Cowboys Grind Out 14-12 Season-Opening Win at Cimarron

PHOTO CREDIT: Jackie Elliott

CIMARRON — New head coach Dax Ruhs wanted his Goodland Cowboys to establish a tough, gritty identity. His team did just that in its season opener.

Goodland built a 14-point first-half lead and then leaned on its defense to survive a second-half Cimarron rally, holding off the Bluejays 14-12 for a hard-fought road victory.

“Gritty. So proud of them,” Ruhs said afterward. “The kids fought as hard as they did and overcame all the adversity.”

The Cowboys finished with just 206 yards of total offense, including only 40 yards on 38 rushing attempts. Senior Ethan Horinek punched in a second-quarter touchdown as Goodland took a 14-0 advantage into halftime.

Goodland’s defense helped make up for the lack of offensive production by forcing three takeaways and keeping Cimarron off the scoreboard in the opening half.

The Bluejays made their push after halftime, scoring twice to pull within 14-12 late in the fourth quarter. Cimarron then lined up for a two-point conversion that would have tied the game.

Ruhs said the Cowboys anticipated Cimarron would try to attack the middle on the conversion, so Goodland stacked the box and challenged the Bluejays to beat them another way.

“We said, ‘Come at us,’” Ruhs said. “And we were just tougher.”

The Cowboys made the stop, then forced Cimarron into an onside-kick attempt and finished off the victory.

Ruhs also praised a Goodland secondary that was tested frequently through the air, noting the Cowboys “bent at times, but definitely didn’t break.”

The victory gave Ruhs his first win as Goodland’s head coach and ended several droughts for the Cowboys. It was Goodland’s first season-opening victory since 2020 and its first season-opening road win since 2015.

It was also Goodland’s first road victory in nearly two years. The Cowboys’ previous win away from home came Sept. 20, 2024, at Oakley.

Goodland will look to build on the season-opening win when it hosts Burlington on Friday, Sept. 11, in the Cowboys’ home opener at Cowboy Stadium.

Coach Dax Ruhs - Postgame at Cimarron (9-3-2026)

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