Olathe Pirates Football sets sail searching for more wins in 2026

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KKCO) - Olathe Pirates football set sail for a new season and struck gold week one, making the six-plus hour trek over to Peyton and riding away with a 21-7 win.

“It was exciting to be able to go tell the work we’ve been putting into everything and go use it. Helps a lot out, helps out a lot too when it actually comes out successful,” Defensive End and Guard Michael Davis said.

“We got to see each other play as a team and see what we got this year. And we got a lot. We got a lot. We still got to prove a few mistakes. But if you prove them, you’d be a great team,” Nose Guard and Left Tackle Jorge Lopez said.

Coming off a 4-4 season last year, the Pirates are looking to keep the momentum and show how far the program’s come since sitting out the 2023 varsity season, and seem to be rolling out a new identity on the field for Pirates football.

“I feel like our defense is really good this year and then offense, there’s just like little things that just add up to, just the little things that add up on offense. Like once everything clicks of those little things, it’ll be a good offense. But right now our defense is really good, I’d say,” Quarterback and Defensive Back Garrett Keith said.

The town of Olathe is going to get their first taste of Pirate swagger this Friday when they play their first home game in front of their hometown fans, hosting Gunnison. Kickoff is set for Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.

“I’m pretty excited myself. Hopefully to put on a good show for all the folks in Olathe and Montrose and everybody else,” Davis said.

“They get us excited and everything. They feel, they like wiggle our, nervousness out and we play better. I feel like we play better,” Nose Guard and Guard Aidan Saldamando said.

“I’m excited as always. We are going to, there’s going to be some people in our team nervous, but I want to be excited for this game. I want to give our people out there on the stands, I want to give them a big win. They didn’t come over here just to watch us lose. They came over here to win, to watch us win. And I want to feel excited about this game,” Lopez said.

“I mean, it won’t be as nice for me as everyone else on the field just because I’ll try and get to play, but I don’t know. But it’ll be fun just be under the home crowd and under your own lights and on your own grass. So it’ll be fun. Yeah,” Keith said.

You can find highlights and the latest from the Pirates and other Local Football teams around the Western Slope on the Friday Night Blitz, you can find last week’s episode here.