The Gunnison High School football team ended this year with a loss to Pagosa Springs and finished with a 2-7 record, but head coach Chase Starman is confident that the program made significant strides in setting the foundation of Cowboy football culture.
The Cowboys traveled to Pagosa Springs on Friday, Oct. 16, for their final regular season game and what is likely their final game of the 2026 season. The Cowboys lost the game 42-13 and once again explosive plays from the opposition were a big issue for the team.
“This is just another game where the scoreboard doesn't necessarily reflect the effort and attitude of the team,” said Starman. “And the boys, throughout the entire game, it kind of came down to explosive plays again. Those kinds of have been our kryptonite all year long.”
Going into halftime, Gunnison was down 28-7. The Pirates scored first in the third quarter to make it 35-7, but the Cowboys answered with a touchdown of their own and looked poised for a comeback. Unfortunately, the boys let up another explosive play the next time the Pirates had the ball and they found themselves down 42-13.
“It's hard to dig yourself out a hole when you're down that far with the clock ticking and not a whole lot of time left,” said Starman. “But the boys played hard.”
Quarterback Asher Woytek completed five of his 14 pass attempts for 70 yards and a touchdown. Jorge Perez threw one pass as well and it was intercepted.
On the ground, Simeon Jauregui led the team with 79 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown. Jakob Miller had 47 yards on eight carries as well.
Parker Vick caught one pass for 56 yards and a touchdown. Tytus Williams and Deegan Bennett each caught two passes.
Williams led the team with seven total tackles in the game and he also was tied for the team lead with one tackle for a loss. Colton Bogner, Jacob Frey and Bennett all had a tackle for a loss as well.
“This is a program that is built on pride and being disciplined and leaving no doubt,” said Starman. “And I can firmly say that everybody in the program that played that day kind of left no doubt and they played hard and they played Cowboys football.”
The Cowboys finished the season with a 2-7 record this year and are currently ranked 31st in 2A. This year the top 24 teams in 2A will make the playoffs with the top eight getting a first-round bye. While there is still a potential playoff berth looming, Starman emphasized that it would take a lot of things falling in their favor to make the playoffs this year.
With the season likely over, Starman emphasized that even though the win-loss record wasn’t exactly where they wanted it to be, the team built a culture this year that will inspire improvement in the future.
“The attitude, the mindset, the culture, the leadership, the brotherhood, everything was there and it remains for the entire season,” said Starman. “Our seniors really did a great job of just buying into the culture, buying into the Cowboy Football vision. And they have springboarded us into something that is going to be fun and exciting for many years to come.”
This year’s group of seniors including Perez, Everett Maxwell, Joan Martinez, Bennett, Anguel Zeferino, Jack Stone and Vick have potentially suited up for the final time as a Gunnison Cowboy.
Starman was really impressed with the buy-in from this year’s senior class and emphasized that without their leadership he wouldn’t have been able to build the culture in the way that he did.
“I think they did an excellent job of doing that and setting these juniors who are going to become seniors up for success down the road,” said Starman. “And even our freshmen who are going to be in the program for another three years, they're going to see some substantial growth year in and year out because of the foundation that was laid this year by our seniors.”
Even though this season just ended, Starman is already excited for what next year is shaping up to be. This year’s team was young and while they lost seven of the nine games they played, they all stepped up at some point in time this season. Starman feels like there is a lot of potential for younger athletes from this year’s team to step into leadership positions next year and beyond.
Overall, Starman is excited to grow after this year and is proud of his team despite what the win column reads.
“If you're somebody who's a part of the program or has some insight of the program, you can understand that where we are this year as compared to last year is significantly better,” said Starman. “Maybe not in the win column, but the culture, the brotherhood, the raising young men, having quality standards, being disciplined, having accountability, it's all forming, it's all coming together. And it's not finished by any means, but the foundation is for sure set.”
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