Gunnison falls to Olathe, 19-14

The Gunnison High School football team suffered their first defeat of the 2026 season at the hands of Olathe on Friday, Sept. 4.

The Cowboys lost 19-14 to the Pirates in Olathe Friday night and their unbeaten streak came to an end at two games. Still, it is the latest into a season that the Cowboys have suffered their first loss since it took five games during the 2023 season.

“They played with heart for the entire game,” said head coach Chase Starman. “They didn't show any sign of quit. They were down a couple of times, and they were able to bounce back, and then they were down, and they just did everything in their power to try and come back and cut that lead down or break that tie. Unfortunately, the ball didn't roll our way.”

The Pirates struck first in the first quarter, making it 7-0 early, but two touchdowns from Jorge Perez in the second quarter gave the Cowboys a 14-7 lead heading into the half. 

Olathe scored again in the third quarter after the Cowboys fumbled on the opening drive of the second half. They missed their point after attempt and the Cowboys held a narrow 14-13 lead. 

The Pirates scored again in the third quarter and didn’t convert their two-point attempt which gave them a 19-14 lead. They were able to keep the Cowboys off the scoreboard the rest of the game and win the game.

Quarterback Asher Woytek finished the game 10-for-18 with 152 yards through the air, a touchdown and two interceptions. 

As a team, the Cowboys finished with 189 total yards on the ground. They were led by Perez who had one carry for 89 yards and a touchdown. Nolan Witzel led the team with seven carries for 21 yards. Deegan Bennett had five carries for 41 yards, but also lost a fumble.

Perez also led the team in receiving carries, catching four balls for 101 yards and a touchdown. Bennett also caught four passes for 47 yards. 

Tytus Williams led the defense with 10 total tackles, six of which were solo efforts. Jacob Frey led the team with seven solo tackles though and recovered a fumble. Witzel had the Cowboys’ only tackle for a loss in the game.

“Unfortunately, Olathe, they just kept us out of the end zone,” said Starman. “It wasn't just one play that was our demise. It was an accumulation of a bunch of plays that maybe if we got it here, maybe if we had this during this series, if all those added up together, it could have been a different outcome, but honestly, at the end of the day, it's just learning experience and things that we can correct and overcome in this upcoming week.”

After the game, Starman emphasized that he and the coaching staff are going to reiterate discipline, especially at the line of scrimmage pre-snap. 

On defense he noted that the boys need to trust each other and trust their assignments. On offense Starman emphasized that the boys need to work on ball security because they can’t have an offense without the ball.

Up next, the Cowboys will begin league play with a game at Basalt (2-1) on Friday, Sept. 11.

“They're a disciplined team,” said Starman when talking about Basalt. “They're a physical team. I don't think they are leaps and bounds ahead of us. It will for sure be a dogfight going into it. All it really is going to come down to is if we can do our job, we can trust our assignment and trust our teammates.”