prep football preview:

Durango should be much improved

Sam Morris

Durango football player Eric Underhill Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009.

Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009 | 2:05 a.m.

Durango High coach Gary Maki wants everyone to know that he’s not the only one who believes in the Trailblazers heading into the 2009 season.

Outsiders have noticed their talent, too.

Durango attended UNLV’s team camp earlier this summer and Maki said his team gained a lot of respect.

“UNLV people said, ‘you guys were a pleasant surprise out here,’” Maki said. “I think our kids fed off of that. I think it’s going to be a springboard into the season.”

The Trailblazers only went 1-9 last season, Maki’s first year as coach. But this year, they feel the playoffs are an obtainable goal.

“I’ll be very disappointed if we aren’t in,” Maki said. “If we stay healthy, we’ll start to get things going at Durango.”

At the least, Durango will be physical. Maki counts the offensive line as the team’s strength.

The line will be anchored by seniors Eric Underhill and Tyler Brock, who are both hungry to end their high school careers with success.

“Our line is pretty solid,” Maki said. “If we can give our quarterback some time to operate, then we’ll be just fine.”

The offense returns nine starters even though it features few seniors and mostly juniors. Defensively, the Trailblazers will hope for a strong season from senior linebacker John Williams.

“We’re vastly improved over last year,” Maki said. “We were real young last year. We’re still fairly young this year, but we’re a much more physical team.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or at case.keefer@lasvegassun.com.

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