T.K. Fotu, Durango top Spring Valley

T.K. Fotu’s eyes must have gotten huge.

Just 10 seconds after Kaden Renshaw had given Durango a lead late in the first quarter at Spring Valley on Thursday night, there was the ball bouncing up off the turf in front of him. Fotu scooped it up, straightened and raced 37 yards into the end zone.

Fotu’s fumble recovery staked the Trailblazers a two-touchdown advantage with 1 minute, 30 seconds to play in the first quarter, and Durango would never look back in a 35-14 victory over the Grizzlies.

The win gave Durango (6-3, 4-2 Southwest League) a No. 3 seed in the Sunset Region playoffs that begin next week, and a date with Faith Lutheran. With the loss, Spring Valley (5-4, 3-3) takes the No. 4 seed and will face Arbor View in the first round.

Not that Durango was thinking about such things on Thursday.

“We play week to week,” Durango coach Scott Murdock said. “You learn that very early on in football. That is a good football team over there. His men work hard. They ran the ball right at us.”

Spring Valley quarterback Sylo Staton, who rushed for 134 yards on 18 carries, got the Grizzlies within two scores with a 16-yard scoring run with 3:57 to go. Spring Valley recovered the ensuing onside kick, drove inside the Durango 5-yard line, but could not get back into the end zone.

Fotu and the Trailblazers had no such trouble. Fotu said the fumble early on was the most fun he had all night.

“That was amazing,” Fotu said. “I put my hands out, said ‘Come into my hands,’ and I ran.”

Fotu did a lot of running, in fact. He carried the ball 18 times for 186 yards and two touchdowns. He put the game out of reach with 1:04 left, just after the Durango defense held after the onside kick. On a first-down play from his own 38-yard line, Fotu took a handoff up the gut, found some grass and raced 62 yards for the game-clinching score.

“It was a big game,” Fotu said. “We lost (to Spring Valley) last year by a field goal.”

Though the Trailblazers had already clinched a playoff berth, the Trailblazers were still pleased; it was their first playoff berth since 2012.

“They are a lot of talented, young players,” Murdock said. “We’re excited about that.”