It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but the Lutheran Lions had no problem doing just that on Saturday. They came out on top against the Demons by a score of 39-30. Lutheran's win was all the more impressive since Durango was averaging only 18 points allowed on the season.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Lutheran to victory, but perhaps none more so than Ryken Daugaard, who rushed for 64 yards and two touchdowns, and also threw for 239 yards and a touchdown. Evan Holdridge and his 141 yards on the ground were also a key factor in Lutheran's victory.
Tyler Harms and Louden Grimes certainly did their best on Saturday to try and avoid the loss. Harms threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, while Grimes picked up 155 receiving yards and a touchdown. Grimes' longest reception was for an incredible 88 yards.
The victory (which was Lutheran's sixth in a row) raised their record to 10-2. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 48.2 points per game. As for Durango, their loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 9-2.
Lutheran will head out on the road to face off against Green Mountain at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Green Mountain is on a six-game streak of home wins, Lutheran a three-game streak of away wins -- so someone will have to leave a streak behind on the field. Durango does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
