”

Muir, in his first season playing goalie, credited his defense for not committing penalties for their overall success together.

“It’s my first year in between the posts, but I’m loving every bit of it,” said the son of Charlie Muir and Nancy Brooker. “I’m really proud of my defense because last game we played (Vail Mountain) they were in the penalty box way too much. ... Almost all of our defenders had zero penalties, so good to see us improve.”

DHS’ other goals were scored by senior Enver Djunushbekov, who had two, and junior Oaken Oles, who opened the scoring with one goal.

Djunushbekov was responsible for having the team fired up Friday, and his coach was thrilled to see him score twice after having only one goal the rest of the season.

“Enver summed it up really well (Thursday) when he said they weren’t going to know what hit them and that we were going to bring the fire. He definitely did, and he got the kids fired up,” coach Robinette said. “This is a special team, and these seniors really carried us and wouldn’t let us go down without that fight.”

jlivingston@durangoherald.com



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