On the surface, it looks like more of the same for Durango High School football heading into the 2026 season.
The Demons will be led by their fifth coach in five years, Brett Sniffin, the veteran coach who led Belton High School in Texas last year. However, below the surface of that dominant storyline, there are a lot more unknowns for the Demons. Sniffin looks to build up his team to be ready for the end of the season as the Demons try to have their 12th consecutive winning season and get back to the playoffs.
“We’re not where we need to be, and you shouldn’t be this time of year,” Sniffin said. “We’re stacking days together now. We’re getting better each day, and that’s what we need to do.”
The Demons have been practicing since Aug. 3, with their first scrimmage on Saturday at home against Fruita Monument. Sniffin feels for his players because they’ve had a new coach every year. He knows they’re learning a new football language from him than they’ve known from other coaches over the past three years. Sniffin admits it wasn’t pretty the first practice, but he knows there’s talent in the program with all the recent success.
Sniffin will call the plays on offense, and his son, Jake, is the team’s defensive coordinator. But all of the other assistants like esteemed line coach Mike Sutter, Conor Feeney and others, are holdovers from previous staffs. Sniffin said they’re in a similar place as the kids, where they have to learn a new language and build trust.
“He has everything set up and ready to go when we’re here,” senior quarterback Grady Feeney said about Sniffin. “Just his organization. We’re never really sitting around. We have consistent water breaks, but we’re never thinking, ‘What are we supposed to be doing?’ He’s very organized.”
Other than Sniffin’s adjustment to coaching the Demons, the other big unknown is most of the roster. Durango went 9-3 overall and 4-1 in the 4A Soco 2 League last year under head coach Hunter Holmes. Durango lost in the quarterfinals of the 4A state playoffs at home to Heritage.
Gone from that team is top running back Gus Halls, who rushed for 1,036 yards and seven touchdowns. Four of Durango’s top five receivers have also graduated. The Demons’ top three tacklers are gone, along with reliable and powerful kicker/punter Dylan Burns.
However, a huge returning piece for the Demons is Grady Feeney. The powerful athlete started as a sophomore as a running back before starting at quarterback last season for the Demons. Feeney earned all-state honorable mention last season after finishing with 1,701 yards passing on 58.3% completion. He threw 22 touchdowns to only four interceptions. He also racked up 976 yards and a team-high 15 rushing touchdowns.
Feeney focused on getting the receivers out and getting the timing down with them in the offseason. He had good chemistry with the guys last year, but most of them are gone, so he has to start over.
“Grady is a great kid,” Sniffin said. “He’s everybody’s All-American, blonde-headed kid. He started last year and put up tremendous numbers. He did a lot with his legs and arms, and we just want to tweak it a little bit to see if we can get a little more out of him.”
Outside of Feeney, Durango’s top skill position returner is senior wide receiver Mason Miller. The talented and speedy pass catcher was third on the team last season with 411 yards and was tied on the team with six touchdown catches. He was first on the team with 21.6 yards per catch. Miller explored other high school options in the offseason, but is back for the Demons.
Without Halls in the backfield, the Demons are looking at senior Isaiah Lyons, junior Hayes Fancher, junior Malique Rodriguez, senior Dylan Davis and junior Ethan Palmer to take snaps in the backfield. Feeney likes the idea of having running backs rotating in besides him. It keeps each player fresh, especially since they’re all playing defense.
Besides Miller, senior Presley English should be in a bigger role after playing only defense last year. He said he might not be the fastest, but he can catch. Junior Cole Clark is another player to watch out for as a wide receiver/tight end. The junior seemingly plays every sport offered, and Feeney and English have been impressed with his versatility after some injuries last season.
A big piece of last year’s senior class was the offensive line. Owen Cheatham is playing Division I football after earning first team all-state last season. JJ Vickers, Ernesto Galvan, Warren Uptain and Ryder Stahlin were all senior offensive linemen who gave Feeney time last season. This year, Sniffin expects seniors Ben Pinter and Josh Moore to lead the offensive line.
“Right now we’re pretty vanilla,” Sniffin said about the offense. “But we like to run an exciting offense with a lot of motions, letting Grady read some things and either throw it or run it with his legs … try to take advantage of what the defense gives us post-snap by Grady’s experience. I like to have fun. Right now we’re at about 10% of what I like to do … Chop wood, carry water, get that done, and then we’ll move on from there.”
On defense, Sniffin is excited about freshman Daniel Johnson on the defensive line, who Sniffin thinks will be a stud by the time he graduates. Senior Tyler Begay will play on the defensive line with some force. Palmer is a hard-hitting middle linebacker with a nose for the ball.
Senior Rashad Reece is a cornerback to watch for the Demons who isn’t afraid to hit. Feeney and English will play safety this year for the Demons. English is Durango’s top returning tackler and interception leader.
“I’m really excited,” English said. “I’ve been ready to hit someone, and I know everyone in my locker room has been ready to hit someone too. So we’re just ready to play some good-old smack-mouth football.”
Sniffin likes the film he’s seen of the past Durango defenses. To him, defense is much simpler: Play physical, take care of your gap responsibilities, tackle smart by wrapping up and make plays.
The Demons begin their season on Aug. 21 at Montrose. Their first home game will be against Farmington on Sept. 4. Durango will have four home games this season, with a nearby road game at Piedra Vista.
Durango will be in the 4A Mountain Plains League this year with other league opponents Cheyenne Mountain, Coronado, Doherty, Mesa Ridge, Pueblo West and Widefield. After being in the 4A Soco 2 League with two teams in the top 11 of 4A in Palmer Ridge and Vista Ridge, the 4A Mountain Plains League looks a little easier on paper. Looking at last year’s final 4A standings before the playoffs, Pueblo West finished seventh, Mesa Ridge 15th and Cheyenne Mountain was 16th. Coronado was 13th in 3A.
Sniffin, Feeney and English all agreed that they’re taking it game-by-game in a new league with a new head coach. Sniffin is excited to represent Durango on the field after getting better support than he can ask for in his short time in Southwest Colorado.
“We’ll get better every day,” Sniffin said. “We’ll play the scrimmage, and we’re probably going to look like crap at times because they’re still learning. But they’re going to set a baseline, and whatever that baseline is that we set, we have to improve upon it each week … Every team I’ve ever coached has gotten better each week. If these guys do that, I feel sorry for the teams we’re playing in weeks eight, nine, and 10.”