Senior quarterback Drew Nash punished the Colorado School of Mines defense with both his arm and legs, and fifth-ranked Western Colorado closed out the game with 27 unanswered points to beat the Orediggers, 40-17, at Mountaineer Bowl in Gunnison on Saturday.

The Odessa American is the leading source of local news, information, entertainment and sports for the Permian Basin.

By mid-August, parts of Western Colorado were facing the most severe category of drought, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. Those hot and dry conditions contributed to a bevy of wildfires — the August 2025 Lee Fire is among the largest in state history.

Staring down a 21-point deficit in the second quarter, the CSU Pueblo ThunderWolves didn’t blink. Instead, the seventh-ranked ThunderWolves ripped off 24 unanswered points over the next two-and-a-half quarters to stun sixth-ranked Western Colorado, 24-21, in a showdown of RMAC football heavyweights on Saturday in Gunnison.

Mobile pantries are seeing a 25% attendance increase and Western Coloradans are facing hunger rates at the highest level in more than a decade.

The Wildcats helped their cause last Thursday with a four-set road win over Western Washington. Going into Saturday’s season finale, CWU (18-7 overall) was ranked No. 7 in the West but did not currently hold a spot in the national top 25 rankings despite defeating No. 20 Alaska Fairbanks and No. 14 Western Washington over the past two weeks.

Capital High School wrestler Taylor Lay has left her mark on not just Helena, but all of Montana. Now, she's carrying her competitive nature and her athletic journey at Western Colorado University.

The UTPB Falcons have once again made history after earning their first playoff win in program history with a 37-24 first-round win over Colorado State Pueblo. Now they advance to the second of a potential six-round run and they’ll once again be traveling to the Rocky Mountain State to take on Western