Don’t doubt the Demons

Every day since they won their 13th straight game, the Dumas Demons have been making history just by showing up to practice.

When they suited up Monday afternoon for their first workout to prepare for this evening’s 6 p.m. Class 4A Division I state quarterfinal game against Springtown at Midland’s Grande Communications Stadium, second-year coach Aaron Dunnam let them know they were in uncharted waters. It was the first December football practice in school history.

Dumas (13-0) hasn’t been this far since 1972 and the 13 wins are the most in school history, including back-to-back state championship seasons in 1961 and 62. That provides some historical context, even though the here and now is what’s most important to the Demons.

“I think everything surprised us a little bit,” Dunnam said. “We’re always looking to flush what we did the week before and move on, but it was really nice for (the Demons) to understand what we’ve done. This hasn’t happened here for a long, long time.”

It’s happening because the Demons are coming off their biggest win in 47 years, having defeated fellow unbeaten Decatur 38-35 in last week’s region semifinal. Caleb Suggs intercepted a pass in the final minutes to set up Dumas in good field position and Ah Lee Yart kicked a 27-yard field goal as time expired for the victory.

Now the Demons are three wins away from a third state championship in school history and what would undoubtedly be the best season in school history. Right now, though, they’re busier living it than comprehending it.

“I don’t think it’s hit any of us yet,” said junior quarterback Spencer Williams, who threw for 179 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 125 yards and two more scores against Decatur. “I don’t think we’ve realized what we’ve actually done as far as Dumas history. I don’t think that’s our motivation. Our motivation is we want to keep playing.”

And the Demons are doing exactly that, deeper into the calendar year than any Dumas team has ever gone. In the process, they’ve gotten a measure of revenge by beating Decatur, the team who eliminated them in the first round of the playoffs last season.

Dumas has several seniors and underclassmen back from last season’s team which won District 3-4A Division I and finished 8-3, so there was plenty of reason for optimism going into this season.

“I knew we were special and that we had the potential to do this,” Dunnam said. “I think the reason we’re still rolling out here is that we’re one practice at a time. Playing in the third and fourth round wasn’t what we talked about until we got there.”

Now the Demons are in pretty elite company. Along with Canadian, they’re one of only two schools in the Texas Panhandle who are 13-0.

To keep playing means staying dialed in more specifically as the playoffs progress.

“Kids and coaches all have to have a window to focus on right now,” Dunnam said. “It gets smaller and smaller as the games go on.”

The longer the Demons stay in the playoffs, the more concentrated the attention becomes on them as well. They’ve become local celebrities whether they wanted to or not.

“Not only at school but when you’re in the community, people recognize you and people tell you how big this is to the town,” said senior defensive end Davin Gates, a three-year starter. “They tell you how proud they are of you. It’s like being on top of the world.”

To reach that place, or at least the top of 4A D-I Texas high school football, Dumas must first get past Springtown (12-1). The Porcupines are also coming into this game with momentum, having crushed Andrews 63-20 last week.

Springtown is especially balanced offensively. Quarterback Camden Chesney has thrown for 2,910 yards and 34 touchdowns and his favorite target is Andy Behle, who has 45 catchers for 742 yards and nine touchdowns. Cameron Rickett makes sure defenses can’t focus too much on the pass as he’s run for 1,827 yards, averaging close to 10 yards a carry while scoring 35 touchdowns.

Linebacker Trey Appel leads the defense with 122 tackles and six sacks.

“I think they’re very well-coached and play the game extremely hard,” Dunnam said of the Porcupines. “They can throw and run just as well out of a lot of different formations. They just play so hard.”

At a minimum, Dumas will be able to claim going 385 days without a loss, which is what the Demons will enter tonight’s game with since last year’s playoff loss to Decatur. That’s over a calendar year since their last loss, the longest such span in the region.

Senior Kyle Stroebel, the team’s leading receiver, is aware the legacy since his brother Kody played for the Demons as well. It’s similar to the path of Dunnam, who was defensive coordinator and took over after his brother Chad accepted the head coaching job at Amarillo High.

“They laid down the foundation and it’s up to us to keep it going even further,” Stroebel said. “When I go to the store everybody’s saying they’re going to listen to the game and they ask ’Are you ready for Friday?’ ”

And Yart’s a reason the Demons are playing tonight. He’s getting recognized just as regularly as his teammates and feels there’s still something to prove.

“”Winning that game over Decatur brought a lot of attention to us and we’re trying to show we can win this thing no matter what the doubters think,“ Yart said.