Jacob Avila didn’t make it to the end of the game either.
Aided off after an apparent hamstring injury with nine minutes left in the Olathe Pirates’ Friday game at Ignacio, losing the senior certainly hurt the visitors in, at least, the short term. But his presence early in the third quarter had, one way or another, long-term consequences – for the opposing Bobcats.
The Pirates took care of the Bobcats with a 20-16 victory on Friday. Ignacio is 0-3 overall after the loss and Olathe improved to 3-0 overall.
OHS’ only hope to prevent Ignacio from beginning the third quarter with a potentially game-breaking bang, Avila lunged to bring down his opposing No. 21, before that ’Cat could pull an already-difficult catch more so in bounds and finish a 55-yard pitch-and-catch with Ignacio senior quarterback Zane Pontine.
Dragged down near Olathe’s 10-yard line immediately after receiving Pontine’s long bomb, Bobcat senior Gabe Archuleta didn’t scramble to his feet as he normally would. Helped off the field, he’d be lost for the remainder of the nonconference contest – and, as feared, the rest of the 2025 season with a broken left clavicle. Just like that, IHS was caught in a close contest without its best deep threat – someone who’d have been essential at the conclusion.
Trailing 20-16 after OHS sophomore Hunter Lynch carried for a 1-yard touchdown – on fourth down, no less – around right tackle (junior QB Garrett Keith’s two-point conversion run, however, was stuffed), capping a six-play, 45-yard drive using 3:11 worth of clock, the ’Cats went back on offense at their own 24 with 2:28 left in regulation.
Needing a new long-range weapon, Pontine looked multiple times for D.J. Hendren, making his season debut. But under constant Pirate pressure, Pontine overthrew the senior, viable as either a running back or wide receiver, three times. Pontine then managed to hit senior running back Lincoln deKay for a 7-yard gain reaching OHS’ 48, but Ignacio’s luck ran out the next play when Olathe junior Bryce Good intercepted Pontine’s final downfield attempt.
Able to make a short return killing off as many of the waning seconds as possible, Good’s give-up slide set OHS’ offense up at their own 38 with only 37.7 ticks remaining. Keith then knelt once, securing the guests a shaky four-point victory.
Overcoming Hendren’s early, tone-setting 98-yard fumble return for a score (deKay added the two-pointer), the Pirates repaid IHS for last year’s 34-7 beat down at Olathe.
Archuleta ended up with four grabs for 88 yards as Pontine threw for 141 on 11 completions. Senior Aven Bourriague caught two passes for 30 yards and deKay two for 18. Pontine also rushed for a 1-yard touchdown, set up by the ill-fated heave to Archuleta – and added the two-point tote.
Ignacio will next host Bayfield (2-0 overall) on Friday with kickoff against the Wolverines, who rolled into 3A Gallup, on Friday and left with a 46-26 win over the Bengals, set for 7 p.m.
