Feeney, White were also named male and female athletes of the year
Durango High School quarterback Cully Feeney throws to his receiver while playing Heritage High School on Nov. 16 during the second round of playoffs at DHS. (Jerry McBride/Herald file)
Jerry McBride
On May 12, three of Durango High School’s top student-athletes got the surprise that an athlete works for their entire high school career.
All they were told was to attend an awards ceremony at Durango High School.
Seniors Ryan Dugan, Cully Feeney and Ellie White then found out they were going into the Durango High School Athletic Hall of Fame after fantastic student-athlete careers.
“Ellie and Cully are in a category and then Ryan’s in his unique category,” Durango High School Athletic Director Ryan Knorr said. “Ellie and Cully were a part of some really amazing teams who had some incredible success; they both contributed to those teams’ success from an early age … Dugan is one of the best wrestlers I’ve ever had a chance to watch. He didn’t get the top of the podium, but man, he was close.”
It was a very rigorous process for a student-athlete to be inducted into the hall of fame. Two coaches must nominate a student-athlete. They must be a senior, must have two athletic letters, must have qualified for state in an individual or team sport, must have been selected to an all-state team, must have a 2.6 GPA or above and more.
There’s also a points system for nominees to help the coaches and athletic administrators differentiate the student-athletes. Points are given out based on GPA, how far a student-athlete’s team went at state and individual awards. For example, a first-team all-state student-athlete would get seven points while an honorable mention all-state athlete would get three points. A student-athlete with a GPA above 4.0 would get four points, while a student-athlete with a GPA between 3.0-3.5 would get two points.
Finally, 75% of coaches have to vote for a student-athlete nominee to get into the hall of fame. It’s a very prestigious honor with an average of two student-athletes inducted per year, according to Knorr.
“Even as we’re nominating, we agree, anything that we say in that meeting as we discuss nominees stays at the table,” Knorr said. “There are times where coaches say, ‘This person does not deserve this,’ and it’s very open conversations. It is seen as a pretty huge honor to get in. It’s purely your high school achievements that go into it.”
Feeney starred on the football field for the Demons. As a junior, Feeney was a standout defensive back and finished with 82 total tackles and three interceptions as the Demons went 9-2 overall and 4-0 in the 3A Western Slope.
In 2024, Feeney stepped into the starting quarterback role to replace three-year starter Tyler Harms. The senior lefty finished 10th in 4A in passing yards with 1,753 yards. He had 20 passing touchdowns and eight interceptions as the Demons went 7-4 overall and 4-1 in the 4A Soco 2 League. Feeney also finished with 668 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. He was awarded second-team all-state.
Feeney was also a part of the Durango baseball program. He played in 14 games as a senior and had two hits. Feeney was used a lot as a designated runner and helped the Demons finish 15-10 overall and finish their season in the state playoffs.
He was also named male athlete of the year for Durango High School.
“I’m honored to receive the award,” Feeney said. “There have been a bunch of great athletes who have gone through Durango High School who have gotten that award. To be a part of that list was pretty cool.”
Feeney and the other two Hall of Famers graduated last Friday from Durango High School. His favorite memory from his football career is graduating with all of his football friends that he’s been playing with since second grade. The football family with these seniors has always been so strong, especially since this class has been undersized their whole careers, according to Feeney.
The dual-sport athlete said that younger athletes should realize a career can pan out many ways. Feeney never envisioned himself playing quarterback on Friday nights when he was playing running back growing up. His advice is to never quit a sport you have a role on because that role can change over time.
Dugan was a dominant wrestler for most of his high school career, won over 20 tournaments, had a career record of 181-25 and made it to state multiple times. He finished second in 4A at 126 pounds in his senior year and made second-team all-state.
Ryan Dugan of Durango High School and Connor Martindale of Bayfield High School wrestle in the 120-pound class on Jan. 14 at DHS. (Jerry McBride/Herald file)
Jerry McBride
“I didn’t really expect to get into the Hall of Fame,” Dugan said. “I didn’t know if I had all the requirements and I didn’t even know what the requirements were. But once I found out, it was pretty special. It’s pretty cool to know that my name will be up on the wall for as long as the school’s up.”
Despite not achieving his ultimate goal of winning a state championship, Dugan had plenty of great memories from his high school career. He remembers winning a tournament in Moab during his freshman year fondly and he’s proud of being the state runner-up his senior year. He won big tournaments in his junior year in Arizona and at the Warrior Classic in Grand Junction.
“Stick with it and learn to love the process more than the final destination,” Dugan said. “Losses aren’t detrimental to you as a person. A lot of young kids quit because they lose matches and it’s hard to lose a match when it’s just you out there … I would tell the underclassmen and the kids coming up to just stick with it and put in as much work as you can to be the best that you can.”
Dugan’s work ethic is so great that it turned into a joke for Knorr. He joked that if the school had to shut down, the first person he’d contact is Dugan to let him know he couldn’t access the building because he was in the weight room and on the mat so often.
The star wrestler also played running back on the football team and finished with six touchdowns over three seasons.
White was a great golfer and girls basketball player. She was a part of a state final four team in basketball, her sophomore year, and made it to the state quarterfinals her senior year. White started all 26 games and averaged 6.3 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Ellie White of Durango High School drives to the basket as the Demons play Montrose High School on March 5 at DHS during the Sweet 16 of the 5A state playoffs. (Jerry McBride/Herald file)
Jerry McBride
Durango’s Ellie White attempts and sinks a four-foot putt on the tenth at the 3A State Preview golf tournament on April 21 at Riverview Golf Course in Kirtland. (Curtis Ray Benally/Special to the Tri-City Record)
Curtis Ray Benally
On the golf course, White was one of the top players in her entire high school career. She won player of the year in the league twice and was a part of two teams that were state runner-up in 4A. White was first-team all-state her senior year and second-team all-state her junior year. She was named female athlete of the year at Durango High School.
“It’s a huge accomplishment,” White said about the Hall of Fame. “I’ve worked really hard as an athlete in both of my sports to be successful and be the best that I can. I was very proud of myself and it showed how much I really worked.”
The Hall of Fame honor was especially a surprise for White because she wasn’t at the awards ceremony at Durango High School. White was traveling back from golf regionals with her mom when she got a surprise FaceTime from Knorr to give her the good news.
White appreciates all the friendships she’s gained from both sports and the coaches she’s worked with. Golf has helped her with her mental state and her confidence. Basketball reinforced that confidence is the key to everything.
Dugan and Feeney will attend Colorado School of Mines in the fall. Dugan will wrestle and Feeney will compete as a preferred walk-on in football. White will attend Fort Lewis College to play golf there.
Full list of awards/scholarships:
Barnes Award: Connor Theine (Boys Basketball)
Courage & Leadership: Sofia Voss (XC/Track), Marcus Cullum (Basketball)
Stan Bell: Lilly Fitzpatrick (Basketball, Soccer), Malakai Baier (Football/Track)
Cheryl Newton/Cheryl Oxsen Award-Top Female Athlete: Ellie White (Basketball, Golf)
Tom Halley/Pat Tabor-Top Male Athlete: Cully Feeney (Football, Baseball)
Hall of Fame: Ellie White, Ryan Dugan and Cully Feeney
Invictus Award: Mya Trujillo, Elijah Ponce
Hillcrest Jr Golf Foundation Scholarship: Ellie White, Owen Muraro
Bryan Merry Golf Scholarship: Ellie White, Owen Muraro
Rodney Ems Memorial Golf Scholarship: Owen Mauraro, Ben Ogden
Bryan Merry Basketball Scholarships: Lilly Fitzpatrick, Tyler Trujillo
Mary Ruth Bowman Swimming Scholarship: Emma Ebner
Walt Anderson Memorial Scholarship: Elijah Oyler
Dan Patterson, Sr. Memorial Award for DHS Coach of the Year: Lauren Moran
Ron Keller Scholarship: Sophia Voss, Malakai Baier
bkelly@durangoherald.com
